Chapter 7: ANECDOTES OF THE ASCETICS AND PIOUS SPENDERS

I propose to narrate in this Chapter some anecdotes from the lives of the ascetics. They realised the true character of this world and that of the Akhirah and showed great indifference to the false attractions of the world and made ample provision for the Akhirah. ‘Zuhd’ (Abstenance) and generosity are two qualities readily distinguishable from each other, although both are closely associated with each other in regard to results. The reason is that an ascetic (Zahid) who is not interested in things of this world will, of necessity, be generous in spending money. If a person finds something that he does not want to keep with him, he will naturally give it away generously. Similarly, only such people can be generous who have no love for wealth; the more attached a person is to worldly wealth, the more miserly will he be in spending money. In view of this fact, we have narrated, in this Chapter, the stories of generosity as well as those about ascenticism and renunciation. For the same reason, we have included in this book, which deals primarily with the Virtues’ of charity, some Verses and Ahadith about Zuhd' (asceticism). So long as a person loves wealth, which is, in reality, the dross and filth of the world, he does not feel inclined to spend it for the cause of Allah. Even though his heart might sometimes exhort him' to show generosity, his inclination will not be to part with money. Rasulullah ﷺ has illustrated the same point by a very cogent example, in the following Hadith:"A niggardly person and the one who gives Sadaqah are like two men who are wearing coats of chain mail, in such a manner that their hands are also pressed close to their chests instead of protruding out of the coats. So, whenever the one,accustomed to give Sadaqah and intends to do so, the coat of chain mail expands for him and his hands come out of it, instantly; but when the niggardly man intends to give Sadaqah, the coat of armour contracts, pressing him more closely, and he cannot move his hands."(Mishkaat). The Hadilh means that, whenever a generous man thinks of spending money, his heart opens up for it and he can give Sadaqah, without much ado. But a miser, even though he might sometimes be persuaded to spend money, yet finds it hard to do so, inhibited by something within him. And he feels like a person wearing a coat of armour with his hands pressed closely to his chest, unable to move his hands, he vainly tries to coax himself to spend something, but he cannot bring himself to part with the money. It is, indeed, a very apt simile and very true of the miserly people. We notice, in everyday life, that a niggardly person cannot spend money even though he sometimes wishes to do so. If an occasion demands an expenditure of ten rupees, a miser will find it hard to part with ten paisas.

The entire life-history of Abu Bakr Siddiq Radhiyallahu anhu is full of anecdotes on this subject of generosity, too numerous for the scope of this volume. It is common knowledge that, on the occasion of the Tabuk expedition, when'Rasulullah ﷺ exhorted the Sahabah to make contributions, Abu Bakr Siddiq Radhiyallahu anhu brought all that he possessed and, when Rasulullah ﷺ asked him what he had kept for his family, he replied,"I have kept for them the good will of Allah and His Rasul."A detailed account of this incident has been given in my Book, ‘The stories of Sahabah', together with many other stories on the same subject. Those stories will reveal to the reader self sacrifice, sympathy towards others and generosity in spending for the cause of Allah with their peculiarities. If we were to possess, of these virtues, to some extent, everybody would be impressed by us With the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum, such incidents were a matter of daily occurrence. As for Abu Bakr Siddique Radhiyallahu anhu, it should suffice to say that Allah Ta'ala Himself has praised his magnanimity in the following Verses of the Holy Qur'an:

"Far removed from it (the flaming Fire) will be the righteous, Who gives his wealth (for the cause of Allah) that he may grow (in goodness). With no other motive for reward but seeking the purpose of his Lord, the Most High. (He does not owe anybody a favour, for which a reward is expected of him, in return. But spends solely for the pleasure of Allah). (al-Lail: 17-20) These Verses affirm the very high standard of selfless devotion to Allah Ta'ala attained by Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu. It is quite commendable to do good in return for a favour, but it cannot compare with an act of generosity performed on one’s own initiative. (Bayan- ul -Qur'an). Ibn-ul-Jauzi Rahmatullah alayhi says,"The Ulama are agreed that these Verses were revealed concerning Abu Bakr Siddiq Radhiyallahu anhu.' Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anhu reports Rasulullah ﷺ as saying: 'No one’s property has benefited me more than that of Abu Bakr." Hearing this, Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu wept and said, "O Rasulullah ﷺ do I and my property belong to anyone else except you?"The Hadith has been transmitted on the authority of many Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum, through various chains of narration. In one version, Sa'eed-bin-Almusayyab adds, 'Rasulullah ﷺ made use of Abu Bakr’s property as if it were his own’. ‘Urwah Radhiyallahu anhu says that, on the day when Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu embraced Islam, he had forty thousand Dirhams (silver-pieces) in his possession and he spent all of these on Rasulullah ﷺ (i.e. in seeking his pleasure). Another Hadith says, ’On the d"y when Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu embraced Islam, he had in his possession forty thousand Dirhams; and when he made Hyrah (migration) to Medinah, he had no more than five thousand; The entire sum he had spent on different religious requirements and upon freeing of slaves who were being persecuted for their acceptance of Islam.’ (Tareekh-ul-Khulafaa) Abdullah bin Zubair Radhiyallahu anhu says:"Abu Bakr used to buy the physically weak slaves and set them free.' Once his father, Abu Quhafah said to him, ‘If at all you must set free slaves, 1 suggest that you should select those who are strong in body, so that they might help you at the hour of your need, “Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu replied, 1 do not set them free for my own sake; I do so solely to please Allah Ta’ala.’ (al-Durr al-Manthur). The reward, granted by Allah Ta'ala, for helping the weak is far greater than that for helping strong people. Another Hadith reports Rasulullah ﷺ saying, There is no one who has obliged me with a favour without my com-pensating him, except Abu Bakr. Verily, he has done me favours for which Allah Ta’ala Himself will reward him on the Day of Resur-rection. And the property of no one has ever benefited me as has the property of Abu Bakr." (Tareekh-ulKhulafaa).

TWO A person once came to Imaam Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu and asked him to help him in his need. The Imaam said to him,"You have put me under an obligation by asking me a favour and it has become incumbent upon me to give you enough money to meet this requirement and worthy of being presented to a man of your status. But, at this moment, my financial position does not allow me to give you as much as I should. Whatever amount a man might spend for the cause of Allah, it would seem insignificant (when set against the infinite bounties of Allah to him), but I am helpless, for I do not possess as much as I should give you as a sign of my gratitude to you for letting me know about your need. Now, if you are willing to accept as much as I can afford to give you and do not want me to procure more from other sources, I shall be glad to present to you the little amount I possess, though it will fail to fulfil my obligation to you.’ The man said, 'O son of Rasulullah, I shall be glad to accept whatever amount you bestow upon me, and feel grateful to you, and believe you to be incapable of giving more. The Imaam then told his treasurer to fetch whatever remained of the three hundred thousand Dirhams he had put in his custody. The treasurer brought fifty thousand Dirhams (the rest had already been spent on similar occasions), whereupon Imaam Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu said, T also remember giving you five hundred Dinaars (gold-pieces)’, and the treasurer said that he had them in his possession. The Imaam told him to fetch the Dinaars as well, and then asked the man to fetch some porters to carry this fortune to his house. When he brought two porters, Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu gave him the entire fortune and, as he was leaving, the Imaam took off his upper garment and gave it to him, saying,"It is also my duty to pay the wages of the labourers for carrying the money to your house; sell this garment and give the money to them as wages." At this, the slaves of the Imaam Radhiyallahu anhu said to him, We have been left with nothing to buy us our food; you have given away your entire fortune." The Imaam said, I have perfect faith in the Bounty of Allah Ta'ala and I earnestly hope that He will grant me bounteous reward for this act of kindness." (Ihyaa). Just imagine! The Imaam Radhiyallahu anhu gave away such a large fortune, keeping back nothing with him and yet he felt sorry at the thought that he had not given the man his due.

THREE Once a group of the Qaris (well-versed in reciting the Qur'an) from Basrah came to Abdullah Bin Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu and said to him. There is a pious man living in our neighbourhood, who frequently observes Casts and spends long hours nightly standing in Tahqjjud Salaat So devout is he that each one of us envies him and longs to be like him in devotion. He has given his daughter in marriage to his nephew, but he cannot afford to provide a dowry to his daughter." ‘Abdullah Bin Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu took them to his house and, taking six bags of Dinaars from a box, banded them the money, asking them to take it to the pious man. They were just leaving, when Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu said, T don’t think it is a fair way of helping him. If we give him the money, he will have a lot of botheration in arranging things for the dowry, and much of his precious time will be wasted in buying things and his programme of worship will be disturbed. Wordly wealth is too worthless to engage the attention of a devout Mu'min. I am sure it is not below our dignity to serve a brother Muslim. Let us, then, make arrangements for the marriage, buy the items for the dowry and then give all these to our neighbour." The Qaris agreed to the proposal and they bought all the necessities with the money and handed them over to the pious man. (Ihyaa)

FOUR Abul Hasan Madaini relates that, once Imaam Hasan, Imaam Husain and Abdullah Bin Jafar Radhiyallahu anhum were going for Hajj. The camels carrying their provisions were lost on the way and they continued their journey without food or drink. They came upon a bedouin tent, in which there sat an old woman, and on asking her, if she had anything (water, milk, butter-milk, etc.) to drink, she said that she had. So, they dismounted from their camels. The old woman had only one she-goat, which was very thin and lean. She asked them to milk it and share the milk among themselves. They did so and drank it’s milk, dividing it among themselves Then they asked the good woman if she had anything to eat and she said, I have got this she-goat only, but if you slaughter it, I shall cook its meat for you. They slaughtered the goat, which the woman cooked and served to them. They ate their fill and, in the evening when they were going to start their journey, they said to her, We are Hashamites and we are going for Hajj; when after Hajj we get back to Madinah safe and sound, do visit us Uieie, and we shall repay you for your hospitality, Insha-Allah'. After they had departed, the old woman’s husband came back home (from the forest) and she told him all about the guests from the Banu Has him.. He was angry and scolded her saying,"You slaughtered your goat for strangers; you do not know who they were and where they came from. How do we know that they were Hashimites?"He was silent after rebuking her. In course of time, the old man and his wife became very poor and went to Medinah Munawwarah to look for some odd jobs to earn their living. During the day, they used to gather dried camel-dung (which was used as fuel), which they sold in the evening, thus earning for themselves a bare living. One day, the old woman was gathering camel-dung as usual when she passed in front of the house of Imaam Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu who saw her and, recognizing her, sent his servant to invite her to come into his house. When she came, the Imaam said to her,"Do you know me?"When she said that she didn’t, he replied, ”I am your guest who drank the milk of your sbe-goat and then slaughtered it to eat its meat". The old woman still did not recognize him and said, in amazement,"My Lord! Are you the same person?"The Imaam again told her that he was the same guest and ordered his men to buy a thousand goats for her, which were immediately purchased and gifted to the old lady, together with a thousand Dinaars in cash. The Imaam Radhiyallahu anhu then sent her, in company with his servant, to his younger brother, Imaam Husain Radhiyallahu anhu, who asked her bow much the elder brother had given her in return for her hospitality and, when he was told about it, he also gave her a thousand goats and a thousand Dinaars (gold pieces) in cash. Imaam Hasan sent her, in turn, to Abdullah bin Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu who, when he learnt what the two brothers had gifted to her, gave her two thousand goats and two thousands Dinaars in cash, saying,"If you had come to me before going to Imaam Hasan, I would have given you even more money in reward". The old lady went to ber husband with four thousand goats and four thousand Dinaars and said to him,"Here is something in return for our thin and weak goat". (Ihyaa)

FIVE Once Abdullah bin Aamir Bin Kuraiz Radhiyallahu anhu, who was a cousin of Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu, came out of the Masjid (at night) and was going home. He came across a young man. The youth also began to walk in the same direction and Abdullah said to him,"Young man, have you got any business with me?"The man replied,"No sir, I wish you a good life and eternal success. I saw that you were walking alone at this hour of the night and 1 thought I had better accompany you to your place, lest anything untoward should happen (May Allah forbid that)! 1 just want to accompany you for the sake of your security". Abdullah Radhiyallahu onho was greatly pleased; he caught the young man by the hand and took him to his house. On reaching there, Abdullah Radhiyallahu onho gave him a thousand Dinaars (gold pieces) and said,"Here is something for your personal needs; your elders have taught you excellent manners."(Ihyaa)

SIX Abdullah bln Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu relates: In the times of Rasulullah ﷺ, a certain man had a datepalm tree growing in the courtyard of his house. A branch of the tree was hanging above the house of one of his neighbours who was a poor man. When the rich man climbed the tree to pick fruit and shook its branches, some of its dates fell into the poor man’s compound and his children picked them from the ground. At this, the rich man would climb down, go into his neighbour’s house and snatch the dates from the children. And, if he saw a child chewing a date, the man would thrust his fingers into his mouth and take out the date. The poor man went to Rasulullah ﷺ and complained against his neighbour. Rasulullah ﷺ heard his complaint and sent him away, but then called the owner of the date-palm into his presence and said to him,"Are you willing to give me the date-palm hanging above your neighbour’s house, in return for which I promise you a date-palm tree in Jannah?The man said,"O Rasulullah, many people have desired to buy this tree and I also possess many other date-palms; but I like its dates very much and, therefore, I have not sold it to anyone, and thus excused himself from giving the tree away.” (As be was the lawful owner, Rasulullah ﷺ did not insist on buying the tree from him, against his will). When the man went away, a Sahabi, who had been listening to this conversation, came forward and said,"O Rasulullah, do you also promise me a tree in Jannah, if I buy that date-palm from him and present it to you?"Rasulullah ﷺ replied,"Certainly, 1 promise you the same.' At this, the Sahabi got up, went over to the owner of the tree’and said to him, “I also own a plantation of date-palms. Can you sell that tree of yours at any price?" The man said, “Rasulullah Sallallako cdaihe wa sallam promised me a tree in Jannah in return for this date-palm, but 1 declined the offer. The fact is that I like this tree very much. I might sell it, but nobody would pay the price I demand for it” The Sahabi said, 'How much do you demand?" 'and the man said, T could give it in exchange for forty date-palms.’ The Sahabi said, ‘‘This seems too much for a crooked tree, but are you sure that you would give this tree in exchange for forty date-palms?’ The man said,"Certainly, and if you confirm the bargain, adjure on oath."The Sahabi swore that he was willing to buy that tree for forty date-palms, but the man backed out of the agreement and refused to sell the tree. The Sahabi said to him,"You cannot back out now, for I am on an oath to buy it' The man said, ’All right, but all the forty trees should be growing in one and the same place." The Sahabi thought for a while and said, “Yes, all the trees are growing in one and the same place!’ When the bargain was finally settled, the Sahabi came to Rasulullah ﷺ and said, I have bought the date-palm tree and I present it to you.' Rasulullah ﷺ went to the poor man’s house and bestowed the tree upon him as a gift It was after this episode that Surah al -Leyl was revealed. (al-Durr al-Manthur)

SEVEN A man once visited Abdullah Bin Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu and recited two couplets, which meant: When you do a favour or behave generously, see that you are doing so to those who deserve your bounty; For, only then a favour is worth its name; Do not favour a man who deserves it not; And, when you do favour to someone, seek thereby the pleasure of Allah alone; (For, then, you can do favours to the non-Muslims and the animals alike, without giving thought to whether they deserve it or not;) Or, let your favours be showered upon your kinsmen (for, their kinship with you makes them worthy of your bounties); Without their being deserving or not; Except for these two considerations, do not let your bounty be wasted upon the non-deserving. The remarks were directed to Abdullah bin Jaf'ar Radhiyallahu anhu himself who was famous for his generosity, which was at once general and all-embracing. Hearing this, Abdullah bin Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu said, 'Such poetry makes one stingy and mean in money matters; I would rather shower my favours, like rain, upon all and sundry. If my bounty benefits the noble and the deserving, well and good, for, they are worthy of it; if it reaches those who do not deserve it, I shall blame myself for possessing money which is fit only to pass into non-deserving and ungrateful hand, (Ikyaa). The words were spoken by Abdullah Radhiyallahu anhu in sheer humility, he modestly thought that his property was worthless, which was fit only for the non-deserving people.

