In the surgery room, there was a team of doctors and nurses. Among them were Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and atheists from different races and ethnicities trying to restore the health of a Muslim

 

Open-Heart Surgery: Divine Grace, Medical Miracle, and Prayers Gave Me a New Life
By Dr Aslam Abdullah
CA

After regaining semi-consciousness, I heard the first whisper, "Is he dead." Then, my subconscious read me the Qur’anic verse, "Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear" (27:80). I was alive.

Experiencing death so close, I silently recited the declaration of Islamic faith and a few other verses of the Qur’an, offered my gratitude for the life, and repeated prayers for my family, friends, and doctors who had performed triple bypass heart surgery. Then, I became unconscious. For the next few hours, I went through this type of episode seven times, gaining consciousness and relapsing into a deep sleep.

I was at Kaiser hospital for my edema and angiogram on Jan 9, 2023. On Jan 18, doctors decided to perform open-heart surgery. I consulted a few cardiologist friends, and they all advised me to go forward. Jan 23 was the day for the surgery, but the lead doctor was concerned about my renal failure. Dr Talha Imam, the nephrologist at the hospital, was confident that my body would weather the surgery.

Finally, on Jan 26, the surgical staff took me to the operating room. Before being on the stretcher, I asked my eldest son Suhail and my wife to recite Sura Hashr, and the declaration of my faith. In the surgery room, there was a team of doctors and nurses. Among them were Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and atheists from different races and ethnicities trying to restore the health of a Muslim.

The last thought I had before going into a long sleep was a prayer: O my Lord, make the world in the image of this room, where all races and religious groups work together to save the life of someone identified as the other."

Kaiser, Fontana, has an excellent team of doctors, nurses, and other supporting staff. It ensures that the patients have complete confidence in their service and treatment. Doctors regularly visit patients, and the nursing staff is parred excellence. I didn't encounter a single nurse who was frustrated in her job.

The medical profession is one of the noblest and oldest in our world. Our community has many professionals in this field. However, we must encourage our youth to enter nursing and other related fields. Serving fellow humans is doing the divine will.

It's faith that helps him overcome the most challenging phase. I am grateful to God, doctors, nurses, family, and friends who were always there to take care of me.

(Dr Aslam Abdullah is a resident scholar at Islamicity.org and editor-in-chief of the Muslim Observer newspaper. He is also the Indian Islamic Heritage Project director of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian origin and the interim President of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, WCMIR.)