IT COULD BE ANYBODY!

By

Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

2nd Ramadaan, 1439AH

Many people think it is easy to talk in public. No, it is not. Even the most eloquent people could become incoherent sometimes. It is part of being human. The fact that it had never happened to you doesn't mean it is not happening. It just as Allaah says in Q78:38, no one will be able to talk anywhere except by His permission. No matter how good you are, you can make silly mistakes. Even if the speech is written by you, you can still have a bad day. You are not perfect! You can be naturally confused or even be attacked with magic (witchcraft) or evil eye. Anything can happen. Don't be too sure of yourself. 

I was at Emir's Palace, Ilorin one night when an eloquent speaker was invited to deliver a lecture. If I can still remember vividly, he came all the way from Kano. He was popularly known as "waato". No one doubted his ability before he mounted the podium. But unfortunately, he started saying jargons. All he was saying were irrelevant to what he was invited to do. When it was obvious that he could not say anything meaningful, he said : orun ti e wa nkun mi bayi, mi o no nkan ti mo fe se ma bayi  (I am now feeling sleepy, I don't even know what I want to do now). Immediately he said this, we knew it was something else. He tried to speak by force, no way. At last, he was seen off the stage. After few minutes, he struggled to return to the stage. But he couldn't still do anything anything to rescue the situation. He was at last rushed out of the gathering to an unknown destination. He however returned the following year to deliver the lecture. 

The lesson from this is that we should not be over confident on any skill we are bestowed with. Do not make jest of people due to their mistakes in public. You are not better than them. Who knows? It may be your turn tomorrow, no matter how perfect you think you are. And your own could even be worse than that of the person you are making jest of. You can stammer many times and you might not be able to make any sense.

May Allaah guide us aright.