EIGHT Once Muhammad bin Munkadir Rahmatullah alayhi visited Aishah Radhiyallahu anha at her place and told her that he was hard pressed for money and needed her help badly. Aishah Radhiyallahu anha said to him, ’I am sorry; I don’t have anything with me at present’’ and added,"even if I possessed ten thousand (Dirhams or Dinaars), I would give you the entire amount. Hearing this, Muhammad Rahmatullah alayhi went away but, not before long, a man brought her a gift of ten thousand (Dirhams or Dinaars) from Khalid bin Asad Radhiyallahu anhu. She said, I have been put to trial for what I just said to Ibn-ul-Munkadir, and immediately sent for him and gave him the entire amount as a gift. Muhammad bin Munkadir Rahmatullah alayhi spent one thousand Dirhams on marrying a slave-girl, from whom he had three sons, Muhammad, Abu Bakr and Umar by name. All three were well-known for their piety in Madinah Munawwarah. Aishah Radhiyallahu anha will have, of course, a due share in the benefits from the devotions of these three beings, because her generous gift to Ibne Munkadir Rahmatullah alayhi brought about the marriage of their parents. (Tahzeebut-Tahzeeb). There are numerous stories about the magnanimity of Aishah Radhiyallahu anha like her illustrious father, Abu Bakr Siddique Radhiyallahu anhu. We have narrated an episode in the book. The stories of Sahabah, in which it is related how she distributed, among the poor and the needy, two bags, amounting to one hundred thousand Dirhams, not keeping back a single Dirham for herself to buy some meat for the ‘Iftaar’. There is another story that, on one occasion, she distributed a hundred and eighty thousand Dirhams among the poor. Tameem bin ‘Urwah Rahmatullah alayhi narrates, ’Once I saw Aishah Radhaillaho anha distributing seventy thousand Dirhams among the poor, while she herself was wearing a patched shirt."Aishah Radhiyallahu anha was an aunt of Tameem’s father. (Ithaaf)

NINE Aban bin Uthman Rahmatullah alayhi relates:"Once, a certain man made a plan to harass Abdullah bin Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu and to bring him disrepute. He went to all the chieftains of the Quraishitelling them that Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu had invited them to a feast, on the following morning. The man went about, inviting people, on behalf of Ibne Abbas. Next day, a great many people gathered in the house of Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu, who, on learning the truth of the matter, asked the people to be seated and arranged fruit from the market and invited them to partake of it. While Ibne Abbas sat with them and started to talk, a large number of cooks began to prepare food for the guests. They were still enjoying the fruit when the meals were ready and served before them. When everybody had taken his fill, Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu asked his treasurer, 'Can we afford to arrange such feasts everyday?"When the treasurer said that he could, Ibne Abbas said, 'All of you are cordially invited to have meals with me every morning."(Ithaaf) The incident occured in the times when the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhuva had conquests in rapid succession and the wealth of the world was in their possession. But the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum spent so generously that they kept nothing with them. In tire matter of money they were like sieves, as it were, that cannot hold water. A Sahabi Radhiyallahu anhu would come to possess a large fortune, in consequence of a conquest, but then he would spend everything in his possession, and would not keep with himself a single Dirham for a meal. They were neither accustomed to hoard money, nor to put by anything for their future needs. Hundreds of thousand of Dirhams, thair share of booty, were spent within minutes.

TEN Waqidl Rahmatullah alayhi has related the following story: 1 had two frineds, a Hashamite and a non-Hashamite, and we were very intimate with one another, like three inseparable companions. I was in straitened circumstances and when the day of Bid drew near, my wife said to me,"We can be patient in all circumstances, but I cannot bear to see my children weeping and crying. I feel as though my heart would break.when I see them in rags, while other children in our neighbourhood are buying new clothes and other fine things for Eid. Watching them, our children feel miserable, and my heart is filled with pity for them. If you could get me some money from somewhere, I would sew new clothes for them? Hearing this, I wrote a note to my Hashamite friend, telling him about my sad plight He sent me a sealed bag containing one thousand Dirhams, with the word that 1 could use the amount as I liked. I had hardly tasted the pleasure of receiving such a valuable gift, when I received a note from the other (non-Hashamite) friend, telling me about his poverty and dire need (like the one I had written to my friend). I sent the sealed bag of Dirhams to my non-Hashamite friend. Feeling shy of going home empty-handed, I stayed in the Masjid for two days, and on the third day, went home and told my wife the whole truth about the sealed bag. Surprisingly enough, she did not complain at all, but rather appreciated my generosity, and said that I had behaved excellently towards my friend. As we sat talking to each other, my Hashamite friend came with the same bag that he had sent me three days before and said, 'Tell me the truth about this bag. How has it reached me again?" I explained to him how I had sent it to our nonHashmite friend, immediately after receiving it, and he said,"When 1 received your note, I had nothing in my possession except this bag, which I sent to you. But, then, I wrote to my non-Hashamite friend asking him for help and I was surprised when he sent me my own sealed bag which I had sent to you. Wondering how it had reached him, I have come to you to solve the mystery." After this we gave one hundred Dirhams to the lady, and distributed the remaining nine hundred Dirhams equally among ourselves. Somehow, Khalifah Mamoon Rashid came to know of this incident and called me to his court. I related the whole story and he gave us seven thousand Dirhams as a reward, two thousand Dirhams to each one of us and one thousand Dirhams to the lady. (Ithaaf).

ELEVEN Once Abdullah Bin Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu passed by an orchard, in Madinah Munawwarah, of which the caretaker was an Abyssinian slave. Abdullah bin Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu saw the slave taking food while a dog sat in front him. Every time the slave put a morsel of food into his mouth, he threw another morsel, as big as his own, on to the dog. Ibne Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu stood watching for a while. When the meal was finished, he went over to the slave and asked him,"Who is your master?".‘The slave replied that he belonged to the descendants of Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu. Ibne Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu said,"1 saw you doing something very strange". The slave asked him what it was and he said,"After each morsel of food that you took, you gave another to your dog."The slave said,"This dog has been my companion for many years and I must give it a fair share of my food. Ibne Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu said, ’ A dog can be fed on something of inferior quality."The slave said,"I feel ashamed to face Allah Ta'ala that I should eat while one of His creatures is watching me with a hungry look."After this, Abdullah Bin Jafar Radhiyallahu anhu came back, went to the descendants of Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu and said that he had come to ask for a favour. When they said,"Please let us know,"he replied that he wanted to buy such and such garden and they said that they would be pleased to present it to him as a gift. They insisted on his accepting it free of charge, but he said that he must buy it on payment At last the price was fixed and Ibne Ja'far purchased the garden. He then said that he also wanted to have the slave who worked in the garden. They requested that they should be excused, for, the slave had been with them since his childhood and they would be grieved to part from him. But when Ibne Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu insisted, they agreed to let him have the slave as well. After purchasing the garden and the slave.Ibne Ja'far went to the garden and said to the slave,"I have bought this garden and yourself. The slave congratulated him on the bargain and said,"May Allah bless you in the deal; only I am grieved at parting from my masters who have brought me up since my childhood. Abdullah bin Ja’far said,"I set you free, and let this garden be my parting gift to t you."Hearing this, the slave said,"If so, I call you to witness that I make this garden a private Wakf (endowment) for the descendants of Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu."Abdullah bin Jafar Radhiyallahu anhu says,"I was greatly surprised to hear this from him and I went home, invoking Allah's blessings upon him". (Musaamiraat). Such were the excellent qualities and proud achievements of the slaves of our Muslim ancestors!

TWELVE Nafay' Radhiyallahu anhu relates: Once, Abdullah bin Umar Radhiyallahu anhu was going on a journey outside Madinah Munawwarah, in the company of his pupils and disciples. When it was time for dinner, they stopped at a place, the cloth was spread and all of them sat for dinner. Meanwhile, a shepherd passed by, with his herd of goats, and greeted them by saying, ‘Assalaam-o-Alaikum’. Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu invited him to dine with them, but he said that he was fasting. At this, Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu said, “You are fasting in a shadeless desert, on such a hot day when a hot wind is blowing!"“The shepherd said, “I want to receive my reward for the ‘Past days (Ayyaam-ul-Khaliyah). He was obviously referring to the following Verse from the Holy Qur'an:

(And, it will be said unto those in Jannah)."Eat and drink at ease for that which you sent on before you ‘in past days", (alHaaqqah: 24) Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu then said to him, by way of trial,"We want to buy a goat; name a price and we shall pay it. We shall then slaughter the goat and give you some of its meat to serve you for ‘Iftaar’ (breaking the fast in the evening).’ The shepherd said,"These goats are not mine; I am but a slave and the goats belong to my master."Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu said,"How can your master know? You can tell him that a wolf devoured a goat’ At thin, the shepherd pointed to the heavens above and said,"What about Allah? (Who is watching us at all times. How could he deceive Him and say that a wolf had devoured a goat). Ibne Umar was delighted with these words from a simple shepherd and he begun to say to himself, again and again, in an ecstasy of joy,"A simple shepherd says, ‘What about Allah Who is watching us at all times'?" When Ibne Umar Radhiyallahu anhu came back to Madinah Munawwarah after the journey, he bought the slave from his master, together with the herd of goats, emancipated him and bestowed the herd upon him as a gift. (al-Durr al-Manthur). Such were the deeds of the shepherds of those times!

THIRTEEN Sa'eed bin'Aamir Radhiyallahu anhu was the governor of Hims, during the times of Khalifah Umar Radhiyallahu anhu. The citizens of Hims lodged many complaints against him and demanded his removal from the office. Now Umar Radhiyallahu anhu was gifted, by Allah Ta'ala, with exceptional wisdom, which gave a keen eye for character-traits and an exceptional understanding of human natural quality that he bad tried out thousands of times and found to beunerring So, he was surprised to hear these complaints, as he had made the apointment considering Sa'eed Radhiyallahu anhu to be the most eligible person for governorship. Accordingly, he said in an invocation to Allah,"0 Allah! Do not take away my power of discernment and my intuitive knowledge of human nature! For, if I am deprived of this quality, I fear that I might consign all the affairs of my Caliphate to inefficient persons!’ The Khalifah then sent for Sa'eed Radhiyallahu anhu and the complainants. When they appeared in the court, he asked them to recount their grievances. They had complained that their governor came out of his house late in the morning, that he did not grant them audience during the hours of night and that he observed a holiday every month. So, Umar Radhiyallahu anhu asked the complainants to stand face to face with their governor and state their grievances one by one. He told the governor to answer the accusations, one after the other. They said that he came out of his house late in the morning and Sa'eed Radhiyallahu anhu explained:"I and my wife are living together alone. There is no one else to help her in her household jobs. So I do the job of preparing bread for the family. When the meal is ready, we eat it together. Then, I perform Wudhu and come out of the house." Umar Radhiyallahu anhu told the complainants to state the next grievance and they said that their governor did not grant them audience during the hours of night He demanded the explanation from Sa'eed Radhiyallahu anhu, who said, T did not want to reveal the actual position. I have reserved the day-time for the service of Allah’s creatures, and devoted the entire night for devotion; 1 keep awake and worship my Lord the whole night through."Umar Radhiyallahu anhu then asked them about their third complaint and they said that their governor observed a holiday every month. When asked to explain, Sa'eed Radhiyallahu anhu said: 'I have no servant, and so I have to stop work once during a month to wash my clothes. I wash my clothes in the morning and, when they become dry, in the evening put them on again and come out of the house."Hearing this, Umar Radhiyallahu anhu bowed in gratitude to Allah Ta'ala for protecting him from going wrong in the exercise of his power of selection and advised the people to have due regard for their governor and to be thankful to Allah Ta'ala for entrusting their affairs to such a pious person. When all of them were gone, Umar Radhiyallahu anhu sent a gift of one thousand Dinaars (gold pieces) to Sa'eed for his personal use. When he received the amount, his wife said, “Our thanks are due to Allah, who has arranged for so many of our requirements. We can hire an attendant with this money and also fulfil many other needs ' Sa'eed Radhiyallahu anhu said,"There are a good many poor and needy people living in the city, who stand in greater need of this money. 1 suggest that we should distribute it among them!"His wife happily agreed to the suggestion and they distributed a large portion of the amount among the poor and the orphans, sending a small bag of Dinaars to this one and a small bag to that one. Then Sa’eed Radhiyallahu anhu said to his wife,"Keep with you what remains and spend it little by little on your needs."She proposed that he should hire a servant to help him in household affairs, but Sa'eed Radhiyallahu anhu said,"No, you will soon have many people coming to you who need this money more than we do."(Ash-hur)

FOURTEEN Once there was a famine in Egypt, during the times when Abdul Hamid bln Sa‘d Rahmatullah alayhi was the governor there. Abdul Hamid said to himself,"1 shall show to Shaitan that I am his enemy (i. e.1 shall defy Shaitan who prompts a person to spend very scrupulously, in such circumstances). He made a proclamation that all the poor and needy ones of the country should come to the governor’s house for their (daily) meals everyday, til] the prices came down. So, the needy persons continued to come and have meals with him at his house till the famine passed away and things were available at normal rates. It so chanced that, when prices were normalized, he was removed from his office. It was estimated, at the time of his departure from Egypt, that he owed a million (1,000,000) Dirhams to the businessmen who had loaned money to him for feeding the poor during the time of famine. He collected the ornaments of the ladies of his family and pledged these with the businessmen for the money he owed. The cost of the valuables given as a pledge amounted to five hundred million (500,000,000) Dirhams. Abdul Hamid Rahmatullah alayhi latter tried to redeem the pledged valuables, but he could not raise the money and, therefore, wrote to the businessmen, after some time,"I authorise you to sell all the valuables lying in pledge with you, to pay off all my debts out of the money thus received, and to distribute the balance among such needy ones as I could not help during my stay in Egypt."(It-haaf). No less generous were the ladies of those times, who gave away their ornaments to be sold and distributed among the poor and the needy ones!

FIFTEEN Abu Mart had Rahmatullah alayhi was famous for his generosity. Once a person came and recited a few Verses in praise of his generosity. (When you praise a generous man, it is understood that you are seeking a favour). Abu Marthad Rahmatullah alayhi said to the man,"I have nothing to give you at the moment. But I can help you by a subtle device; if you file a suit against me with the Qadhi (Judge) saying that I owe you ten thousand (Dirhams or Dinaars), I shall admit that I owe you the money (since I have promised, the amount has become due from me to you; as a Hadith says: ‘A promise is a debt'. The Qadhi will send me to prison and my people will raise the money to get me released.' The man did as he was directed. Abu Marthad was sent to prison and his relatives raised the necessary amount of money (to get his release), which they gave to the Qadhi in the evening. Thus, the man got ten thousand (Dirhams or Dinaars) and Abu Marthad Rahmatullah alayhi was released. (Ithaaf)

SIXTEEN Abdullah Bin Aamir Bin Kuraiz Rahmatullah alayhi purchased a neighbouring house from Khalid bin ‘Uqabah Umawi Radhiyallahu anhu for ninety thousand Dirhams, as he needed it for his personal use. When Khalid’s family came to know of it, they were grieved. That night Abdullah bin Aamir heard a wailing sound coming from the house and when he asked the ladies of his family what is meant, they told him that someone of Khalid’s family was crying with grief over the sale of their house. At this, Ibe Aamir Rahmatullah alayhi immediately sent his servant to Khalid with the word that Ibne Aamir had given the house as a gift to Khalid’s family and that he would not take back the price of the house from him. (It-Haaf).

