Let me hug you

*Come, let me hug you on my chest:*

A true story which happened in Saudi Arabia.
Saeed bin Jumaan was an old father whose job was being a teacher. After the death of his wife, may Allah Have Mercy on her, he lived with his sons so they could serve him. Allah blessed him with four sons, and Alhamdulillah all of them were obedient.

Their father was known for his strength, prestige and words. If someone said Saeed bin Jumaan has arrived in the school, the principal and the teachers would get afraid, so how would the students be?

He used to hit his sons very hard, and hung his bamboo stick at the door.
When he became old, he realized his weakness and felt ashamed about how he hit his sons.

This story was told by one of his sons.

He said that their father sent them a message saying: “Habits often drive us to do wrong. Sorry my sons for what I did to you when you were young. I was cruel on you, not because I didn’t love you, but because you were more precious than my breath. Our tradition was saying that the cruel father is the only one who can raise his children properly, but a compassionate father is a one who failed, one who drives his sons to failure. I pretended to be tough and used force expecting that it will benefit you and thinking it was best for you. I was satisfied with our tradition, so as to please the society more than anything else, as if their satisfaction will make us enter Jannah! I tried to please the society even though deep inside I knew it wasn’t right.

My sons, don’t turn against me. When I see you kissing your children and befriending them, my heart breaks apart from pain, and I want to scream and tell you I also loved you, and I still love you.

So why is it, that when one of you kisses your children, you look at me in such a way that I feel like a sharp blade is stabbing my heart? It is as if you are telling me to learn how to love my children and be tender to them.

I understand how parents should deal with their children. But this wasn’t our time, and I can’t bring back what I’ve lost a long time ago. So don’t teach me anything unless it’s useful.  I ask for your forgiveness.  You can do anything you want to me, but don’t torture me with that look.”

This story was told by his youngest son, Yaser, who is now the father of three sons and a daughter.

“We were all touched by his message and we went and kissed his head, hands and feet, and we told him if it wasn’t for the way he raised us, we wouldn’t have been successful men.  When I went to bed to sleep, my father’s words kept ringing in my ears, and my heart ached and I turned over on my bed but it didn’t help.

Then I cried bitterly and I wrote to my father saying:
My beloved father, You may have thought that our looks to you when we embrace our children is a punishment, but this is the proof of our innocence, and only Allah Knows. When I embrace my children and look at you, it’s like I am saying ‘what if my father embraces me now?’ Because even though I’ve grown up and I’ve become a father, it doesn’t mean that I don’t need your warm hug and kisses. So can I have a hug and a kiss?”
Then he sent it to his father’s mobile phone and slept.

At dawn, Yaser went out of his room to pray and found his father standing on his crutches at the door, saying: “Come my son, let me hug you on my chest, I didn’t realize that beating you would hurt my heart so much now. If I did good then Allah Knows, If I was wrong then forgive me. You don’t know how precious you are to me. You are my soul, my liver and my everything.”

He brought Yaser to his chest and kissed him, and both of them started to cry.

After a few minutes, the father fell to the ground. His sons took him to the hospital and they tried to help him, but his time had come, he had departed from this world. May Allah have mercy on him.

So be gentle to your parents, because they might have wanted so much to be tender to you but they didn’t get the chance to.

Forget any painful past and remember that they have a great value, even if they didn’t raise you up with love.

Who stood up for your interests until you became an adult man, or woman and active member of society?

O Allah forgive our parents and have mercy on them, as they brought me up when I was little. Ameen!

Please share this story with those you love, because many need this.