A father gave his son a bracelet
on the day the son left home for the first time for a long while.
It was a simple braided bracelet.
No words.
No signs.
No promises.
The son asked:
— Will it protect me?
The father answered:
— No.
— Will it bring me good fortune?
— No.
And so the son did not understand
why it was needed.
Time passed.
The son’s life did not move in a straight line.
There were losses.
There were mistakes.
There were knots he wanted to untie at any cost.
In anger, he pulled at the thread —
and each time he felt:
if he tore it,
only emptiness would remain.
One day, on a difficult day,
the son looked at the bracelet and understood:
My life is not straight,
but every knot was permitted.
Not as a punishment.
Not as chance.
But as a path woven
by the will of Allah.
He understood that every link was a trial:
-
patience (sabr) — when you want to break
-
trust (tawakkul) — when the outcome is unseen
-
measure — when it is time to stop
And then the knowledge came:
Strength is not in untangling everything,
but in not tearing the thread.
From that day on, the son wore the bracelet
not as an ornament,
and not as a talisman.
He wore it as a reminder.
When fear came —
he chose patience.
When anger came —
he chose pause.
When the world grew loud —
he held on to silence.
And silently he repeated:
“I hold on to patience, not to fear.”