I love hearing stories of inspirational people. It’s usually a story about Umar bin al Khattab, a story about one of the companions of the blessed Prophet SAW or the ones who came after him. It’s usually in the form of an abstract, someone who used to live, someone like Benjamin Franklin or someone with no name in a story. Someone who moves me, inspires me and makes me wish I had been the one who went into a well to get water for a dog, or had been the one who sacrificed my sleep or my hunger so that someone else might sleep and feed.

Today I’m writing about someone who isn’t abstract, someone who’s real and alive at this moment in time. Someone who is ordinary like me or you, but who astounds me and amazes me with her kindness. She’s still young, just a teenager in high school. Someone who still doesn’t have the answers to everything and doesn’t consider herself special in any way, but to me she is. Because when you hear a story that inspires you, it doesn’t matter if the person that inspired you isn’t perfect, it matters that despite their imperfection when they came across a moment they made a decision that made all the difference.

I’m talking about my Sister Salsabila. She went shopping with mom nearly two weeks ago. And while mom was looking around for groceries, they both noticed a woman arguing with a vendor. She wanted him to reduce an additional N50 from her purchase and he refused. So they kept arguing, with the woman insisting and the vendor refusing. My sister watched them for a little while then asked mom for N50. At this point mom was distracted buying something else so she gave Salsabila the money but didn’t ask her why.

Moments later as mom was buying something else, the woman who was arguing with the vendor earlier went to find her and thanked her profusely. Imagine mom’s shock and surprise. It was later she realized that to end the dispute, my sister had taken the N50 naira and given it to the vendor so he would sell his product to the woman at the price she needed and he could sell it at the price he needed. So everyone left happy.

Now most of us would like to think that we would have done what she did. The truth is, some of us would, but perhaps the majority of us would just be content to gawk and be amused by the insistent woman.

As muslims we are told that we are not true believers until we want for our fellow brothers and sisters what we want for ourselves. And we are supposed to be arbiters of peace wherever and whenever. I’m so proud to know Salsabila and so thankful that I got to hear her story and be inspired by it. I hope this story inspires you and reminds you that we really are defined by the seemingly trivial choices we make in our lives.

Allah will ask us about each and every action even if it is as small as a grain of sand. And one action such as the man who removed a thorn from the road can grant you paradise. So keep your eyes open and pounce at any opportunity to rise above yourself and join the ranks of the Extraordinary.

Do you know an ordinary person doing extraordinary things? If you do, please share in the comments, I LOVE inspirational stories!

[image from pinterest]