SEVENTEEN Once Laith Bin Sa‘d Rahmatullah alayhi came to know that Khalifah Haroon Rashid Rahmatullah alayhi had sent a gift of five hundred Dinaars (gold-pieces) to Imaam Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi. At this, Laith Rahmatullah alayhi sent one thousand Dinaar as a gift to Imaam Maalik- When the Khalifah came to know of it, he showed resentment and said to Laith,"You are one of my subjects and, yet, you want to excel me in generosity (it is as though you meant to insult me)."Laith said,"O Amir-ul-Mo’mineen, I cannot think of slighting the Khalifah. The fact is that my daily income amounts to one thousand Dinaars and I felt ashamed to present less than a day's income to an illustrious Imaam like Maalik."Laith Rahmatullah alayhi used to send a hundred Dinaars every year as a gift to Imaam Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi. The Imaam also received gifts from other sources, but (he spent so liberally that) he often remained in debt. Laith bin Sa‘d Rahmatullah alayhi was a renowned Muhaddith (a scholar of Hadith) and a profound scholar of Deen, whose daily income amounted to a thousand Dinaars, in those day 8. Still, Zakaat never became due from him throughout his life, for he never kept money in his possession for a whole year. The annual income of Laith Rahmatullah alayhi varied from time to time, as it is usual for the income to vary, but Zakaat never became due from him during any period of his life. For, Zakaat becomes due when a specified amount (200 Dirhams) remains in one’s possession for a whole year. Muhammad bin Rumah says,"The annual income of Laith amounted to eighty thousand Dinaars and still, not a Dirham of Zakaat ever became due from him."Sho'aib Rahmatullah alayhi, the son of Laith Rahmatullah alayhi says that his father’s annual income was estimated at twenty to twenty five thousand Dinaars, yet he often remained in debt. (Ithaff). Initially, his income might have been twenty to twenty-five thousand Dinaars a year but, being accustomed to spending generously, he might have been incurring debts. Because, as spending liberally, to please Allah, causes a person’s income to grow, his income might eventually have risen to one thousand Dinaars daily. They say that once a lady came to Laith Rahmatullah alayhi with a small cup in her hand, and asked if he could spare her some honey. The Sheikh gave her a whole goat-skin full of honey. When Someone said that the lady had asked for only a little amount. He replied,"She asked for as much as sufficed for her need, but my gift to her should match Allah's Bounty to me". Once, some fruit marchants bought the produce of an orchard owned by Laith Rahmatullah alayhi and, afterwards, he came to know that they bad suffered a loss in the bargain. He annulled the bargain forthwith and returned the cost price to the merchants. He also gave them fifty Dinaars in excess of the amount he had received. Someone asked him why he had given them more than what he had received. He replied, They expected to make a profit out of the produce of my garden; I could not see them disappointed."(Ithaf

EIGHTEEN A‘mash Sulaiman Bin Mehran Rahmatullah alayhi, a renowned Muhaddith, says:"Once I kept a she-goat which fell Ql. Khaithamah bin Abdul Rahman Rahmatullah alayhi used to visit me every morning and evening to enquire after it Every time he came, he would ask me,"How is your goat? Your children might not be getting milk to drink. Do they insist on having milk? Did your goat eat anything? and so on". And before taking leave, he would put some money under the rug on which I used to be sitting, and say,"Here is something for your children". In this way, I received more than three hundred Dinaars, during the illness of my she-goat, through the generosity of Khaithamah Rahmatullah alayhi and I had wished my goat had never recovered,. (It-haaf)

NINETEEN Once Abdul Malik bin Mar-wan Rahmatullah alayhi said to Asmaa Bin Kharijah Rahmatullah alayhi,"I have come to know that you have certain excellent habits. Please tell me some good deeds that you practice as a routine?' Asmaa Rahmatullah alayhi said modestly,"I can not claim good habits; other people possess many excellent habits and you better ask them'. But when Abdul Malik Rahmatullah alayhi insisted and swore that he must know, Asmaa Rahmatullah alayhi said, I have been very particular about three things: I never stretch my legs towards persons sitting near me; whenever I invited some people to a meal that I have prepared for them, I always felt that my gratitude to them for accepting iny invitation was more than their obligation to me; and whenever a needy person came to seek my help, I always believed I gave him less than his due'. (It-haaf)

TWENTY Sa‘eed Bin Khalid Umawi Rahmatullah alayhi was a very rich man, widely known for his wealth and prosperity. It was his habit that, whenever a needy person came to him for help, he would most generously give him out of what he possessed. And, if sometimes a person asked him for help when he did not possess anything, he would make a committment in writing for the man to approach him when he was in better circumstances or ask his heirs after his death. (It-haaf)

TWENTY ONE Once Qais Bin Sa‘ad Khazraji Rahmatullah alayhi fell ill, but few of his friends came to enquire about his health. He was amazed, especially when he missed those who frequented his house when he had been in health. He asked about it from his people and they said,"Almost everybody owes you something and they feel embarrassed to visit you without paying what they owe". At this, Qais Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Cursed be this wealth! It deprives a man of the pleasure of meeting his friends'. He then asked someone to proclaim all around the city that Qais had absolved all his debtors from paying their debts. After the proclamation, the visitors came in such large numbers that there was always a crowd in the house, (lt-haff)

TWENTY TWO Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Abi Hilal, who was Mir Munshi (Private Secretary) to the Vizier, Abu Muhammad Muhallabi, a minister of the Abbasid Caliph, has narrated the following story:"Once I was sitting in company with the Vizier, when his guard came and said that Syed Sharif Murtadha Rahmatulla alayhi wanted permission to come in. The Vizier gave his permission and, after a while, Sharif Murtadha entered the room. The Vizier got up from his seat, greeted him with great respect and offered him his own seat. The two conversed with each other for a while and, when Syed Murtadha asked permission to leave, the Vizier stood up from his seat and, most respectfully, showed him out of the room. He had hardly gone when the guard came again and said that Syed Sharif Radhi, the younger brother of Syed Murtadha wanted an interview. The Vizier, who was now busy writing something, put the paper away, got up from his seat and went to the door with surprise. He shook hands with Syed Radhi Rahmatullah alayhi with great respect, showed him into the room and asked him to sit in his own chair, while he himself sat in front of him, in humility, devoutly listening to what he said and conversed with him with great civility. When Syed Radhi got up to leave, the Vizier walked with him to the door. I was surprised to see him showing more respect to the younger brother than to the elder one, but I dare not ask him the reason as there were many people in the room. When most of the people had left, I said, 'May I ask a question?"‘The Vizier said,"Certainly,"and added,"Perhaps you are amazed at my showing more respect to the younger brother than to the elder, though the latter should have commanded greater respect by virtue of his age or superiority in knowledge."I said that he had guessed right and the Vizier explained,"We ordered digging of a canal in a certain area and Syed Murtadha owned a piece of land adjoining that area. Therefore, when the canal was constructed, a very small fraction of its expenses, about sixteen Dirhams, fell to the share of Syed Murtadha. It was a paltry amount, but the Syed wrote to me an application several times, asking me to make reduction in the dues. As for Syed Radhi, the younger brother, I have to tell a different story about him: Once I came to know that a child was born to him and I sent him a gift of a hundred Dinaan, placed on a tray, thinking that he would be in need of money. But Syed Radhi declined to accept the present and sent me word (after expressing his thanks) that he was not accustomed to receiving gifts from other people and that he was grateful to Allah Ta‘ala for having granted him sufficient provisions. 1 sent the tray again with the message that the money was meant for the nurses and other working women of the housebold, but Sharif sent it back saying that the maids working in his house were also not accustomed to receiving gifts from any other person. I sent the tray a third time, with the request that the money should be distributed among the students.who were looked after by Syed Rad hi Rahmatullah alayhi and for whom he had constructed a large building called Darul Uloom, and their board and lodging were his sole responsibility. On my request, Syed Radhi Rahmatullah alayhi accepted the money, placed the tray before the students and announced that whoever wanted money for his needs might pick up from the tray as much as he pleased. No one rose from his seat, except for one student who went over to the tray, took out a Dinaar, broke a very small chip and put back what remained on the pile. When Syed Radhi Rahmatullah alayhi asked the student what use that small chip would be to hfm, he explained, 'One night, I ran out of oil for the lamp and I could not find the treasurer. So, I had to buy oil from such and such shop-keeper on credit. 1 need this chip to pay off my debt to him'. At this, Sharif Radhi ordered that a number of keys should be manufactured for opening the lock of the treasury and gave one key to each of the students, so that each of them could get (from the treasury) any amount of money he needed at any time, without asking the treasurer. The tray of money was then sent back to me, with all the Dinaars piled on it, except for one piece which had been chipped slightly After relating this incident, the Vizier said to me, “You can see why I hold this man in high esteem." (of- haaf)

TWENTY THREE When the hour of death drew near for Imaam Shafi'ee Rahmatullah alayhi, he made a will that Muhammad Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Hakam Rahmatullah alayhi should wash his body after his death. When the Imaam Rahmatullah alayhi breathed his last, Muhammad Rahmatullah alayhi was told about his will. He came and said,"Show me first the register of his personal accounts'. The register was brought and it showed a total debt against the Imaam amounting to seventy thousand Dirhams. Muhammad Rahmatullah alayhi took upon himself the responsibility to pay off all his debts and wrote a promisory note to that effect. He then said,"That is what the. Imaam meant by my ‘Washing him, after his death. Afterwards, Muhammad Rahmatullah alayhi paid up all his debts. (Ithaaf)

TWENTY FOUR Imaam Shafi’ee Rahmatullah alayhi says that he had great love for Sheikh Hammaad Bin Abi Sulalman Rahmatullah alayhi, who was the renowned teacher of Imaam Abu Hanifah Rahmatullah alayhi, ever since he came to know of an incident about him: Once Hammaad Rahmatullah alayhi was riding an ass when he applied a kick to the animal, which started running faster, and a button of his cloak was torn away with the sudden jolt On the way, he saw a tailor’s shop and asked him to sew the button on. He was about to dismount when the tailor said that he did not need to get down, and while standing sewed the button on the cloak. Hammaad Rahmatullah alayhi gave him a bag containing ten Dinaars in return for this little service and said that he was sorry to give him less than his due. (It-haaf).

TWENTY FIVE Rabi bin Sulaiman Rahmatullah alayhi says that once, when Imaam ShafTee Rahmatullah alayhi was going to mount his horse, someone hurriedly held the stirrup to help him up. The Imaam Rahmatullah alayhi said to Rabi,"Give this man four gold pieces on my behalf and ask him to excuse me for giving him such a paltry amount’. Abdullah bin Zubair Humaidi Rahmatullah alayhi says, ’Once Imaam Shafi’ee Rahmatullah alayhi went to Makkah Mukarramah for Hqj with ten thousand Dinaars in his possession. He began to live in a tent outside Makkah Mukarramah. Early in the morning after Fqjr Salaat, he heaped up all his Dinaars on a piece of cloth spread in the tent and, whenever a man from Makkah Mukarramah came to visit him, he gave him a handful of Dinaars as a gift In this way, be had exhausted the entire amount before it was time for Zuhr SaaatXlt-Haafl

TWENTY SIX Talha Bin Ubaidullah Al-Fayyad Radhiyallahu anhu, a Sahabi, was renowned for his outstanding generosity. Once he owed fifty thousand Dirhams to Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu and, seeing Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu going to the Masjid, said to him, ’I have received some money at this moment and I want to pay back my debt to you". Utbman Radhiyallahu anhu said, 1 do not want to take back my money. Let it be my gift to you. You spend generously upon people and you keep running into debt on that account' Jabir bin Qabisah Rahmatullah alayhi says that he remained with Talha Radhiyallahu anhu for many days, and he knew no one who freely gifted money more frequently to people without their asking. Hasan Radhiyallahu anhu says:"Once Talha sold an estate for seven hundred thousand Dirhams. He received the amount in the evening, and so had to keep it with himself for the night. All night long, he remained wakeful and restless, fearing, lest Death should come to him while he had so much wealth in his possession. When he got up next morning, he distributed the entire amount before doing anything else."Sa'ada binte ‘Auf, the wife of Talha Radhiyallahu anhu, says,"Once I saw that my husband looking very worried, and when I asked him what was distressing him, he said, 'Some money has accumulated with me and I am worried on that account I said, ‘You need not worry. Send your servant round the town and invite all your kinsmen to your house. When they come, you can distribute the money among them, for joining ties of relationship (‘Silahe Rihim).’ So, he sent for his kinsmen and distributed the money among them? The narrator of the story says that he asked the servant how large the amount was. and was, told that it amounted to four hundred thousand Dirhams. Sa'daa has also related another similar incident, which is as follows: Once my husband Talha came home, with his face cast down and dark with anxiety. I asked him what was distressing him and begged him to excuse me if I had offended him by any chance. He said, No, I am not offended with you. You are a good wife for a Muslim, for, you assist me in performing good deeds."I asked him. Then, what is worrying you, after all?"He replied,"Some money has accumulated in our house and I am greatly worried on that account". I said,"Never mind, we can dispose of it by giving it away as Sadaqah. It is as simple as that. Such situations arouse, sometimes, when no one came to ask a favour of him and he was obliged to keep the money with him for the night. (However, he spent so sparingly on his own needs that, as narrated by his wife, once he distributed one hundred thousand Dirhams among the poor while he himself had only one garment to wear, which needed mending and, therefore, he could not reach the Masjid for Salaat at his usual time. Once a villager came to Talha (because Islam enjoins upon its votaries to join ties of relationship with their kinsmen). Talha said, 'No one has evei asked a favour of allaho anhu wants to purchase from me for three hundred thousand Dirhams. You can have the estate, if you like, or else I can sell it to Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu and give you the amount of money The villager said that he preferred the money. So, Talha Radhiyallahu anhu sold his estate to Uthman Radhiyallahu anhu and gave three hundred thousand Dirhams to the man. (It-haaf). The Sahabah owned plenty of estates, because they frequently went out in the path of Allah for Jehad, and when the countries were conquered, many estates were distributed among the Mujahideen, together with their share of other booty.

TWENTY SEVEN Muhammad bin Abbaad Muhallabi Rahmatullah alayhi says: 'Once my father paid a visit to Khalifah Mamun-ur-Rashid, who presented him with a hundred thousand Dirhams. When he came home, he distributed the entire amount among the poor people. On another occasion, he again called on the Khalifah, who disapproved of his giving away the entire amount as Sadaqah. My father said to him, ‘O Ameer-ul-Mo’mineen, if you miserly spend what you possess now, it means you have no trust in the Infinite Bounty of your Lord, Whom you worship’ (It-haaf).

TWENTY EIGHT Once, people saw All Radhiyallahu anhu weeping, and on being asked what made him ciy, he said,"I have not received a guest for the last seven days and I am afraid lest Allah Ta'ala should have willed to humiliate me (taking offence at some act of mine which might have been displeasing to Him).”

