Shaykh Saleh Al-Meghamsi (may Allah preserve him), Imam of Masjid Quba, went through such a humbling, lesson-laden moment that leaves us with much to reflect on. He relates his story saying:
I was in the intensive care unit, just beginning to regain consciousness after undergoing a 24 hour open-heart surgery, when the nurse in charge of me noticed a change in the blood. He informed a doctor, who informed another. A third doctor was then called, until 14 people, among them doctors & professionals, had gathered to discuss what they should do regarding my case. They were reading the signals from the devices over my head, & although I had no idea what the situation was, I could read fear in their faces. It seemed that the signals were not pleasant.
They called Dr. Adam, a successful Sudanese doctor, to come & see. He studied the monitor & concluded that there was congealed blood on the heart & that it had to be removed. The news came down on me like a thunderbolt . The doctor sought my permission, & although fear began to overwhelm me, Allah guided me to utter the shahadah, followed by my head nodding in agreement.
I was disconnected from the devices around me, and the doctor left to prepare for the operation.
At that same moment, there stood to my left a Lebanese nurse who seemed to feel sorry for me due to the situation I was in. Allah guided her to gently remind me:
‘Listen. Salli ‘ala al-Naby (send blessings on the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم ), & Your Lord will relieve it.”
Instantly, like anyone would respond, I said:
‘Allahumma sallee ‘ala Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلمwa ‘ala Aali Muhammad.” صلى الله عليه و سلم
Just like that, I said it.
I said it & all the blood came down.
The signals indicated by the machines differed, & they were unsure as to what had occurred. They called the doctor back. He arrived, looked at the screen & said; ‘Shaykh Saleh, what we wanted to do & rid u of, Allah rid u of it from above the 7 heavens.’
Subhanallah!