Shadee Elmasry – Why Doesn’t My Prayer Get Answered

I wrote a story, believe it or not, I never wrote short stories.

But I wrote a short story. One day in the middle of the night I woke

up, I couldn't sleep. And the short story came to my mind. It's

a metaphor, of course, right? It's an allegory, it's not really hard

to find out that it's an allegory, right? But it's on the blog. But

it's a metaphor about a man whose dua is never answered. He goes to

the Door of Allah, and his door is never answered. But he's like,

that's weird, because I put in all the effort. Why is my dog never

answered? Everyone else, doors opening for them. And their

drawers answered, and they're leaving happy, go back to their

village, fill of riches. All I want is the door to open for me. I

did everything. I don't understand why it's not opening. It says so

he says to himself, maybe. Maybe Allah was not pleased something

about me he's not right. So he starts looking back and crying.

And then he sees he sees an old person, far away from the Door of

Allah, crawling so slowly, and he says, Oh, he's going to take

forever to get to the dorm, Allah. Right. I says, Hold on a second.

Maybe if I help him, Allah will love me and forgive my sins.

Whatever it may be something about me is not is missing. But if I

help somebody, maybe Allah loves that person, if I help that person

alone, love me. So he goes, and the old man is crying, he's on my

whole life. I've been struggling. I needed your help. He carries a

man on his back. So maybe Allah will love me if I do this. He puts

the old man right in front of the Door of Allah. I says, hopefully,

now, the door will open for me. Nothing happened. Okay, maybe

more. Maybe I need to help another person. He looks back. There's

another old lady, far away, goes helps her carries him, carries her

on his back puts her in front of a door of Allah. Then he realized

Hold on.

If I was suffering, Elena, were no I shouldn't say this. But if I was

viewing this, I wouldn't if this is how I react to my daughter not

being answered. I wouldn't answer it either. Because every time this

happens, I keep helping other people realize maybe that's the

reason. Maybe that hunger of that door not opening up, has forced me

to go back and help other people to try to please my Creator. Maybe

this is my mission in life.

So he travels now every day he goes out, goes out over the

mountain, and through the woods to help these people. Hey, guys, I've

been there. I've been to the Door of Allah. I've seen it open for

many people. I can take you any guides, he becomes a guide. He

keeps going back every day he keeps going back, he sleeps, he

wakes up, he goes out again. He says, Hey, who's coming to Georgia

law come? Then he says these people thought if people can guide

you if you're already convicted, what about the people who are not

convinced at all? Right? He starts going to people who had given up a

long time ago and set up shop and raise a new generation who don't

even know that there's a Door of Allah and His people. What are you

doing? There is a door of Allah nada, we heard about that we got

lost, we can't find it. There's no such thing. There is a such thing

just because you couldn't find it doesn't mean there isn't such

thing. I was there.

And he starts convincing, I started taking the youth come,

come go this way go, this is gonna happen a line is gonna come out

here, then there's gonna be a ditch here, then there's gonna be

a desert here. And it's gonna take a long time. But be patient, I'll

walk you through it. And every day he's walking people through now he

goes far out and he takes a week to come back then he goes far

takes a month to come back.

He looks one day, all these people are at the door of Allah

since I bought them here, but the door never opened for me. He's

walking back to his encampment. And he starts really getting sad.

And I've been working a long time, right? Even this didn't please my

lord to open the door have Allah and he realized, you know, maybe

if the Door of Allah open for him, he go back home and never come

back and never help anybody.

So he now says maybe that's the reason. So, Oh Allah, if you just

open the door for me, I'll stay.

But Allah knows. Maybe he won't. He gets so much riches, you go

home, be fat and happy with your wife and sit happily, right at

that very moment while he's crying. Where's my wealth? Right?

Still Jordan open for me a man bumps into him and he yells at me

watch where you go. And this is sacred territory, bumping into

people. How dumb

is crazy people bumping into me like this.

He puts his hands in his pockets. All of a sudden he takes up a

golden IQ.

It's like wow.

As I was getting feeling down about myself, Allah gave me a

little gift. A big jewel in his hand. And it's like Subhan Allah.

This is one of the things that's handed out when the Door of Allah

opens for you.

So now he's so happy. Allah answered me, he gave me a little

snack.

And he knows if the door truly opens, maybe I'll never come back.

Right? And that's many, many people. If Allah answers village

opens the door for you will never come back. But you're useful. You

got something to give to people. So Allah keeps you hungry. So that

then he goes to his tent and he starts looking at all day and

praying, oh, Allah, thank you, you listen to me. I was heartbroken,

but you always answer me you go give me something to relieve my

pain. At least now I have this to look at every single day. This is

my wealth now. Like he's had his first spiritual experience.

Now, he wakes up bright and early in the morning, and he goes

further than he's ever been before. And he said, hey, people,

you believe that there's a Door of Allah. There's no such thing. Our

grandfathers talked about it. We never found any such thing. We're

lost. And so we just pitch camp here where you go hunt, and we

play games and talk around the fire all day. So people No, no,

look at this. And he shows them at all. Everyone's eyes, go wide and

say we want that. Let's go. Alright, let's go follow me, I'll

take you and he becomes an even stronger guide to the Door of

Allah.

Because of that spiritual experience, and that is the path

of many, many people. Right? Allah to Allah keeps them hungry by

giving them a little bit at a time because he knows if you open the

tab for this person, oh, come back. Right. But some other

people, the tap has to open for them. Because they suffered too

much. Right? So no one's more generous than Allah. If you're in

need, go help other people. Good. And Allah Tada will help you. And

unfortunately, some people, you know, they

they haven't really got this, but you got to get it. You got to be

able to be selfless. And that's why I feel bad for sometimes

people who don't have dependents. They're never forced to be

selfless. You think like selfless people didn't train to be

selfless. You can't

train yourself to be selfless. You have to be forced to be selfless.

Because if I trained myself to be selfless, I'm going to stop the

moment I get tired. Who's stopping right? But a mom, for example,

just has a baby. She didn't have a choice to be selfless because that

baby could die. Right? That baby had a diaper rash. That baby can

something else could happen. Okay. As soon as a man now has some

responsibilities.

Right? And all his single friends are going skydiving. Well, I can't

go skydiving, right. I got responsibilities, right? So you're

forced to be selfless. That's why if you truly want to get good at

anything, you need to submit yourself to something that you got

to put yourself in a situation where you're forced to do it.