I never ever thought that during my initial stay of six months, this Algerian commonly used phrase “Allah Ghaleb” will teach me a great lesson which I will ever forget in the whole of my life
If you have ever been to Algeria, you will often hear one word Allah Ghaleb…
In every situation, Algerian people use to say “Allah Ghalib” or “3ala Ghalib”
When something overcomes you, you can not change anything about it, people generally utter this.
This expression is also widely used in helpless situations.
Even, there is a joke in Algeria that the term Allah Ghaleb is so widely used that it is suggested to put this phrase on the Algerian national flag!
This phrase conveys a sense of inevitability and fatality
Almost like “better luck next time”, in English.
However, one thing I observed that most of the time you will find Algerian people are worry free. Always smiling. Always greet you with bowed head.If you ask, when I will get my SIM card. They simply say” Allah Ghaleb”!
How many of you had a day in your life when you become a victim of bad luck, sickness? Or defamation leading to pain, sorrow, guilt, and maybe self-imposed loneliness that made a bad situation even worse??
To feel it, you have to go along with me ….
After Every tour break in 110 days stay in Sonatrach Refinery Project in small Algerian seashore town Skikda, Algeria, our Flight ticket was pre-booked from that small domestic airport Skikda to Algiers to Doha and then to New Delhi and then to my home town Guwahati, Assam in India.
The ticket was so planned that I generally reach my home town Guwahati without any problem.
We were so used to that because of the scheduled timing of morning flight from skikda at 8.30 Am which took one hour to reach Algerian capital Algiers at 9.30 AM, then, after a break of 5 hours, our next Flight of Qatar airways to Doha at 2.30 PM, reaching Doha at 8.00 pm at night and after one and half hour break, from Doha at 9.30 PM and reaching Delhi at 4.30 AM next day. Then, report to the Delhi office for 3 to 4 hours and then the next flight to Guwahati at 3.30 PM.
Every flight schedule was so meticulously planned that by 24-hour cycle, you can reach your home on time.
But, if your initial flight in skikda get delayed, there is every possibility that you will miss your connecting flight.
But it never happened with any of my colleagues.
So, we considered it a hassle-free journey every time.
But when something bad has to happen with you it happened. No matter how much you tried, you can’t do anything.
I still remember that journey from Skikda, Algeria to Guwahati on that fateful day in Oct 2012.
That time my journey was planned for Eid-al-Adha on 25th October 2012.
My ticket from Skikda was on 23rd Oct, 12 so that I will reach Guwahati on 24 the Oct,12 and I could celebrate our yearly festival Eid-al-Adha on 25th Oct, 12.
But that fateful day, when I was on my way to skikda airport from our camp with that Algerian Driver Habib, I could ever imagine what was waiting for me in Skikda Airport.
Though I was a bit worried that day. If my Flight is delayed from Skikda, what will happen. I will miss my next flight from the capital city Algiers and eventually I will miss all the connecting flights to Delhi and then to Guwahati the next day and I might miss my Eid-al-Adha celebration.
I consoled myself somehow that It’s just a worry. Most probably it would not happen and you would reach within time only.
But when the expert driver Habib frisked into the Skikda Airport lounge area confidently, I was relieved to notice that the flight to Algiers was on time.! It was on time at 8.30 AM. I was happy and shrugged off my worry that it was for no reason.
As my first flight was on time and so I could easily make all connecting flights to reach home just one day before Eid-al-Adha .
After taking the boarding pass, I relaxed in a cozy chair.
But after 30 minutes, I saw on the flight schedule announcement board that our flight was 1 hour delayed.
That means it will leave at 10.30 am and I will reach Algiers at 11.30 AM and so there would be another 3-hour gap which will be sufficient to catch my next flight from Algiers international airport.
So, I was relaxed. But after 20 minutes, another announcement that out flight to Algiers from skikda was late by another 1 hour that means it will fly at 11.30 am and I will reach Algiers at 12.30 noon which meant there will be still 2 hour gap to make it to my next flight from Algiers at 2.30 pm for Doha.
But as you know, we all Indian are hard-wired to worry. My worry started building up as there was repeated delay announcement of the flight to Algiers and any more delay will make it difficult for me to catch my next flight to Doha from Algiers.
I was moving here and there like a Zoochosis. Tense.
Worried. Full of anxiety,., if I missed my flight.
But I observed that most Algerians for same flight from skikda to Algiers were relaxed and tension free.
How they could be?
I expressed my worry, my tension, my apprehension to a fellow Algerian passenger that If I miss that flight from Skikda to Algiers because of a delay here in Skikda Airport, It would be a catastrophe for me as eventually, I will miss all connecting flight and ultimately my Eid-al-Adha on 25th. Oct 2020.
He simply asked Me. Relax Boy! Allah Ghaleb. All will be fine.
I jumped from my chair. How could I be?
This Algerian smiled and told. Allah Ghalib. Only Allah knows.
How your this domestic flight service was so bad?
But being an Indian always carries too much worry on such ground, I could not sit idle. With every minute passed with the possibility of missing the connecting flight from capital city Algiers, my frequent movement here and there was increased.
Fellow Algerian offered me coffee.
But my increased worry, my increased tension resulting from apprehension of missing connecting flight and then to Eid-al-Adha celebration was so big that the great Algerian airport coffee also tasted bitter.
How I could be relaxed!