TWENTY NINE Once Abdullah Bin Ja'far Radhiyallahu anhu was passing through a forest when he went by an orchard where an Abyssinian slave was working. Someone brought him his food and, at the same time a stray dog came into the garden, and stood by the slave, who threw a loaf of bread to the dog, which ate it but did not go away. The slave-boy threw it a second loaf and a third one, thus letting it eat the whole of his daily provision of food, keeping nothing back for himself. Abdullah bin Jafar, who had been watching this, said to the boy,"How much bread do you get as your daily ration of food?"The slave-boy said, 1 get three loaves everyday, as you have just seen. Ibne Jafar asked,"Then, why did you prefer a dog to yourself and feed it aD the three loaves?"The slave-boy said. There are no dogs living round here. The poor creature must have travelled a long distance to reach here and it must be feeling very hungry. So, I felt ashamed to send it away, without serving it any food". Ibne Jafar RadhiaUaho anhu said,"What will you have for food today?"The slave-boy said,"I shall go without food for aday, which I don’t mind."Ibne Jafar RadhiaUaho anhu said to himself,"People criticise you for spending too liberally, but this slave-boy is far more generous than you."After this he came back to the town and, after purchasing the slave-boy, the garden and all the other effects therein from the owner, he set free the slave-boy and gave him the garden as a gift (Jt-haaf)

THIRTY Sheikh Abul Hasan Antaki Rahmatullah ala i he lived in Raye, a city in Khorasaan. One day, it chanced that the Sheikh had more than thirty guests, while he did not have sufficient bread with him. He could not bake more bread, for, it was late at night. So, he broke the few loaves he haddnto small pieces.and spread them over a piece of cloth, which he had laid before his guests. When they were going to start eating, the Sheikh put out the lamp. Everybody seemed to start eating and one could hear the sound of their chewing. After a while, the sound stopped and it was presumed that everybody had finished eating. The Sheikh then lighted the lamp and they saw that all the pieces were lying intact,- nobody had eaten anything, so that others might eat their fill t even though everyone had pretended to eat. (Ithaf

THIRTY ONE Shu'bah Rahmatullah alayhi was a renowned Muhaddith whc was called Ameer-ul-Mo’mineen-fil-Haditb (The Commander of tht Faithful in the realm of Hadith), and was also known for his devoted worship and asceticism. Once a certain man came to ask a favour oi him. The Muhaddith had nothing to give and, therefore, he removed a beam from the ceiling of his room and gave it to the man, saying. Take it and sell it in the market I am terribly sorry, for I have nothing else to give you, at the moment."(It-Haaf)

THIRTY TWO Sheikh Abu Sahl Su'Iuki Rahmatullah alayhi was once performing Wudhu (ablution) when a person came and asked a favour of him. The Sheikh had nothing to give and, so, he asked the man to wait a while. When be had finished his Wudhu, he gave the man the wooden jug which he was using for Wudhu saying;"Sony, I have nothing else to give you."(It-haaf)

THIRTY THREE During the Battle of Yarmuk a large number of Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum died thirsty because, when water was brought to one of them, he happened to hear one of his companions groaning and, instead of drinking it himself, he made a gesture indicating that he wanted it to be served to the other Sahabi. A similar incident is related in my book, ‘The Stories of Sahabah’. The authors of ‘AlMaghaazi’ relate that a party of the Sahabah including Tkramah bin Abi Jahil Suhail bin ‘Amr, Sahl bin Haarith, Haarith bin Hashaam Radhiyallahu anhum and a number of other persons from the Mughi rah Tribe died thirsty because, when water was brought to one of them, he indicated that it should be taken to his companion. When ‘Ikramah Radhiyallahu anhu was in the throes of death, someone brought him a cup of water to drink but be, seeing that Suhail bin ‘Amr Radhiyallahu anhu was watching the cup of water, motioned the man to take it to Suhail. And, when the cup was brought to Suhail Radhiyallahu anhu he, in turn, found that Sahl bin Haarith Radhiyallahu anhu was -watching it with interest So he made a gesture that it should be taken to Sahl Radhiyallahu anhu and so on. Thus, each one of the party died thirsty, each one wishing, even at the hour of death, that his brother Muslim should be served first After the battle, Khalid bin Walid Radhiyallahu anhu passed by their dead bodies and said, 1 wish I could sacrifice my life for you!"(You held fast to your spirit of self-sacrifice, even at the hour of death). (It-haaf)

THIRTY FOUR Abbas bin Dihqaan Rahmatullah alayhi says that he has never known anyone who departed from the world empty-handed and denuded of everything, as he was born, except for Sheikh Bishr bin Haafi Rahmatullah alayhi. When his hour of death drew near for him, a certain man came and asked him for help in his need. The Sheikh, lying in bed, stripped the upper garment from his body and gave it to him. He borrowed a garment from one of his friends, which he wore till his death. (It-haaf)

THIRTY FIVE One can perhaps say such incidents of generosity were peculiar to our fore-fathers who lived in the early days of Islam, but a similar incident is reported of Maulana Al-Hajj Shah Abdur Rahim Rahmatullah alayhi of Raipur, who lived in quite recent times. The Sheikh was accustomed to distributing, among his pupils and others, anything that was presented to him as a gift, as soon as it was received. From time to time, he would lift his pillow and, if he found some money lying there C which had been presented by his friends and acquaintances), he used to say, 'Here is something more,' and distributed it among people. A few days before he passed away, the Sheikh distributed his garments among his disciples, and said to his successor in the spiritual Une and his favourite follower Maulana AlHaajj Shah Abdul Qadir,"Now, I shall borrow garments from you and wear them during the few days that are left of my life". And, during the last days of his life, the Sheikh used to wear the garments lent to him by Shah Abdul Qadir Rahmatullah alayhi.

THIRTY SIX Abdul Hasan Boo Shabkhi Rahmatullah alayhi was a reputed spiritual Divine. Once he called out to one of his pupils after he (the Sheikh) had entered the toilet, took off his shirt and handed it to him, saying, 'Go and give this garments to such and such poor man. The student said, 'Sir, could not you wait till you came out of the toilet?"The Sheikh said,"When I just entered the toilet? I thought of the poor man’s need and it occurred to me that I had better give this garment to him. I was afraid. lest I should change my mind on coming out of the toilet"(It-haaf). It is prohibited to speak while one is in the toilet, but the Sheikh's sense of mistrust of his own intention obliged him to give the garment away, without delay. Persumably the Sheikh had not undressed himself before talking to the student.

THIRTY SEVEN Ameerul Mo’mineen Mahdl R ahmalullah alayhi had put Musaa bin Jaiar in prison, for fear of treason. One night, the Khalifah was reciting the Holy Qur'an in Tahajjud Salaat when he came to the following Verse of Surah Muhammad:

Would you, then, if you were given the command, work corruption in the land and sever your ties of kinship? (Surah Muhammad: 22) He began to weep and ciy while reciting the Verse again and again. At long last, when he had finished Salaat, he sent for Rabie and told him to call Musaa bin Ja‘far. Rabie went out and when he came back, accompanied by Musaa, the Khalifah was still weeping and reciting the Verse again and again. He said to Musaa bin Ja'far,"I was reciting this Verse when it struck me that I was unkind to you, my relative. Now, if you promise that you will not rise in revolt against my descendents, I can set you free". Musaa said,"Far be it from me that I entertain a thought of revolting against your descendents! Nor am I in such a position!"At this, Khalifah Mehdi said to his chamberlain,"Give this man three thousand gold pieces and send him away right now, at this hour of the night, lest I should change my mind later.’ (It-haaf

THIRTY EIGHT Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu relates that, once, Imaam Hasan and Imaam Husain Radhiyallahu anhuma fell seriously ill. Ali and Fatimah Radhiyallahu anhuma took a vow that, after the recovery of their sons, they would fast for three days as an expression of their gratitude to Allah Ta'ala. Allah Ta'ala blessed their sons with health, so they started observing fasts in fulfilment of their vow. But there was no food in the house, nor money to buy food for Suhur (a light meal taken before dawn) or Iftaar.and the fasting began while they were starving. In the corning, Ali Radhialiaho anhu went to a Jew, Sham'un by name, and brought a bale of wool for spinning into yarn, in return for which the Jew promised to give them three Saa's (an Arabian measure) of barley corn as wages. On the first day of fasting, Fatimah Radhialiaho anha spun one third of the bale of wool, and the Jew gave them one Saatof barley. She ground the corn and baked five loaves of bread, one each for Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, Husain Radhialiaho anhum and Fizzah, the slave-maid. When the fast was completed and Ali Radhialiaho anhu came back from the Masjid after performing Maghrib Salaat, in congregation with Rasulullah ﷺ, the family sat to dinner, all tired with the day's labour and famished with fasting. As soon as Ali Radhialiaho anhu had taken a morsel of bread into his hand, there came the voice of a beggar from outside the door, saying."O family of Rasulullah ﷺ, I am a destitute beggar, give me something to eat. May Allah feed you with the delicious food of Jannah!". Ali Radhialiaho anhu did not take the morsel to his mouth and consulted Fatimah Radhialiaho anha, who said that the bread should be given to the beggar. So, they gave all the five loaves of bread to the beggar, and all the family remained without food. They also fasted on the following day and, on that day"Fatimah Radhialiaho anha spun another portion of the wool, for which the Jew gave them a Saa of barley which she ground into flour and again baked five loaves of bread. That evening, when Ali Radhialiaho anhu came back from Masjid. after performing Maghrib Salaat, in congregation with Rasulullah ﷺ, and the family sat to dinner, there came the voice of an orphan from outside the door, who asked for food and said that he was very poor and alone in the world. So, they gave all the five loaves of bread to the orphan and, themselves, went to bed after breaking their fast with water. They observed fast on the third day, too, and Fatimah Radhialiaho anha having spun the remaining wool into yarn, the Jew gaye them one Saa of barley which she ground into flour and baked five loaves of bread. On that day when they sat to dinner, after observing Maghrib Salaat, there came from outside the door, the voice of a prisoner, who asked for help and said that he was in great distress. So they gave him all the five loaves of bread and they themselves again went to bed without food. On the fourth day, they were not fasting, but they had nothing to eat. Ali Radhialiaho anhu took Hasan and Husain to meet Rasulullah ﷺ. They could hardly walk, for. they had grown too weak from starring for three days. Rasulullah ﷺ said, ’It pa'ns me to see you suffering from want and misery. Let us go to Fatin ah". Rasulullah ﷺ then went to Fatimah, ai d saw that she was observing Nafl Salaat. Her eyes had sunk in, ant her belly had drawn close to her back, from excessive starvation. Risulullah ﷺ took his daughter to his bosom and invoked Allah’s Mercy for her and the family. At this, Jibrael Alaihissalam came with revelation of the following Verse of the Holy Qur'an:

And they feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him. (surah ad-Dahr: 8) Jibrael Alaihissalam congratulated them, saying Allah Ta'ala was pleased with them (Musamiraat II). The Verses have already been quoted at No.34, in Chapter one of this book (part one). Allama Suyuti Rahmatullah alayhi writes in his book, ‘al-Durr al-Manthur’: Ibne Mardawaihe Rahmatullah alayhi has related a Tradition of the same import, in an abridged form, in which he reports Ibne Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu as saying that these Verses were revealed concerning Ali and Fatimah.

THIRTY NINE Oncej there lived a drunkard in a certain city who drank day and night, in company with his friends. Once he had arranged a party and all his friends were with him, waiting for the drinks to be served, when he gave four Dirhams to one of his slave-boys and told him to bring some fruit from the market, which he wanted to serve to his friends before the drinks. On the way to the market, the slave came across Sheikh Mansur bin ‘Am mar al-Basri Rahmatullah alayhi who was sitting in company with his friends and followers. The Sheikh was exhorting people to give alms to a poor man. He said, in the course of his exhortation, “Whosoever gives four Dirhams as Sadaqah to this poor man, I shall supplicate Allah Ta'ala to fulfil four wishes of his."The slave-boy gave four Dirhams to the poor man and the Sheikh asked him to name his four wishes. The boyaid,"I am a bondsman working under my master; I wish that he should set me free". The Sheikh said,"O Allah, grant him freedom from bondage!" The boy then said,"My second desire is that Allah Ta'ala should grant me a good recompense for the four Dirhams that I have given away,"The Sheikh prayed accordingly. The slaveboy said,"My third desire is that my master should be granted ‘Taufeeq’ (Divine Aid for the performance of virtues) to repent of his sins and that Allah Ta'ala should accept his repentance". The Sheikh supplicated Allah Ta'ala to grant him ‘Taufeeq’ to repent of his sins. The slave-boy said,"My last wish is that Allah Ta'ala should grant forgiveness to myself, to my master, to yourself and to all the people gathered here."The Sheikh supplicated Allah Ta'ala to grant forgiveness to all of them. The slave-boy then went back to his master, with neither fruit nor Dirhams on him, saying to himself on the way,"The worst that he (his master) can do to me is to thrash me for taking this liberty."When he came home, his master was waiting for him and said,"You have taken too long."The slave-boy told him the whole story. The master, (owing to the benedictions of the Sheikh’s supplications), instead of flying into a rage, asked the slave-boy what supplications were made by the Sheikh for him. The slave-boy said,"He prayed that I should be freed from the bondage of slavery". The master said"1 set you free:"The slave-boy said,"He prayed that, 1 should get a good recompense for the four Dirhams that I gave away."The master said,"! give you four thousand Dirhams as gift. The slave-boy said, he prayed that Allah Ta'ala should grant you Taufeeq to repent of your sins (drinking and other acts of lewdness and disobedience)The master said,"I repent of my sins."The slave-boy said, He prayed that Allah Ta’ala should grant forgiveness to you, to the Sheikh himself, to me and to all the people gathered there."The master said,"This, of course, is beyond my powers". That night, the master dreamt that he heard a voice saying,"You fulfilled three desires of your slave that lay within your power. Do you think that We shall not grant that which lies within Our Power? We forgive you, your slave, Mansur and all the people gathered there". (It-haaf)

FORTY Abdul Wahhaab bin Abdul Hameed Thaqafi Rahmatullah alayhi relates that he once saw a bier being carried to the grave-yard by three men and a woman. There was no other person following the bier. The Sheikh joined them, himself lifting the side that she was supporting. They went to the burial-place, offered funeral prayers for the deceased and laid him to rest in the grave. After this, the Sheikh asked the woman, who the deceased wasand she said that he was her son. The Sheikh then asked,"Was there no other male person in your neighbourhood who could have lifted the fourth corner of the bier, instead of you?"The woman replied,"There are a good many people living in our neighbourhood, but they did not follow the bier of my son, thinking him to be a mean and contemptible person. The Sheikh asked her,"Why they looked upon him as a contemptibel person;’and she said," My poor son was a eunuchrThe Sheikh was moved to pity for the unfortunate woman, took her home and gave her some Dirhams, clothes and wheat That night he dreamt that he saw a very handsome young man, whose face shone like the full moon, dressed in elegant white robes. The young man thanked the Sheikh, who asked him his name and the man replied,"I am the same eunuch whom you buried this morning. Allah Ta'ala had Mercy on me because I had suffered great humiliation in the world". Gt-haaf)

FORTY ONE Muhammad bin Sahl Bukhari Rahmatullah alayhi says: I was once travelling on the way to Makkah Mukamunah when 1 saw a Maghribi (a man from North-West Africa) riding a pony. In front of him, there walked another person who was making an announcement: “A longish leather-purse (worn round the waist in those times), containing valuables kept in trust for others, has been lost. Whoever tells me about it will have a reward of a hundred gold coins”. On hearing the announcement, a lame person, who was in rags, came over to the Maghribi and asked,"What sort of purse was it? Can you give me some details?The Maghirbi gave him some details and said that it contained deposit!1 of many people kept with him in trust At this, the lame person said, addressing the people, Is there a literate person among you?"I said that I could read and write. The man took us aside to a place and showed us a purse. The Maghribi went on to recount the things be had kept in the purse, namely, “Two items belonging to so and so, daughter of so and so, pawned for five hundred Dinaars; one set (of diamonds etc.) belonging to so and so, pawned for a hundred Dinaars.— and so on. As he named the things, I compared them with the contents of the purse. I found that all the valuables were there in the purse and the details given by the Maghribi tallied with what was recorded on the wrappings of the things. When the Maghribi had made sure that all his things were intact, the lame person gave him the purse. The Maghribi then took out a hundred Dinaars from his own pocket and wanted to give the money to the poor man, who declined to take it and said,"If, in my view, this purse and its contents had been worth two bits of dry camel-dung, I might not have given it back to yon. How can I accept a reward for finding you something which is not even worth camel-dung, in my estimation?' Saying this, the ragged man limped away and he did not even look at the hundred Dinaars piled up there. (Musaamiraat)

FORTY TWO Once, there ruled over Bokhara a very cruel ruler who, one day, was riding a horse when he espied a mangy dog, shivering with cold. He was moved to tears and told one of his servants to take the dog to his house and care for it till he returned from the ride. Saying this, he went on his errand and came back in the evening. On coming home he called for the dog, had it tethered in the corner of his house, served it food and drink, and told his servants to massage its body with oil and cover it with blankets to protect it against the cold. Then he lit a fire to keep it warm and comfortable. Two days later, the ruler died. A saint, who was aware of the ruler’s cruelly and his wrong-doings, saw him in a dream and asked him, How did you fare (in the Reckoning)?"The ruler said,"I was made to stand before Allah Ta'ala who said to me, 1 You were (like) a dog (in as much as you had cruel, beastly, inhuman ways) and We have granted you (forgiveness by virtue of your showing mercy) to a dog Then, Allah Ta'ala, in His infinite Mercy, took upon Himself the requital of all the cruelties and wrongs done by me to others." (Musaamiraat, is the Bounty of Allah Ta'ala and he is the Sovereign Lord of all who are generous to others! No one can attain to a true knowledge of the extent of His Magnanimity. He may, at will, grant salvation to a man, pleased with what might seem a small act of virtue. Therefore, one should seek His pleasure at all times, never regarding an act of virtue to be insignificant, for, a man never knows which of his deeds might please his Lord.

