11th Rabi’II 1448 |
Assalamu'alaikum, |
Alhamdulillah, I just got back from a three-week book tour in Southeast Asia. I was blessed to deliver workshops in Jakarta, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur and meet incredible people along the way. |
But perhaps the most memorable part of the trip was the one I never planned for... |
It was almost like a movie scene: I arrived at the airport in Jakarta ready to take my flight to Singapore, but the screens showed almost every flight cancelled. |
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The screen showing every flight cancelled from Jakarta Airport |
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A volcano had erupted a few days earlier and was causing flight cancellations and airport closures. I'd heard murmurs about the disruption, but somehow assumed things would be alright. |
Seeing that screen of cancelled flights made the situation real. It's in moments like these that you realize that no matter how carefully you plan, some things are beyond you, and you can't control every possibility. |
Alhamdulillah, the organizing team in Indonesia and Singapore had been tracking the situation and had a plan B in place: they booked me on an 8-hour overnight train from Jakarta to Surabaya, a city in East Java, where I'd catch a flight to Singapore. That plan B saved the trip. Had they waited one more day, every train to Surabaya would have been fully booked, and the rest of my tour would have been in jeopardy. |
I made it to the train station in time and got on the train. The ride itself was uneventful. But I remember sitting there, going over this whole adventure and marveling at Allah's decree and how He planned things. It was a feeling of gratitude for how Allah facilitated things despite the unexpected circumstances. |
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A moment of relief after making it on the train ride to Surabaya |
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The next day I flew from Surabaya to Singapore, and alhamdulillah, I made it in time for the main event in Singapore, and the rest of the tour went on smoothly. |
Through all of this mini-adventure, one phrase kept me and the team steady: “fiha khair” (there's good in this). It helped us stay calm, focus on what was within our control, and not panic about what was outside our control. |
I'm sharing this story so we can reflect: sometimes you have the most carefully planned events, tours, and projects, and things don't work out your way because of circumstances no one could foresee. The challenge is not only what you do when such circumstances erupt, but how you react. Do you get upset, stress out, and get overwhelmed by anxiety? Or do you accept Allah's decree and calmly plan what can be done given the circumstances? |
After my flight was cancelled, I received a message from an old acquaintance who had heard I was in Jakarta and wondered if I was free to meet. Since I had some time before my train ride, I said yes and met him for coffee. It turned out he was part of the learning team at a major Islamic bank in Indonesia, and he was interested in working with me on a project for his bank. |
If I had caught my flight to Singapore, I probably never would have met him. Truly, fiha khair :) |
When was the last time a plan of yours fell apart and turned out to be khair? Hit reply and let me know. |
Sincerely, |
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P.S. A sincere word of gratitude to the organizers of the tour in Jakarta, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur for their overwhelming kindness, hospitality, and support throughout. What a memorable journey it was, alhamdulillah! |
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