Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided
to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to
dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes,
socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as
he swam toward the middle of the lake
an alligator was swimming toward
him. His mother, in the house, was looking out the window and saw the two
as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the
water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the
little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was
too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the
dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the Alligator
snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.
The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much
too passionate to let go.
A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck,
took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the
hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the
vicious attack of the animal, and on his arms, were deep scratches where
his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to
the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma asked if
he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with
obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great
scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go." You
and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not
from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic, but the scars of a
painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep
regret. But some wounds, my friend, are because Allah has refused to let
go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.
Islam teaches us that Allah loves us. He wants to protect us and provide
for us in every way.


But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The
swimming hole of life is filled with peril and we forget that the
enemy(Satan) is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins, and
if we have the scars of His love on our arms, be very, very grateful. He
did not and will not let us go.