FORTY THREE Abu Umar Damishqi Rah.natullah alayhi relates: We were a party of travellers going on a journey to Makkah Mukarramah in company with Sheikh Abu Abdullah bin Jalaa Rahmatullah alayhi. We had been travelling for many days, without having any food. when we came upon a nomadic woman living in the desert She was tending a she- goat We asked her what her goat was worth, intending to buy it of her and cook it; she said that its price was fifty Dirhams. We asked her to do us a favour (in the form of a concession) and she said,"You can have it for five Dirhams. We said, ’Are you mocking us? Tell us exactly what you are willing to accept for your she-goat You have just said it’s price is fifty Dirhams. She said, “By Allah, I am not mocking. You have just asked a favour of me and 1 wish I could give it to you as a gift; I am demanding five Dirhams because 1 need money badly. At this, Sheikh Ibne Jalaa Rahmatullah alayhi said to us,"How many Dirhams have you got in your possession, in total?" ‘A count was made and the whole party was found to possess six hundred Dirhams in all. The Sheikh saidi, 'Give all this money to the woman and let her keep her she-goat as well." We did as the Sheikh advised us to do and gave her all the money in our possession. After this incident we had a very pleasant journey, far beyond our expectations, through Allah Ta'ala's special favour. (Musaamiraat) fysgi u 'Glorified be Thou, our Lord, all praise be to Thee; There is none to be worshipped except Thee; we seek Thy Forgiveness and turn in repentance to Thee!'

FORTY FOUR Once, Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Adhem Rahmatullah alayhi asked a certain person,"Do you aspire to be a friend of Allah?" The man replied, “Certainly," and the Sheikh said to him, ’Turn your thoughts away from all things, worldly or other-worldly, and devote your whole hearted attention to Him, to the exclusion of everything else. Concentrate your thoughts on Allah Alone, so that He might turn His attention to you and choose you for His friend (Wali)“. (Raudh) It occurs in a Sahih (Authentic) Hadith that Rasulullah ﷺ reported, Allah Ta'ala as saying: “If anyone comes to Me walking, 1 shall come to him running, and if anyone draws near to Me the length of a span, I shall draw near him one Ba'a i.e. the length of two arms.

FORTY FTVE Once, a certain man presented a gift of five hundred Dirhams to Sheibh Junaid Rahmalullah alayhi of Baghdad and requested that the amount should be distributed among the Sheikh’s students and disciples. The Sheikh said to him,"Do you possess any more Dirhams?"The man said that he had a lot of Dinaars in his possession. The Sheikh said,"Do you wish for increase in your wealth or, are you content with what you possess?"The man said that he desired an increase in his property. The Sheikh said, “Then, your need is greater than ours, for, we do not wish for an increase in what we possess in the world". Saying this, the Sheikh declined to accept the gift and gave the money back to him. (Raudh)

FORTY SIX Once, Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu was sitting in company with his students when his wife came and said to him,"You are sitting here with your students and we haven’t got a pinch of flour left with us in the house’. Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu said to her,"Good lady, before us there is a valley hard to travel and only such people can traverse it successfully who travel light"Hearing this, his wife went away, satisfied with the reply, and did not complain any more about her needs. Abu Dardaa Radhiyallahu anhu once said,"We have food and the rich also have food; we wear clothes and the rich also wear clothes. The rich people possess wealth, which exceeds their requirements, and they just see it without using it. We can also look at wealth (possessed by others) without using it We are equal in this respect but the rich will be required to render an account on the Day of Resurrection, for holding extra wealth in their possession. We are free from Reckoning, for, we have nothing in our possession."He also said, on another occasion,’Our Brothers (in Islam) do not treat us fairly; they love us for the sake of Allah, but they keep away from us in the world. A Day is coming soon, when they will wish they had been like ourselves, but we shall not feel remorse for being unlike them"(Raudh)

FORTY SEVEN A certain man came to a Sufi Sheikh and said,"Supplicate Allah to help me, for I am hard pressed for money and I have a large family to support"The Sheikh said to him,"When your family come and tell you that they have neither bread nor flour with them, that will be the most opportune time for the acceptance of your supplication; and it will be more readily accepted than my Du‘aa for you at this time. (Raudh) The Sheikh was quite right. People do not realize the value of supplications to Allah, nor do they believe its great value in their hearts. Great, indeed, is the value of supplication by a man crying unto Allah in distress, and such supplications are specially accepted by Allah. Allah Ta'ala says, in the Holy Qur'an: Is not He (best) Who answereth the distressed one when he cries unto Him and removes the evil (Can such a One have any partners?) (an-Naml: 62)

A Hadith has it to the following effect:’ Someone asked Rasulullah ﷺ,"Unto whom do you invite people?"to which he replied,"I invite people unto Allah, the One, Who grants you relief when you ask Him for help in the midst of a calamity that has befallen you; Who Alone sends back your ridingbeast to you, when you cry unto Him for help, after it has escaped from you; Who causes your sustenance to be provided to you, when you ask Him for help while suffering from starvation."Suhaim Rahmatullah alayhi says:"We were sitting with Abdullah Radhiyallahu anhu when a slave-girl came and said to her master (who was also sitting there),"Your horse has been affected by the evil eye", it is roaming about bewildered like a mad animal. Call in some wizard who knows a spell against the evil eye."Abdullah Radhiyallahu anhu said to the master of the girl, '‘There is no need to send for the wizard. Just recite this supplication (Du'aa) four times and blow each time into the horse’s right nostril; then recite it three times and blow each time into it's left nostril."

SSjv There is nothing to worry about. Remove the harm, O Lord of mankind and heal; Thou Alone are the Healer. There is no one who removes the harm but Thou.' The man went away, came back after a short while, and said to Abdullah Radhiyallahu anhu,"I did as you directed and my horse has been cured. It is now eating food, passing urine and stools as usual". (al-Durr al-Manthur). One should firmly believe- and the stronger the belief the more beneficial it will be for one’s worldly life and the Hereafter — that all good is bestowed upon man by Allah Ta'ala Alone; and that all harm to man is also decreed by Allah Ta'ala Who is One, Who has no partners, and Who is the Sovereign Lord. One should, therefore, ask Him alone for all that one needs, turn to Him alone for help in the midst of calamities. Indeed, the hearts of men are subservient to Him.

FORTY EIGHT Once, a man presented a gift of ten thousand Dirhams to Sheikh Ibrahim bin Adhem Rahmatullah alayhi, who declined to accept it, saying,"Would you like to have my name deleted from the list of the poor ones of this Ummah, for ten thousand Dirhams? By Allah, I cannot bear to see myself excluded from the company of the"Fuqara"Ibne Adhem Rahmatullah alayhi also said once, 'The men of the world are deceived; for, they seek joys and comforts in this world (which is by no means an abode of ease and comfort). If they knew that we (who have renounced this world) are, in reality, the “kings’ of this world, they would take up arms against us."Someone asked Sheikh Abdullah bin Mubarak Rahmatullah alayhi,"Who are (the genuine) men?" The Sheikh replied, The mama". He was then asked,"Who are the ‘Kings’ of the world?"and the Sheikh replied,"The ascetics"(who are least concerned about worldly recognition). He was further asked,"Who are the foolish ones?"and the Sheikh replied, “Those who use ‘Deen’ (Religion) for worldly ends". Sheikh Zun-Noon al-Misri Rahmatullah alayhi says:"The ascetics are the ‘Princes’ of the Hereafter and they have attained a true knowledge of Allah."Gnostic Sheikh Abu Madian Rahmatullah alayhi says:"Kingship is of two kinds; there are kings who rule the cities and others who rule the hearts of men; it is actually the ascetics who are the ‘Kings’ of the world (who rule the hearts of men)."Some mama are of the opinion (Imaam Shafi’ee Rahmatullah alayhi being one of then), that; If someone leaves a will that such and such portion of his inheritance should be given to those who are the wisest of men, it should go to the ascetics who have renounced all worldly things (because they are genuinely the wisest of men). (Raudh)

FORTY NINE Sheikh Abu Abdullah Harith bin Asad Muhasibi Rahmatullah alayhi, who was a great religious scholar and a renowned spiritualist, once admonished the Ulama inclined towards worldly gains thus:"They foolishly think that, as some of the Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum possessed wealth, they are also justified in their efforts to hoard money. The fact is that, in so doing, they unknowingly fall a prey to Shaitan's beguilement I say,"Woe to you, you fools! Shaitan has led you into the wrong notion that, as Abdur Rahman bin Auf Radhiyallahu anhu possessed a lot of wealth, you, too, can hoard property! Shaitan prompts you to give such reasons in your own defence, so that he might ruin you. indeed, it is a great accusation to say that the Sahabah hoarded money, thereby to attain worldly honour and glory; it amounts to slander and calumny against those illustrious personages. It is an act of sheer irreverence towards Rasulullah ﷺ, and towards all the Nabis alaihimussalam, to say that lawful hoarding of money is better than going without it; it implies that you claim to know better than Rasulullah ﷺ, who did not approve keeping money. It also means that you do not believe that Rasulullah ﷺ was a true well-wisher of his Ummah, when he forbade hoarding of wealth. By the Lord of heavens! You give the lie to Rasulullah ﷺ, by saying that lawful hoarding of wealth is preferable. Truly, Rasulullah ﷺ was a great well-wisher of his Ummah, full of compassion for them, and most merciful towards them. You imbecile, don’t you know that Abdur Rahman bin Auf Radhiyallahu anhu would be held back, while the poor ones among the Muhqjireen are allowed entry into Jannah, owing to his accounting for his wealth, despite his multifarious merits and excellencies — his piety, his various favours to the Ummah, his generosity in spending for the cause of Allah, his companionship with Rasulullah ﷺ and his being one of the fortunate ten foretold entry into Jannah (the Ashrah Mubash sharah). Then, where do we stand; we, who are prone to worldly temptations, engrossed in worldly pursuits? I am amazed, indeed, at a person who devours forbidden and doubtful property, eats out of the dross and filth of the people (money given to him as Sadaqah), follows his lusts and passions, adores the attractions of the world, takes pride in worldy riches, and yet compares his own state with that of Abdur Rahman bin Auf Radhiyallahu anhu, to justify his own passion for the world. Allamah Muhasibi Rahmatullah alayhi, after relating some of the best incidents from the lives of Sahabah, goes on to say,"The Sahabah loved humility; they never feared poverty, had perfect trust in Allah Ta'ala as their Sustainer and Nourisher, were pleased with whatever Allah Ta'ala had decreed for them, bore afflictions patiently; took joy in trials as a means of bringing them nearer to Allah; bowed in gratitude to Allah in prosperity; were patient in poverty; praised Allah Ta'ala in pleasant circumstances; were humble in their behaviour towards others, preferred others to themselves in all circumstances; and, when they were tried with adversity or indigence, welcomed it with smiling faces, calling it the way of living of the righteous. Now you should swear and tell me if you are like them in any respect.” You do not resemble them in the least! Your way of living is in sharp contrast with theirs. You become disobedient in affluence and prosperity, too engrossed in enjoying riches to bow in gratitude to Allah for His bounties, and you despair of Allah’s help in adversity; when a calamity befalls you, you fret and fume from lack of patience, nor for a moment accept the will of Allah. You bear malice towards the poor and frown upon the lowly and the humble. You amass wealth so that you may live sumptuously in the world, indulge in lustful pleasures, fulfil your sensual desires and take joy in its beauty and adornments. The Sahabah Radhiyallahu anhum avoided the lawful pleasures of the world more assidously than you shun forbidden (Haraam) things and promiment sins (Kabaair). They considered minor lapses from virtue more grievous than you regard your most unlawful and abominable acts. I wish your more lawfully earned wealth were as pure as the money regarded by ‘Sahabah’ to be ‘doubtful’ (the lawfulness whereof was suspected), and you feel afraid of evil consequence of your sins as they feared the non-acceptance of their virtuous deeds. I wish your fasts were as rewarding as their normal days when they were not fasting. (For even-when they were not observing fast, they did so far winning the pleasure of Allah and not from any personal motive, for which they earned blessings from Allah Ta‘ala)T"1 wish your wakeful nights were as full of blessings as their nights spent in sleep; I wish all the virtues of your life could equal one act of virtue performed by one of them. Better far would it have been for you, if you had contented yourselves with as much of the world as suffices a traveller to last him through the journey! If you only could take heed from the sad plight of the worldly men and imagine how they would be detained for Reckoning on the Day of Resurrection! If you had taken heed, you could have entered Jannah before everybody else, in company with Rasulullah ﷺ, nor would you be detained for a prolonged reckoning on that Day. For, Rasulullah ﷺ once said,"The poor ones of my Ummah will enter Jannah five hundred years before the rich'. (Raudh)

FIFTY Sheikh Abdul Wahid Bin Zaid Rahmatullah alayhi who was a well-known spiritual leader of the Chishti Order of Sufis, has narrated the following story: Once we were sailing in a boat when a storm blew our boat to an island, where we landed and saw a man engaged in idol-worship.We said to him,"Whom do you worship; and he pointed towards the idol. We said,"You have moulded your god with your own hands! Our Lord whom we worship is the Creator of all things. Hand-made idols are not worthy of worship". The man asked,"Whom do you worship?"We replied,"We worship Allah, the Sacred Being Whose Throne (Arsh) is above the heavens, Who controls the affairs of the world. Whose Majesty and Glory transcend everything."The man said,"How did you come to know of Him?"We said,"Our Lord sent us His Apostle (Rasul) who was noble of birth and most excellent of character; This Rasul taught us all these things."He said,"Where is that Rasul now?"We said,"After conveyirife the message of his Lord, his obligation was fulfilled and our Lord called him back to Him, so that He might grant him good recompense and reward him for conveying His message completely and properly."The man said,"Did your Rasul leave behind any signs of his Apostleship (any source of guidance) for you?"We said,"He left for us the Word of Allah, the Holy Qur'an. The man asked to be shown the Book and we placed the Holy Qur'an before him. He said that he did not know how to read and requested us to recite from the Book. We recited a Surah from the Qur'an, to which he listened, with tears falling from his eyes. After we had recited it up to the last Verse, he said. It is due from us to Him Who revealed this Book that we should never disobey His Commandments". After this, Jie accepted Islam and we taught him the fundamentals of Islam and some of the Commandments of Allah Ta'ala. We also taught him a few Surahs of the Holy Qur'an. At night fall, when we were preparing to go to bed, after observing ‘Ishaa Salaat,’ the man said,"Does your Lord also sleep?"We said,"He is the Alive, the Eternal, neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him."(al-Baqarah: 255). He then said,"How impudent of you to sleep while your Lord is Awake!". We were amazed at his words. When we were going to leave the island, the man asked us to take him with us, saying that he wished to learn more of the new Faith. We took him on board and our boat sailed back to the city of Abadaan. On reaching there, I said to my friends,"Let us make contribution for our newly converted brother, for, he must be needing money for his provision". We collected some Dirhams and presented the money to him. He asked,"What is this?"and we told him that it was something to help him in his needs.He recited, ‘La naha Dlallaho' and said,"You have shown me a, Path.which you are not following yourselves. I lived in an island and worshipped an idol, instead of worshiping Allah and still, He did not destroy me, nor let me die of hunger, though I did not know Him. How can He destroy nie now, that I know Him (and worship Him!)’. Three days later, we w 'ere told that he was on his death-bed and his last hour had drawn nisar. We visited him and asked him if he had any wish. He replied,"He Who sent you to the island for my ‘Hidayat’ (guidance) has ful filled all my wishes’. As we sat there, I (Abdul Wahid) dozed off and dreamt that I saw a green and pleasant garden, in which there stood a magnificent domed building. A Throne was laid in a room of the building, on which there sat a most beautiful damsel, the like of whom jn beauty, I had never seen before. She was saying,"O, send him to me soon, I beseech you in the name of Allah; I am so fond of him that I cannot bear to be separated from him any more. I woke up and saw that his soul had departed bum the body. We washed him, shrouded him and laid him to rest in the grave, after offering his funeral prayers. That night I saw the same garden and the same dome in a dream, with the same beautiful maid reclining on the throne, while I saw the man reciting this Verse:

The angels enter unto them from every gate, saying: ‘Peace be unto you(glad tidings of being protected against all manner of affliction), because you persevered (held fast to Deen)! Ah! Passing sweet will be the sequal ofCHeavenly) Home. (ar-Ra‘d: 23:24). (Raudh) These are the miraculous manifestations of Allah's Infinite Bounty and His Forgiveness! The man spent his life in worshipping an idol but, when his hour of death drew near, Allah Ta'ala raised a storm to blow a boat to the island and, thus, the man was granted eternal Heavenly bliss through the guidance of the people on board.