The fellow Algerian on his way to Belgium comforted me not to worry as he would help me after reaching Algiers to take out luggage fast so that I could catch my flight from Algiers to Doha at 02.30 Pm noon.
After another worried 30 minutes, ultimately our flight from Skikda was announced for departure to Algiers at 12.30 noon.
I was totally devastated after so many wait and tension. Because 12.30 noon flight means I would reach Algiers by 1.30 pm and my flight to Algiers was 2.30 pm. Could I make it to Algiers International Airport which was 1 km away from domestic airport?
My chances of missing the next flight from Algiers were increasing with each breathless second.
With the help of that fellow Algerian co-passenger, I took out my luggage from the belt at Algiers at 01.45 noon and I literally ran towards the International airport to catch my flight at 2.30 Pm.
By the time I reached Algiers international airport, it was 2.05 Pm. When I reached Qatar airways gate, two to three lady attendants were there who gave me the most unwanted bad news that I can’t fly on that flight.
I shouted like anything and explained my situation that If I could not board on that day Qatar Airways flight, I would miss my connecting flight to Delhi and eventually I would miss my Eid-al-Adha as that day was 23rd October 2012 and one day delay means I could reach Guwahati only on the day of Eid-al-Adha which was 25th October 2012. Algeria being a Muslim dominant country, I played my Muslim card identity also to create sympathy on attendant ladies but it didn’t work.
I requested them as my luggage was less, so let the crew manager permit me to go so that I should not miss my Qurbani (Sacrifice, Id Ul Adha, Bakrid) Eid-al-Adha prayer at least.
They said as I am a foreigner it was next to impossible as only 20 minutes left and all other passenger would make hue and cry if flight was made halt for only one passenger.
Frustrated and tensed, I shouted like anything how slow you Algerians were!
How your domestic flight service was so bad that it delayed more than 3 hours because of which I had to miss my connecting flight. How useless you were! You all were nonsense fellow.
Out of frustration , I said so many foul words.
Algerian ladies present there only told me..Allah Ghalib!
Only Allah knows.
But worst thing was : I missed my flight.
That means I missed my Eid-al-Adha
After so many arguments, these Qatar airways hostesses seemed a bit soft towards me that they booked my flight to Doha from Algiers on the next day i.e. on the 24th. October 2012. My Indian office did other booking for next day.
As that was not my fault of missing Qatar Airways flight, Manager booked my stay in Algerian best Five start hotel Sheraton. But I was not satisfied at all as I missed flight and eventually my Eid-al-adha!
After staying one night in the Algiers Hotel, the next day, when I reached the airport early at 11.30 AM, the same Qatar airways hostesses were present in the lobby.
When I approached the Qatar Airways counter, one of the air hostesses came forward and asked me, Do you believe in Taqdeer ( destiny). I said a bit.
They said you must.
There were so many things which were not in our hand, not in our control.
She seemed a bit furious describing that being a Muslim, how could you not believe in Taqdeer. we Algerian strongly believe in destiny and so we dint bother at all for such things on which we had no control.
Taqdeer which is destiny gives us a reason to go on, the motivation that our lives matter beyond sometimes our thinking.
As you said so many things and shouted yesterday, did it help you anyway?
Ultimately you missed your flight, So what was the use of using all such foul words.
Could you do anything??
That day I realized and learned a beautiful lesson that yes, there is a thing called taqdeer or destiny we must believe and acknowledge it to move on.
Though I felt so bad missing the flight and missing the Eid-al-Adha celebration it shaken me that yes, we have to believe in destiny, our taqdeer on which we do not have any control.
So, we should surrender to the universe, to the supreme Lord on such occasion. If you can deliberately do that, your personal growth is bound to take place!
That day I could understand and realized, why Algerians were so worry free! Why they use to utter Allah Ghaleb! Which is not in your control, leave those to God! Only God knows!!
And, we can also Say. Allah Ghaleb!!
So, I vowed myself that next time when I encountered such issues with me or anyone during the journey of my life, I will tell this story of mine!
So, I am doing here.
In my next posting in Assam, I used to travel every morning 60 KM by bus to reach my construction site. As initially there were no company vehicle, I preferred bus travel rather than driving by self.
One fine morning, when I boarded the destination bus at 7.30 AM, a beautiful young lady was my co passenger.
I noticed that this lady passenger was a bit impatient. I observed that the lady had the same tense and worrying situation like me. As the bus had frequent stoppages because of local passengers boarding and getting down, she shouted the supervisor why the bus was stopped again and again. I asked her what was the problem. Why she felt so worried and impatient.
She told me that her school inspector would visit school early in the morning around 8.30 AM. She must reach her school destination in time. But the way bus run, she would not make it. Its matter of her teaching career!
Remembering the incident happened with me in Algeria, I tried my best to make myself a man of Charismatic personality, I simply told her in Algerian style.. Allah Ghaleb!
I told her my story.
Can you do anything? Bus will ply in their own style. You cannot do anything. Just believe in destiny. Leave it to the supreme power.
Whatever is written to your destiny, if it requires to be happened, it will happen.
In mid of my real life story, I told her about why she should read Dale Carnegies book “How to stop worrying and start living”.
She was so engrossed in narrating my story of missing flight. I had to add some ornaments also to make it more interesting and engaging. After all, a young lady in a bus journey!
By the time she reached her destination. She forgot her worry.
What about your worry??
Just read this story, Say Allah Ghaleb like Algerian do to make life worry free and see the magic happening in your life.
-End-
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