I think many of you may have watched some of his inspiring YouTube videos about rights of parents. Here I will share with you his story which is just as inspiring as his videos. Abdullah Bane’mah, a Yemeni who lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He is paralyzed from the waist down and bedridden. Despite this disability, he has become a successful preacher, even though it is difficult for him to turn the pages of the Noble Quran while reading. He says that his condition is a result of his father’s curse for being disobedient. His mother takes care of him. His story is well known in many Arab countries and his speeches have been broadcast on a number of Arabic television channels. Abdullah Bane’mah says, To be honest, I kept bad company and started smoking. I enjoyed puffing on cigarettes. Somebody told my respected father about this bad habit. It’s painful for a father to have children who smoke or indulge in bad habits. My father was angry and asked me, “Is it true that you smoke?” I replied, “No, not at all. Who gave you this false news? I never ever touched a cigarette.” I did not care that I was lying to my father. I did not fear Allah. So I lied deliberately, even though, according to a hadith of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him), “Falsehood leads to transgression and transgression leads to the Hell-Fire.” My father asked, “Are you speaking the truth that you don’t smoke? Is the report about your false?” “I said I don’t smoke, I don’t smoke, I don’t smoke. Why are you asking me the same question again? What do you want?” I shouted at him and told him to leave my room. My father was hurt by my remarks and said, “May Allah Almighty break your neck if you smoke!” This was the curse that my father put on me. I did not take it seriously. To me, it was like nothing had happened. My brother (to the interviewer), you are seeing me in this crippled state right now, but at least I am alive and have taken the path of guidance. I’m glad that Allah Almighty kept me alive and I found an opportunity to repent. God forbid! Had my father’s curse claimed my life, I would have been in a worse situation. Is it not true that the pleasure of Allah Almighty lies in the pleasure of parents? Is it not true that by earning the displeasure of parents we earn the displeasure of Allah Almighty? I tried to convince my father with lies and I rebuked him. But he was hundred percent sure that I smoked, that’s why he cursed me before he left the room. After eating supper that evening, I went to sleep. The next day I got, washed my face and left for school. When I returned from school I went to a swimming pool with a few friends. We often went there to relax. I was a very good swimmer. When we reached the pool, we noticed that its tap was turned off. My friends suggested that we don’t swim and rather go home. But I insisted that they should wait because I was going to turn the tap on. The tap was on the bottom of the swimming pool, which was about three-and-a-half meters deep. I’m one meter and eighty two centimeters in height. I tried to go down to the bottom of the pool with the help of a chair. When I dived into the swimming pool to reach the tap, I was trapped under the chair and unable to move. When I did not come up, my friends thought that, as a good swimmer, I might have dived deeper for fun. I tried my utmost to move my body but I was unable to do so because God had something else in store for me. Later, when the water brought me back to the surface, the lower part of my body was paralysed. I was quite sure I was dying and my funeral rites would soon be performed. I then remembered that, according to the teachings of Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Blessings be upon him), Allah Almighty answers prayers that are made to Him with reference to one’s good deeds, especially when one is in difficulty. I started praying earnestly to Allah mentioning a pious act of mine. Allah Almighty also guided me to the following hadith of Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Blessings be upon him), “One whose last words are La-ilaha-illa-Allah will enter Heaven.” I therefore started reciting the kalima Shahadat. Meanwhile my belly was distended with water and I was unconscious. My brother says I was pulled out of the swimming pool after 15 minutes, which meant that I should have died. But the situation was different, true to the following saying of Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), “Good deeds hinder bad death.” My brother says that after I was pulled out of the water, and when they pressed my belly with their hands, many liters of water came out of my mouth. After regaining consciousness, I found myself in a hospital where I would remain for four years. The first procedure at the hospital was a hole in my throat. I had difficulty breathing. I could not speak for about nine months. The air I breathed in leaked out of the hole in my throat, so there was also a problem of inhaling oxygen. I had sixteen opertaions on my body. My whole backside was incapacitated and remained under treatment for ten to twelve years. I have been confined to a bed for the last fourteen years. I am passing time with great fortitude and patience. Today you see my paralyzed. I’m to blame for this condition. I did not take heed the advice of my father when I was young and wasted my time. I lied and mixed with bad people. I consequently suffered and lost my youth.