"O Soverign Lord of the Universe.' No one can withhold what thou givest, nor can anyone give what thou with holdest.’

FIFTY ONE Sheikh Maalik Bin Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi was once walking through the streets of Basrah when he came across a guadly dressed slave-girl, puffed with pride and attended by her servants and slave-boys, with the air of pampered slave-girls of princes and kings. The Sheikh said to her, in a loud voice, 'Little maid, doesn't your master want to sell you?". The question touched her to the quick, and she said, in the bewilderment of wounded pride,"Ole man, could you repeat your words". The Sheikh said,"I say: wouli your master like to sell you?"The maid said, ’Even if he were to sel me, could a pauper like you pay my price?" The Sheikh said,"Cer tainly.and I can buy a slave-girl even better than yourself. At this she laughed and told her attendants to catch hold of the Sheikh and let him accompany her (for, she said, he would have a bit of fun;,at his expense). So Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi was taken by them to their house. On reaching home, when the slave-giri told her master all that had passed between herself and the Sheikh, the master laughed heartily and then desired that the poor man (the Sheikh) be brought before him. As soon as Mallik Rahmatullah alayhi appeared before him, the rich man was struck with sudden awe. He asked the Sheikh,"What do you want?" And the Sheikh replied, 1 want to buy your slave-girl."The man said,"Can you pay what she is worth?"The Sheikh said,"In my estimation, she is worth two date-stones."At this, the whole company laughed. The man asked on what basis do you set this price for the maid?"The Sheikh replied,"She has many defects"The man asked,"What are they?"and the Sheikh replied,"If your slave-girl does not perfume her body, it will give off offensive odours; if she does not dean her teeth, her mouth will have a foul smell; if she does not oil or comb her hair, she will look dishevelled, her hair will become lousy (and foul-smelling); in a few years time, her youth will be gone and all her charm will be lost; she has menses, passes urine and stools and all manner of filthy secretions come out of her body. She is moody, suffers from misfortunes, is so selfish that she makes pretence of loving you for her own ends; saying that she loves you, though she loves the life of ease and comforts that she is enjoying with you. (Should she come to harm through you, she would complain and forget all her claims of love). Most fickle is she, in her love, most insincere and betraying, untrue to her words and false in her claims of love. If you send her away or die earlier, she will go to someone else and there make tall claims of loving him most passionately. “I have a slave-girl, who far excels your maid in beauty, and is, much, easier to possess. She has been created from the essence of camphor mixed with musk and saffron; she is apparelled in heavenly light (Noor) and ornamented with pearls, if she were to talk to a dead man, he would come back to life. If she were to uncover her wrist in this world, the sun would look dark in comparison and its radiance would be eclipsed. If she were but to step into a dark room, she would illuminate it with her presence. If she were to come into this world, with all her beauty and adornments, she would fill it with fragrance and Divine radiance. She has been nursed and brought up in gardens of musk and saffron, has been playing and swinging on boughs (of trees) made from red rubies and coral-stone, has been living in pavilions, surrounded by all manners of bounties. She has been nourished on the water from ‘Tasneem’ (a rivulet in Jannah). She never breaks promises, never betrays the one she loves, nor changes her loyalties.' Thus, after recounting some of the qualities of the 'hour!' of Jannah, the Sheikh asked, Tell me, now, which of the two maids is worth aspiring for?" ‘All the men gathered there said, with one voice, 'It is, of course, the one you have described, whom one should try to possess.' The Sheikh said, This beautiful maid can be bad for just a nominal price, which everybody can pay at all times and in all circumstances. On being asked what its price was, Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi said, “A damsel of such extraordinary merit and excellence can be had in return for small acts of devotion: snatch a few brief moments at night for standing in devotions, observing (at least) two Raka’at of Tahqjjud Salaat, with the purest motive of winning His pleasure; when you sit down to dinner, remember also a poor, needy fellow man Get him share your meal); let your desires be subservient to the pleasure of Allah; remove from the road anything harmful to the wayfarer (a thorn, a piece of brick); lead a simple, contented life; turn your thoughts away from this world, which is the abode of deception, and concentrate whole-heartedly on the Eternal Abode of Hereafter. If you persevere in these acts of virtue, you will not only live honourably in this world, but will also have no anxiety in the life Hereafter and be raised to positions of honour and high status, living forever in Jannah (the abode- of Eternal Bounties) in the blessed vicnity of Allah Ta'ala, the Lord of Eternal Might' At this, the rich man said to his slave-girl, ’Did you listen to what the Sheikh said? Do you believe it to be true?"She replied,"He has certainly spoken the truth, has admonished us in good faith and given us good counsel. The master said, "I set you free, then, and give you such and such amount of my property as a parting gift"He also freed all his slaves, bestowing upon each of them a considerable amount of his property, and gave away, as Sadaqah for the cause of Allah, his house and all the effects therein. He stripped the costly clothes from his body, giving them away as Sadaqah, and wrapped himself in the coarse, rough curtain cloth which he tore off his house-door. The slave-girl said,"My Lord, I, too, would like to follow your way of life, for, there is no charm left for me in the sensuous joys of life." And she also gave away, in Sadaqah, all her dothes, ornaments and valuables as well as her house-bold effects and property. She put on a dress of coarse cloth and entered upon a new life of austerities along with her master. Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi took leave of them, supplicating Allah's blessings for them. The two of them, master and slave-girl, abandoned their sensuous joys, renounced the luxuries of the world and devoted their life to the worship of Allah, persevering in devotions till they passed away to the Mercy of Allah Ta'ala. May Allah bless them with Forgiveness, and bless us, too, with them! (Raudh)

FIFTY TWO Jaffar bin Sulaiman Rahmatullah alayhi has related the following anecdote from the life of Sheikh Maalik Bin Dinar. T was once walking in the company of Sheikh Maalik Bin Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi through a street in Basrah when we came vpon a half-constructed magnificent palace, beside which sat a handsome young man, giving istructions to the masons and pointing out to them the details of his proposed design. When the Sheikh saw him, he said,"What a handsome youth engaged in such a frivolous pursuit! How deeply engrossed he is in constructing a palace for himself! I am inclined to supplicate Allah Ta'ala to extricate him from this vain pursuit and to make him a true and devout servant of Allah. 1 wish that he were among the youth who would go to Jannah! JaTar, let us go and talk to him.". So, we went across to the young man and greeted him with 'Assalam-o-Alaikum He returned our greetings, but did not, at first, recognize Maalik, though he was acquainted with the Sheikh. After a while, recognizing Maalik, he stood up from his seat, out of respect for him. The young man then asked the Sheikh why he had condescended to visit him, and the Sheikh asked,"How much money do you propose to spend on the construction of this palace?"The ydfoth replied,"A hundred thousand Dirhams". Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Can you give me the hundred thousand Dirhams, in return for which I can promise to get you a magnificent palace in Jannah, far excelling the one planned by you, a palace attended by numerous slaves and servants with pavilions and domes made from red rubies and studded with precious jewels; a palace of which the soil is saffron and the mortar is of strong-scented musk, with fragrance wafted all around. This palace will not be constructed by the masons, but Allah Ta'ala will say, ‘Let there be a palace and it will be erected forthwith The youth said, “Let me think a while; if you could give me a day’s respite and deign to come tomorrow morning, I would tell you my decision then."At this, Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi went home and, all night long, remained lost in concern, worrying for the young man. In the last hours of the night, he wept and cried unto Allah in great humility, invoking Allah’s Mercy for the young man. Next morning, we went again to the young man’s house and found him standing at the gate, waiting for us. He was greatly pleased to see Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi and, on the Sheikh asking him for his decision, he said,"Are you sure; you can get me the palace promised by you yesterday?"Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Certainly, whereupon the youth placed before us the bags containing a hundred thousand Dirhams. He then brought a piece of paper, some ink and a pen, and Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi wrote on it, ‘In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, I, Maalik bin Dinar, do hereby undertake to obtain such and such palace (here, he mentioned the details given above) from Allah Ta'ala, for Mr. so and so (naming the youth), in return for the palace designed by him but left unfinished. I, rather, put myself under obligation to obtain for him a far better palace than the one described above, built in pleasant shades in the vicinity of Allah Ta'ala.' The Sheikh gave the document to the young man and we came back home with a hundred thousand Dirhams. In the evening, Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi had distributed the entire amount among the poor and not a single Dirham was left with him to buy him food for the night Hardly forty days after this incident Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi found a piece of paper lying in the niche of his Masjid one morning, after he had concluded his Fajr Salaat. It was the same document that the Sheikh had written for the young man. On the back of the paper, there was an inscription (though no ink had been used) reading, ‘Allah Ta'ala has absolved Maalik bin Dinar from his obligation towards the young man. We have granted him the palace you undertook to obtain for him, and seventy times more!’ Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi was surprised to read the inscription, and when we went to the young man's house we saw a black spot on the housegate (signifying a bereavement) and also heard the wailings of the mourners. We were told that the young man had died the day before. We asked the people to tell us who had washed and shrouded the deceased and they sent for the man. When the man came we asked him to tell us, in detail, how he had washed and shrouded the deceased and he said,"The young man gave me a piece of paper before his death, and told me to put it inside Sis shroud after washing him. I did as he had directed me and put the paper on his breast under the shroud". At this, Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi showed him the document he had brought with him, upon seeing which the man exclaimed! 'By Him, Who caused him to die, this is the very piece of paper I put inside his shroud."Seeing this, another young maA stood up and said to Maalik,"Write for me a similar document, in return for two hundred thousand Dirhams". But the Sheikh said,"It cannot.be the time for that is gone. Allah Ta'ala brings to pass what he wills'. Afterwards, whenever Maalik Rahmatullah alayhi mentioned that youth, he was moved to tears and invoked Allah’s Mercy for him. (Raudh) Very often, it so happens that the Walis’ (Saints) say something in their moods of spiritual ecstasy and Allah Ta'ala, in His Infinite Mercy, justifies their statements. Rasulullah ﷺ is reported to have said, in a Hadith to a similar effect:"There are many, covered with dust and with dishevelled hair, whom people would turn away from their doors, whom men never heed, but if they were to swear by Allah, Allah Ta'ala would stand by them."(Sahih Muslim)

FIFTY THREE Muhammad bin Sammaak Rahmatullah alayhi relates:"Musaa Bin Muhammad Bin Sulaiman Alhashimi was a nobleman of the Banu Umayyah dan who had been brought up in affluent circumstances, engaging himself in eating, drinking and merrymaking, having most elegant dothes to wear and indulging in all kinds of lusts and sensual pleasures. Himself a handsome young man with a moon-like face, he lived in a palace enjoying the company of beautiful women and men, far away from the worries and cares of the world. Allah Ta'ala had showered upon him all kinds of bounties and favours; his annual income amounted to three hundred three thousand (303,000) Pinna rs which he spent on pastimes and lustful pursuits. He lived in a lofty mansion, with windows on one side, opening out to the main road; he would sit beside one of these and watch the wayfarers walking outside. There were win dows, on the other side of the bnQding, that opened out to a beautiful garden from which cool and fresh breezes blew, laden with sweet fragrance of flowers. In the middle of his palace, there stood a domed pavilion of ivory, studded with nails of ailvcr and burnished with gold. The young Hash mi sat in this pleasure-dome, with a gemstudded turban tied round his head, reclining on a throne covered with jewelled brocade, in company with his close friends and companions, while his attendants stood at a respectable distance, awaiting his orders. In front of the pavilion sat a company of dancers and singing girls; whenever he wanted tp listen to music, he just glanced at the guitar, the singers' came forward and began to sing songs and play the instruments. When he wanted the music to stop, he pointed to the instruments and the music stopped. Thede merriments went on till late at night until sleep overpowered him. When he was intoxicatd with excessive drinking, his friends went away and he retired to his private apartment, with any girl that pleased his fancy. He spent his r filings playing chesa and dice. rfobody ever talked to him of.matters painful or concerning death or diseases.' His parties were devoted to merrymaking, amusing anecdotes were related end jokes and pleasantries went round. Each day, people brought to him rich varieties of rarest perfumes from all over the country and nice vases of sweet-smelling flowers were presented to him. The chieftain spent twenty seven years of his life in such luxuries and pastimes. One night, when sitting as usual, in his pavilion, he heard a sweet voice coming from a distant place; unlike the voice of his own singers, but most melodious and charming, which made him restless. He ordered the music to stop and leant out of the window to listen attentively to the voice. The voice floated on the air for some time, then silence fell and then it became audible again. The chieftain ordered his servants to fetch the man responsible for these charming tones. While their master continued to drink wine, the servants tracked the voice to a thin and lean young man, weak in body, pale in face, with parched lips and dishevelled hair, his belly drawn close to his back, dressed in two rags that just covered his nakedness, standing in Salaat before Allah Ta'ala and reciting from the Holy Qur'an. They caught hold of the man, without even telling him why, took him out of the Maqid into the palace and presented him to their master, saying,"Here is the person you wanted, sir". The chieftain, who was now dead-drunk and not in his Draper senses, asked,"Who is this man?"and they told him that he was the one whose voice he had heard a few moments ago. He asked them where they had found the man and they said that he was offering Salaat in a Masjid and reciting from the Holy Qur'an. The chieftain then asked the ragged young man what he was reciting and he began to recite, beginning with:

I seek refuge in Allah, against Shaitan, the outcast. Lo! The righteous verily are in delight (of Jannah); On couches, gazing (at the wonders of Jannah). Thou wilt know in their faces the radiance of delight. They will be given to drink a pure wine, sealed, whose seal is musk. For this, let (all) those strive who vie with one another to achieve the bliss (of Jannah). (As this bliss can only be achieved as a recompense for good deeds, let them try to excel one another in the performance of good deeds). And, (that wine) is mixed with the water of ‘Tasneem,’ a spring whence those, brought near to Allah, drink. (the drink served to the righteous will be seasoned with the water of Tasneem, wt lich is a speciality, meant only for those brought near to Allah (Maqaxraboon), who will have it in its pure undiluted form). (Tatfeef: 22 - 28) The raggtxl man then said to the chieftain,"0 you who have been deceived.' Your palace, your pavilion and your couches cannot compare with Uhose:

Raised couches (of Jannah); (al-Waaqi’ah: 34). Couches lined with silk brocade. (ar-Rahman: 54)

Green cushions and carpet of the fairest pattern. (ar-Rahman:

(While reclining on these couches, the Jannati will see) ‘Two gardens wherein are two fountains flowing. (ar-Rahman:46 - 50) Wherein (in these two gardens) is every kind of fruit in pairs (each kind of fruit having two different tastes). (ar-Rahman: 52)

(The fruit of these gardens)‘is neither exhausted nor forbidden' (al-Waaqi'ah: 33). (Unlike the gardens of this world, of which not everybody is allowed to eat)! The man went on to recite Verses from the Holy Qur'an comparing Jannah and the circumstances of its inhabitants, with those describing Jahannam and the circumstances of the Jahannamis, thus:

Then he will be in a blissful state, in a high Garden (Jannah)' (al-Haaqqah: 21-22).

