The Senegalese Driver and the Swiss Doctor

Islamic Stories

Dr. Abdullah Al-Tantawi, the president of the Syrian Writers Association, recounted a humorous incident that occurred to him in Switzerland. He said: "I was strolling with my friend, Professor Muhammad, through the streets of Geneva. My friend was an elderly and sick man. I told him, 'When you feel tired, we will take a taxi.' After an hour of walking, my friend felt exhausted.

We took a taxi and gave the driver the hotel's address. While we were talking, the driver turned to us. He had a dark complexion and spoke two words that we did not understand.

He said to us: 'Peace be upon you.'

We responded with 'Peace,' and then asked him about his well-being. He replied: 'I am like you. I am a Muslim who was brought here from my home country, Senegal, when I was a young boy. I knew a little Arabic because prayer is not valid except in Arabic.'

Professor Muhammad asked him: 'Do you memorize any part of the Quran?'

He answered: 'I memorize some surahs, such as Al-Kahf, Yusuf, Ad-Dukhan, Yasin, Ar-Rahman, Juz' Tabarak, and Juz' Amma. I also memorize forty prophetic hadiths.'

Then he stopped the car and asked: 'What do you think about coming to my house with me?'

'Are you living alone?' we asked.

'No, I am married to a white Swiss woman, and I have four children with her: Muhammad, Abu Bakr, Omar, and Ali.'

'Is your wife a Muslim?'

'Of course she is a Muslim. I did not marry her until she converted. She prays, memorizes some surahs, teaches our children prayer, the Quran, and the Arabic language, and she wears the hijab.'

He added: 'One day, a girl and her mother took my taxi. I dropped them off at their home. It was my last ride of the day. When I returned to my car and got out, I noticed something shining on the back seat. It was a woman’s handbag. I opened it to identify the owner and found a gold bracelet, a pearl necklace, and some money, but nothing that indicated who the owner was.

I drove my car back to the place where they had gotten out and waited in front of their apartment building. At 7:30 in the morning, the mother and daughter came out, looking anxious. I hurried toward them and returned the handbag to them, apologizing for the delay in returning it because I found nothing in the bag to identify the owner, so I waited in my car in front of the building for you to come out.'

I told them this, while the mother was searching through the handbag, fearing that I might have stolen something from it. When she found everything intact, she rushed toward me and kissed me, much to my surprise... She thanked me profusely, then invited me to have something to drink at their place, but I declined.

The mother took my name and phone number, and I left to pursue my lawful livelihood.

A few days later, that girl called me and invited me to dinner at their home, using her name and her mother's name. She urged me to accept the invitation, so I did. During dinner, the mother said: 'We inquired about you and learned that your reputation is sound, that you have no criminal record, and that you are single and have no associations with immoral women.'

I was surprised by her conversation, wondering what they wanted from me that made them inquire about my background.

It seemed they understood what was going through my mind. She said: 'My husband passed away, leaving me and my daughter. I raised her, and she will graduate as a doctor this year. I want to marry her to a chaste, noble, and trustworthy young man. We inquired about you, and I wish to marry my daughter to you.'

I came out of my astonishment and said to her: 'What are you saying?'

She replied: 'My daughter Janet and I discussed this, pointed to her daughter, and considered the matter thoroughly. We decided to propose marriage to you.'

'We have a house, and you will not need for anything. You work with your car, and I will support my daughter until she finishes her studies.'

I said to them: 'I am a Muslim, and I want the mother of my children to be a Muslim.'

The mother said: 'There are Muslims married to Christian women. Your religion permits that.'

I said: 'That is true, but I want the mother of my children to be a Muslim.'

The mother looked at her daughter Janet and understood something from her expression.

Then she said: 'That is fine. We are religious, and we have Muslim neighbors who are very good people. We learned from them that your religion recognizes Jesus Christ as a prophet, recognizes his mother, Mary, and acknowledges the Christian faith. Your religion commands you to be upright. They used to play the Quran for us from a recorder they had, and we will think about the matter.'

We had agreed to meet on another day. On the appointed day, I arrived, and I read joy in their eyes. They told me they were ready to embrace Islam.

I said, “There is one final condition.”

“What is it?”

“I will be the one providing for Fatima until she completes her studies.”

Janet asked, with a hint of fear, “Who is Fatima?”

I replied, “From now on, you are Fatima.”

Fatima rose and rushed toward me, as if to do something—God forbid, I don’t know what she intended.

Then she said, tears filling her eyes, “From now on, I am a Muslim. My name is Fatima, and you are my husband, my brother, my father, and everything in my life.”

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Osman, the driver, spoke with emotion. When he raised his head, tears were washing down his cheeks. He then said, “When I married her, she was in her final year of medical school. She continued her studies, and she is now a doctor.”

This, sir, is the story of my marriage…

Won’t you two go with me to bless this marriage, which has lasted twelve years? So we went with him.

That is the bounty of Allah, which He grants to whom He wills. And Allah is the Possessor of immense bounty.

Imam and Khateeb