In lofty Gardens (Jannah) where they hear no idle speech, wherein is a gushing spring, wherein are couches raised, and goblets set at hand, and cushions arranged, and silken carpets spread (on all sides, all seats being alike, without discrimination). (al-Ghashiyah 10 16) La! The righteous will be amid shade and fountains, (alMursilaat: 41)

It’s food (the food of Jannah) is everlasting, (is not exhausted), and it's shade; (also) this is the reward of those who are righteous, while the reward (the final fate) of the Kaafirs (Non-Believers) is Jahanr.am. (ar-Ra'd: 35). Lo! The guilty are perpetually in the torment of Jahannam, it will not be relaxed for them, and they will live therein given to despair). (az-Zukhruf: 74-75) Lo! The guilty are in error and madness (sheer folly) (They will be disillusioned) on the Day when they are dragged into the Fin, upon their-faces (and it is said, unto them): Feel the touch of Hell (Jahannam). (al-Qamar: 47 -48)

(The Jahannamis will be) in scorching wind, scalding water and shadow of black smoke (al-Waaqi'ah: 42- 43) jy jSoI The guilty man will long to ransom himself from the Punishment of that Day at the price of his childnn, and his spouse and his brother and his kin that harbound him; and all that an in the earth, if then it might deliver him. But nay (it never can be)' For lo! It is the Fin of Jahannam, plucking out his being) eager to roast him; It calls him who turned and fled (from truth in the life of the world) and hoarded wealth (unlawfully) and withheld it (put it away), (alMa'aarij: 11-18).

And wrath (of Allah) is upon them and theirs will be a severe punishment. (as-Shuraa: 16). They will wish to come forth from the Fire, but they will not come forth. C al-Maaidah: 37)

When the man had thus recited a good many Verses, about Jannah and Jahannam, the Hash mi chief rose from his seat and embraced him, weeping and crying most bitterly. He told his friends to go away and, himself went out, with the poor man, to the courtyard of his palace, where he sat on a rug and wept and cried with deep remorse over his past youth, while the Faqeer sat there till dawn admonishing him to repent and exhorting him to start a life of piety. The Hashmi then repented deeply of his sins, before the poor man, and made a covenant with Allah Ta’ala that be would sin no more. In the morning, he made public repentance, in the presence of his friends and other people, and sat in a corner of the Masjid, leading a life of devotions and holy seclusion. He gave away, as Sadaqah, all the assets of his house, distributed all his belongings among the poor, dismissed all his servants, set free most of his slaveboys and slave-girls, sold others and spent the money received, in return, for the cause of Allah Ta'cda. He made full requital of all the wrongs done to others and paid all that was due from him to the people, returned all things, he had taken wrongly and forcibly, to their owners. Then, he entered upon a life of austerity, wearing coarse cloth and eating plain barley bread. He stood all night in Nafl Salaat and fasted by day and began to lead a life of self-mortifying austerities. So much so, that the saints and spiritual Sheikhs of his times came to visit him and advised him not to chastise himself so severely, saying, ‘Take pity on yourself; Allah Ta'ala is Most Merciful and His Bounty is beyond our estimation. He grants bounteous rewards for little pains." ‘But he would reply,"My friends, you do not know how much I sinned against my Lord, day and night. I defied His commandments. I indulged in most heinous crimes,’ and he would then weep profusely. The chieftain then undertook a journey for Hajj, travelling all the way on foot, dressed in coarse cloth, with a cup and a small bag of provisions. He reached Makkah, performed Hajj, and stayed there afterwards, till his death. May Allah grant him His bounteous blessings! During his stay in Makkah Mukarramah, the chieftain used to go to Hateem by night and spend the whole night whimpering, weeping and ciying unto Allah. He would say in the course of his invocation,"O Allah! Many an hour of night have I spent in utter heedlessness, never for a moment remembering Thee! 1 defied Thee, my Lord, by disobeying Thee and by transgressing Thy commandments! My Allah, all my virtues have been lost! The oportunity to do good has been wasted away! I am left with a burden of sins laid on my back! Ah! Woe is me! What shall 1 do on the Day when I shall he made to stand before Thee (for Reckoning, after death). Ah! Most Woeful for me, will be the Day, when my Book of deeds shall be unro led! What a shame for me to find my scroll replete with sins! O Allah! I feel Thy wrath descending upon me now! O Allah, Thy Wrath is my damnation. O Allah, Thou showered Thy blessings and bounties upon me, but I turned away from Thee, like a most ungrateful slave, defying commandments, thus incurring Thy Wrath! O Allah, Thou was ever watching over me (while I sinned most shamefacedly) and forbearing to punish me! O Allah, where else can 1 find shelter, except in Thee! O whither can 1 flee! Thou Alone are my Resort, Thee Alone I beseech in my misery! Whom should I implore but Thee? Whose clemency shall I trust but Thine! O Allah, O Most Merciful Lord, I feel ashamed to ask Thee for Jannah; 1 implore Thee, My Lord, invoking Thy Infinite Mercy, Thy all-embracing Magnanimity, Thy Vast Bounty, to have mercy on me and grant forgiveness to me! jrjSii aa n s For, Thou alone are the Lord of Righteousness, and the Lord of Forgiveness".

FIFTY FOUR Khalifah Haroon Rashid Rahmatullah alayhi had a son, about sixteen years of age, who used to associate frequently with the ascetics and spiritual leaders of those timeaHe would often go to the graveyard, sit by the graves and say,"There was a time when you inhabited this world and you were its masters. But the world did not protect you and you ended up in graves. Would that I knew what you are experiencing now! 1 wish I knew what you said in reply to the questions that were asked of you!” He used to recite this couplet very often:"The funerals frighten me everyday, and wailings of the femalemourners make me sad One day, the young boy came to the court of his father, Haroon Rasheed, while he was sitting in company with his viziers, lords and noblemen. The boy was dressed in simple cloth’es, with a turban on his head; when the courtiers saw him in this condition, they said,"The ways of this mad boy are a disgrace to the Amir-ul-Mo’mineen, in the sight of the kings; if he could admonish him, the boy might give up his foolish habits. The Khalifah heard this and said to his son,"My dear son, you have disgraced me in the sight of the kings. At this, the boy did not say a word (to his father), but called out to a bird sitting nearby, 'O bird, I ask you, in the name of Him Who created you, to come and sit on my hand,’ whereupon the bird flew across to him and perched on his hand. The boy then told it to fly away and it flew back to perch as before. After this, he said to his father,"My dear father, as a matter of fact, it is your attachment of the world that is a disgrace to me. I have made up my mind to part from you". And, saying this, the boy went away, taking only the Qur'an with him. When he went to take leave from his mother, she gave him a precious ring (so that he might sell it and use the money in case of need). The boy then went to Basrah, to work among the labourers. He accepted employment only on Saturdays, using his day’s wages for seven days, spending a Danaq (One sixth Dirham) each day. The remaining story has been related by Abu Aamir Basri Rahmatullah alayhi, who says,"Once a wall of my house collapsed and I needed a mason to rebuild it. Somebody told me that there was a young boy who did the work of a mason and I went looking for him. Outside the city, I saw a handsome young boy sitting on the ground and reciting the Holy Qur'an with a bag lying beside him. I r ’red him if he would like to work as a labourer and he said, Certainly we have been created to toil and labour. What work would you want me to do?' I said that I needed a mason to do some construction. He said, ‘I shall take a Dirham and a Danaq as my wages for the day, and I shall have to stop work and go to the Masjid when it is time for Salaat; I shall resume work after Salaat.’ I agreed; he came with me and began to work on the wall. I came back in the evening and I was surprised to see that he had done as much work as ten masons. 1 gave him two Dirhams, but he refused to accept more than a Dirham and a ‘Danaq’ and was gone, taking just as much as had been agreed upon. ‘Next morning, I went out again, looking for him, but I was told that he worked only on Saturdays and that nobody could find him on other days of the week. As I was greatly satisfied with his work, I decided to postpone the remaining construction till Saturday. When Saturday came round, I again went looking for him and found him in the same place, reciting from the Holy Qur'an as usual. When I greeeted him, saying! 'Assalaamo-Alaikum ’, he returned my greetings, saying, ‘Wa-‘Alaikum-as-Salaam’ and agreed to work for me on the same conditions, came with me and started to work on the wall. Wondering how he had done ten days’ work last Saturday, I watched him working, without being noticed by him. I saw, to my great amazement, that, when he put mortar on the wall, the stones automatically joined together. I was sure that he was one of the favourites of Allah, as such people are assisted by unseen help from Allah Ta'ala. In the evening, I wanted to give him three Dirhams, but he took just a Dirham and a Danaq and went away, saying, I have no use for more than this amount'. I waited for him for another week and went out looking for him again next Saturday, but could not find him anywhere. On my enquiring from people, a man told me that he had been ill for three days and was lying in a deserted place; so I engaged a guide on payment to lead me to the place. We reached there to find him lying unconscious on the ground, his head pillowed on a piece of broken brick. I greeted him, but he did not respond and I said, 'Assalaam-o-alaikum' again, a bit louder. This time he opened his eyes and recognized me. I laid his head in my lap, but he put it back on the piece of brick and recited a few couplets, two of whic

(0 my friend, do not be beguiled by the luxuries of thfcworld, for, your life is passing away; the luxuries are short-lived. And when you carry a bier to the grave, remember, one day you, too, will be carried to the graveyard.’ The boy then said to me, ‘Abu Amir, when my soul departs, wash me and shroud me in the clothes that I am wearing now.’ I said,"Dear me, I see no harm in buying new cloth for your shroud’. He said, ‘The living are more in want of new clothes than the dead.’ (These, exactly, were the words spoken, by Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anhu when he was nigh unto death and he willed that he should be shrouded in his old garments, when they asked his permission to buy new cloth for his shroud)."The boy added, ‘The shroud (old or new) will quickly decay. What remains with a man after his death are his deeds. Give this turban of mine and the jug of water to the grave-digger and, when you have burned me, convey this copy of the Holy Qur'an and this ring to Khalifah Haroon Rashid and mind, you deliver it into his own hands and say, ‘These things were entrusted to me by a stranger boy who bade me convey them to you,’ with the words: 'O Father, take heed, lest you die in heedlessness, beguiled by the world’. With these words on his lips the young boy gave up his soul. At that moment I came to know that he was a prince."After his death, 1 washed him, shrouded him and laid him in the gTave, even as he had desired and I gave his turban and the jug.to the grave-digger. After this, I undertook a journey to Baghdad in order to deliver the ring and the Holy Book to the Khalifah. Luckily for me, when 1 reached the Khalifah’s palace, his cavalcade was just coming out of the court. I stood on a raised platform and watched the pageant. There came out from the palace a troop of a thousand horsemen, followed by ten more troops, in each a thousand horsemen. In the last troop rode the Amii-ul-Mo’mineen,. himself, on seeing whom I called in a loud voice, ‘O, Ameei-ul-Mo’momineen, 1 beseech you, in the name of your kinship with Rasulullah ﷺ, to stop a while' The Ameer-ul-Mo‘mineen stopped and looked round, 1 went forward at once and handed over to him the two trusts of the deceased prince, saying, ‘These things were entrusted to me by a stranger boy who passed away, leaving a will that these should be delivered into your own hands. The Khalifah looked at the ring and the Holy Qur'an and hung his head in sorrow: I saw tears dripping from his eyes. The Ameer-ul-Mo‘mineen then told his chamberlain to escort me to his palace and to present me to him when he came back from the promenade. 1 stayed with the chamberlain in the palace.

"When the Khalifah came back in the evening, he ordered the curtains of his palace to be drawn down and told the chamberlain to call me into his presence, even though, he said, ‘The man will just revive my sorrow: The chamberlain came to me and said, ' The Ameer-ul-Mo‘mineen wants you, but mind, he is grievously shocked. If you want to say something in ten words, try to put it in five ’. He then ushered me into the private room of the Khalifah, who was sitting there all by himself. The Khalifah told me to sit closer to him and when I had taken my seat, asked me, ‘Do you know that son of mine?’ I said Yes, and he asked me, ‘What did he do for a living?'i said that he did the work of a mason. The Ameer-ul-Mo'mineen said, ‘Did you also engage him to do the work of a mason?' I said that I had done so. The Ameer-ul-Mo‘mineen said, 'Did it not occur to.your mind that he had a kinship with Rasulullah’. (Haroon Rasheed was a descendant of Abbas Radhiyallahu anhu, the uncle of Rasulullah ﷺ). I said, ‘O Ameer-ul-Mo‘mineen! First of all, I beg forgiveness of Allah Ta'cda and then beg your pardon, but I did not know of it at that time. I only learnt about it after he had passed away The Khalifah said, ’Did you wash his body with your own hands? ‘I said."Yes’ and he said, ‘Let me touch your hand '. He then held my hand to his bosom, caressing his chest with it, and recited a few verses which meant: O thou estranged from me, my heart melts away with grief over thee; my eyes shed tears of sorrow! O thou whose burial-place is far, too far, thy grief is closer to my heart True, death disconcerts most excellent pleasures of the’ world. Ah, my estranged son was like a moon hanging above a silvery bough. The moon has set in the grave, the silvery bough gone to dust. After this, Haroon Rashid decided to go to Basrah to visit the grave of his son. I, Abu Aamir also acompaniend him. Standing by his son’s grave, Haroon Rasheed recited the following verses, ‘O voyager to the Unknown, never shalt thou come back home. Death snatched you away in the first bloom of youth. O coolness of my eyes, thou wert my solace, my heart's peace, in long lonely hours of night and in brief moments of joy. Thou hast tasted of the potion of death, which thy father shall drink in old age. indeed, each one must taste of Death, be he nomad or a town dweller. All praise be to Allah, the One, Who has no partners; for these are the manifestations of His Divine Decree.' The following night, when I went to bed after observing my daily devotional practices, I dreamt that I saw a domed building bathed in Noor, above which there hung a cloud of Noor. Out of this cloud of Noor came the voice of the deceased boy, talking to me, ‘Abu Aamir, May Allah grant you the best reward (for washing and shrouding me and for acting upon my will)!' I asked him, My dear friend, how are you faring in the next world? ’ He said, I have been admitted to the presence of my Lord, Who is the Most Bounteous One and Who is well pleased with me. He has granted me such Bounties as eyes have never seen, ears have never heard of and minds have never thought of.’ (The reference is to a Hadith Qudsi which narrates as follows: Rasulullah reports Allah T if ala as saying: I have prepared for my righteous servants.things that no eye has seen, nor any ear heard of, nor entered in the mind of man". Abdullah bin Mas’ood Radhiyallahu anhu narrates; ‘It occurs in the Torah that Allah Ta'ala has prepared for those who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord (observe Tahajjud Salaat) such bounties as no eye has seen, nor any ear heard, nor occurring in the mind of any man, nor does any angel thowever near to Allah) know of them, nor are they known to any Nabi or Rasul. Allah Ta'ala says, in the Holy Qur'an:

No soul knoweth what is kept hidden for them of joy (most pleasing to their eyes). (Sajdah: 17) The boy then said to me (in the dream), ‘Allah Ta'ala has promised me, swearing by His Glory, that He would grant such honours and bounties to all those who come out of the world like me. without, being tainted by it!’ The author of ‘Raudh’ says that this story has also come down to him through another chain of narration. This version adds: Someone asked Haroon Rashid about this boy and he said, “This son was born before my ascension to the Caliphate and was brought up very well and was taught good manners. He had learnt the Holy Qur'an and other related branches of religious knowledge, but when I rose to be a Khalifah, he forsake me and went away. My worldly magnificence did not bring him any comfort in life, for he did not like to benefit from it in. any way. When he was going away, I asked his mother to give him the ring, the pearl set in which was very precious, but he did not make use of it and sent it back before his death. The boy had been very obedient to his mother.' (Raudh). Haroon Rashid Rahmatullah alayhi. whose son resented his attachment to the world, is known to be a very pious and kindhearted Khalifah. When one possesses power and is favoured with fortune, one might wel, lapse into improprieties, but history bears evidence to the fact that he did a lot for the cause of ‘Deen’ (Religion). During his Caliphate, he performed one hundred Rak'aat of NafI Salaat everyday, until his death. He used to give, as Sadaqah, from his private puree a thousand Dirhams everyday. He led the Jehaad expedition and performed Hajj in alternate years. When he went for Hiyj, he took with him a hundred Ulama and their sons. During the years when he was engaged in Jehaad, he would send three hundred of his subjects for Hajj, bearing the expenses of their travel, food and clothing, giving most generous supplies of provisions, with nice clothes to wear. The Khalifah was also wont to grant generous gifts to those who asked favours of him and also bestowed favours on others, on his own initiative, without their asking for them. He loved the Ulama, who were held in great reverence in his court. Once the renowned Muhaddith, Abu Mu’awiya ad-Dharir (meaning the blind’) took a meal with Haroon Rashid and when the blind scholar rose to wash bis hands after the meal, the Khalifah himself poured water on his hands, saying that he did so out of reverence for his learning. Abu Mu’awiya ad-Dharir Rahmatullah alayhi relates, 'Once when I narrated to him the Hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ about the disputation of Adam Alaihissalam and Musaa Alaihissalam, there was sitting by him a man who said, ‘But where did they meet?’ At this, Haroon Rashid flew into a rage and exclaimed, ‘Where is my sword? Shall a’Zindiq' (heretic or one holding an opinion contrary to the accepted teaching of religion) question a Hadith of Rasulullah Salhllaho alayhi wa sallam!’ Haroon Rashid wept bitterly when an exhortation was addressed to him. (History of Beghdad by alKhateeb).

FIFTY FIVE Once Khalifah Haroon Rashid Rahmatullah alayhi was going on a journey for Hajj and stopped for a few days in Kufah. At the time of his departure from Kufah, a large crowd gathered on the outskirts of the city to watch the Khalipha’s cavalcade. The renowned ascetic, Bahlool (called Bahlool the lunatic) also came out and sat on a dung-hill outside the city. The street-urchins who used to tease Bahlool Rahmatullah alayhi, mocking and throwing stones at him, gathered round him as usual. When the Khalifah rode past him, the boys ran away and Bahlool addressed Amir-ul-Mo’mineen in a loud voice saying,"O Amir-ul-Mo'mineen! O Amir-ul-Mo’mineen!". At this, Haroon Rashid raised the curtain of the Howdah of his ridingbeast, looked out and said, 'At your service, O Bahlool, what do you want?" Bahlool Rahmatullah alayhi said,"Amir-ul-Mo’mineen! A man related to me on the authority of Qudamah Radhiyallahu anhu that, when Rasulullah ﷺ was going for Htjj, he (Qudamah) saw him in Minaa riding a camel with a simple howdah on its back; there was no noise of driving people away or telling them to move aside. Amir-ul-Mo’mineen, it would be far better for you, if you also rode in humility, instead of going in a proud pageant Haroon Rashid wept on hearing these words and said,"Counsel me further, 0 Bahlool, May Allah bless you!". Bahlool recited two couplets, which meant:"True, you are an emperor of the world and all men owe allegiance to you! So what? For, tomorrow you will be laid down in the pit of the grave for your abode. And men will throw dust upon you, from all sides to cover you."At this, the Khalifah wept bitterly and said,"Bahlool, give me some more advice,"‘Bahlool said, ’ Amir-ul-Mo’mineen, when Allah Ta'ala grants prosperity and physical beauty to a person and he spends his wealth for the cause of Allah, and protects his beauty from the taint of sinsi his name is recorded, in the register of Allah, among the names of the pious ones". Haroon Rashid said,"You have given me good counsel, Bahlool, you deserve a reward."Bahlool said,"Give back the amount (of reward) to those who have paid it to you (in taxes). I do not want any reward from you."Haroon Rashid asked him if he owed any debts to people, wishing to pay them off on behalf of Bahlool, but he replied, “O Ameer, debts do not settle debts (meaning the money in your possession is a trust of the Muslim Community and is, thus, a debt owing from you to them). First pay back what is due froih you to the people; pay off your own debt first, and then think of others’ debts"The Khalifah said,"Shall I settle upon you some endowment, to provide for your needs?"Bahlool said,"Both you and I are slaves of Allah; It would be strange if he provided for your needs, and not for mine". After this, Haroon Rashid dropped the curtain of his'Howdah and rode away (Raudh). It is common knowledge that 'Haroon Rashid wept profusely when an admonition was addressed to him. Once he was going on a journey for Hajj when he came across Sa'doon (the lunatic), who recited to him a few verses which meant:"Even though you are made the emperor of the world, you cannot escape death; leave the 1 world unto your enemies (Kaafire); for though it is smiling today in your face, tomorrow, surely, it will make you grieve."On hearing these verses, Haroon Rashid cried out in bitterness, swooned and remained unconscious for so long that he could not observe three Fardh (obligatory) Salaats on prescribed time. (Raudh). His signetrng bore the inscription:

‘Allah is the Lord of Mqjesty, Lord of Infinite power. Which shows that he always kept in view, Allah’s Mtyesty and His Infinite Power.

FIFTY SIX Sheikh Maalik bin Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi relates: I was once journeying through a forest near Basrah when I came across Sa'doon Rahmatullah alayhi, the ascetic (popularly known a Sa'doon the lunatic) and I asked him, “How are you?"He replied, “What do you think of a man who is prepared to undertake a journey, in the morning or in the evening, whose journey is long and who has no provisions for the journey, no baggage, nor any riding-beast: who has to appear before his Lord, Who is Just and Most Bounteous, and Who will judge between His men on that Day. Saying this, Sa'doon Rahmtullah alayhi began to weep bitterly. I asked him, “What makes you ciy?“ and he replied, ”I am not weeping because I shall have to leave this world, nor because I fear death; but I weep out of remorse for that day oi my life which I spent without performing any act of virtue By Allah! I weep because I have but little stock of virtues, my journey is long and full of hardships, with many a dark valley to explore. I have but little store of provisions and I do not know whether, after I have made the strenuous journey through life, I shall be sent to Jannah or hurled into Jahannam’. I said, “You talk so wisely and yet people call you Sa'doon the lunatic! How is that?"He replied,"Are you also deceived by what men of the world talk about me? I am not mad. Ah! It is my love for my Lord that has inspired my heart, has penetrated through my liver, my flesh and my bones and through my entire being. The love for Allah has estranged me from the world and I look distraught and bewildered (That is why those who are mad about worldy things call me mad).’ When I asked,"Do you shun the society of people? (live in solitude, in the forest),"he recited two couplets, meaning, ‘Shun the society of people, keep far away! And commune with your Lord at all times. For, try them as you may, you will find them to be like scorpions, ever ready to sting you and give you pain’ Raudh)

FIFTY SEVEN Sheikh Abdul Wahid Ibne Zaid Rahmatullah alayhi, who was a renowned Divine of the Chishtiyah order of Sheikhs, narrates: I spent three consecutive nights supplicating Allah Ta'ala to let me see the person destined to be my consort in Jannah. It was revealed to me, after three days, that she would be an Abyssinian, Maimunah Saudaa, so called for her excessively dark complexion. I implored to be told where I could find her and it was revealed to me that she lived with the people of such and such tribe of Kufah city. I went to Kufah and asked people about her, I was told that she lived in such and such forest, tending her goats. So, I went to the forest and saw her standing in Nafl Salaat, clad in a ragged patched cloth. Beside her, grazed her goats alongside the wolves! When I went near her, she shortened her Salaat, and after finishing her Salaat, said, addressing me by name,"Abdul Wahid, you had better go back now, for, Allah Ta'ala has promised to reunite us tomorrow (the' Day of Resurrection)". I asked,"May Allah bless you! How do you know that I am Abdul Wahid?"She replied,"Don’t you know that the spirits were gathered together as in hosts (at the Beginning of Creation), those who came to know each other at that time, will continue to be friendly (in this world)". (This is the purport of an oft-quoted Hadith). I asked her to give me some words of counsel and she said,"Strange! You give exhortations to others (you are a great preacher yourself) and yet you want me to give you counsel!"She then added,"I have heard elders saying that he who is granted worldly wealth and yet seeks to augment it (does not rest content), Allah Ta'ala deprives him of the love of communion with Himself and such a one, instead of being intimate and near to Allah, is punished with remoteness and estrangement from Him.” And, she recited four couplets, meaning:"O you who admonish others, mount the pulpit and give sermons, warning them against falling into sins; don’t you see that you yourself have a diseased mind, inclined towards sins. I wish you had reformed yourself and repented, before rising to speak from the pulpit; for, then, your sermpns might have sunk deep into the hearts. But when you advise them to abandon what you yourself indulge in, they heed you not."I said,"How is it that your sheep are at peace with the wolves?"She replied,"Do not bother about it; I have made peace with my Lord, so He has made peace between my sheep and the wolves."(Raudh). This humble author has seen an instance of this miraculous effect of piety in the house of my illustrious uncle, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Rahmatullah alayhi. 1 saw many wild cats and hens living together in hiB house. Neither the hens were scared of the cats, nor the cats did them any harm; both the hens and the wild cats were feeding upon the bread-crumbs and other left-over edibles.

FIFTY EIGHT Utbah Rahmatullah alayhi, a slave, relates: Once I was journeying through the forest of Basrah when I saw a few tents of the nomadic bedouins pitched in a tract of cultivated land. In one of these tents, there sat a girl who seemed to be mad. I greeted her by saying, Assalam-o-AlaJtum, but she did not return my greetings. (She might not have heard the Sheikh’s greetings, or he might not have heard her reply, or, again, she might have been in a state in which returning a greeting is not necessary. For, there are many such situations in which a person is disallowed to return a greeting). The girl recited a few couplets, which meant,Blessed are the devout and the ascetics who starve their bellies, seeking the pleasure of Allah! Who spend their nights in wakefulness, contemplating (the attributes of Allah and His creation). They look distraught and bewildered due to the love of their Lord; but the foolish worldlings call them ‘mad; though they be the wisest of men of all times, made restless by their separation from their Lord."I went across to her and asked her,"Who owns this crop?" She replied,"If it remains as it is to the last, it will be oure”. I then roamed about the other tents, when there came a violent storm and the rain poured down from the skies in heavy torrents. I thought that I should go to the tent of the girl and see how she reacted to the raging storm, which had ruined the harvest 1 saw that her crops had been drowned in water, while she stood there, holding converse with Her Lord,"By Allah, Who has inspired my heart with a spark of His purest love, I am steadfast in my acquiescence in His Supreme Will. She then looked at me and said, 'Just see! It is He Who caused this crop to grow, and straightened it on its stalks, grew ears on the stalks, filled the ears with grains, nourished it with rains, protected it from going waste, but when it was ripe and ready for harvesting, He destroyed it completely and washed it away.” After this, she said, looking up to the heavens and addressing Allah Ta'ala,"The men are all Thy creatures, Thy bondsmen and Thy slaves, and their sustenance is Thy sole responsibility. Thou doest as Thou wiliest and Thou art the Lord of Absolute Power”. I asked, ”1 see that your harvest has been destroyed and yet you are patient and you retain your calmness of mind. How did you attain that excellence?" She replied, ’Say no more; for my Lord and Sustainer is Absolute, Lord of Infinite Praise, and He has ever been granting me my sustenance, in newer and unique ways. All praise be to Him Whose Bounties to me have always been far more than my expectations!"Whenever I (Utbah) remember that bedouin girl, I am moved to tears and cannot contain myself. (Raudh).

FIFTY NINE Sheikh Abu-ar-Rabie Rahmatullah alayhi relates: I had often heard of a very pious lady, Fiddhah by name, who lived in a village. I do not ordinarily visit the ladies but, when I heard many miraculous stories about her, I felt inclined to see her and went to her village. People told me that she had a she-goat that yielded both milk and honey. I was amazed to hear this and 1 bought a new bowl and went to her house. I said to this pious lady, 'I have heard about your shegoat that it gives both milk and honey and I want to have a share of its benedictions." She gave the she-goat over to me and I milked it. 1 saw milk and honey coming out of its teats. We drank its milk and ate the honey. When I asked her how she had come to possess that she-goat, she narrated an amazing story: There was a time when we were very poor and we possessed nothing except a she-goat, whose milk was our only source of subsistence. When Eid-ul-Adhhaa came round, my husband said to me, We own nothing except this shegoat; let us sacrifice it in the name of Allah." I said,"We have nothing but its milk to live on. Allah Ta'aln has not made it incumbent (Watyib) upon us to sacrifice an animal in such circumstances." Must we sacrifice it, even then?" My husband acceded to my desire and we deferred our sacrifice till the next Eid-ul-Adhhaa. As chance would have it, we had a guest on that very day and I said to my husband,"We have been commanded to entertain our guests and we have nothing but this she-goat; let us slaughter it and cook its meat for our guest. When my husband prepared to slaughter it, I said to him, ’Better slaughter it outside the house, behind the wall, lest our children should cry on seeing it slaughtered.’ He went outside with the goat and as soon as he was gone, I saw this she-goat standing on the wall. As it bore a striking resemblance with our she-goat, I thought it was the same goat which had broken loose from my husband’s grip. When I went outside, I saw to my great astonishment that he had already slaughtered our goat and was skinning it. I said to him, ’How strange! Another she-goat, resembling our own, has come into our house!' When 1 told him the whole story, he said, It is just possible that Allah Ta'ala has granted us a good recompense for sacrificing our she-goat for the sake of our guest."So, this is the she-goat that gives both milk and honey; and it is all due to our entertaining our guest The lady then said to her children, My children, this goat feeds (on what grows) in the hearts. So long as your hearts continue to be noble and un-tarnished by evil, its milk will be good but as soon as your hearts become false, its milk will also turn bad. Guard your hearts against evils; everything will be of benefit to you."

SIXTY Bahlool Rahmaiullah alayhi says: 1 was, once, walking along a road in Basrah when I came upon some boys playing with almonds and walnuts, while one of them stood beside them, weeping and crying. I thought that the boy was crying because he had not got any almonds or walnuts to play with, so I said to him,"Sonny, cry no more; I shall buy you some almonds and walnuts to play with". The boy looked at me and said,"You fool, do you think we have been p rested for playing?"I asked,"What else have we been created for"? He replied,"For gaining knowledge and for worshipping Allah Ta'ala’. When I said,"May Allah bless your life! How did you come to know of this."He replied,"Allah Ta'ala says: j Deemed you then that we had created you for naught, and that you would not be returned unto Us? I said,"My dear boy, you talk very wisely; give me a few words of counsel;"whereupon he recited four couplets, which meant: I see men coming to this world and going away; The world and its riches are always on the move, with the wings poised for flying away. The world does not remain with any living man, nor any man lives forever to eijoy its pleasures; death and its affliction are like two horses always running fast towards men, to trample them and to devour them. 0 fool, beguiled by the charms of the world!. Just think and take something (virtues) from this world to serve you in the Akhirah. After this, he looked up towards the heavens, raised his hands in supplication to Allah, and chanted the following two couplets, with tears trickling down his cheeks:

O Thou, unto Whom all men cry in humility, O Thou, in Whom everybody puts his trust, O Thou, Who fulfillest the hopes of everyone who entertains good expectations of Thee, and grantest all his desires. After reciting these verses, he fainted and fell on the ground. I laid his head in my lap and wiped the dust from his face, with my sleeve. When he came to his senses, I stud to him, “Son, why do you (eel so afraid? You are but a child and no, evil deed has yet been recorded against you in your book of deeds." He said,"So, you say; but I always see my mother making afire and she always puts small splinters into the hearth first and puts big logs afterwards. I fear lest, when the Fire of Jahannam is kindled, I should be hurled into it, even before the grown-up people!"I said,"My dear boy, you seem to be very wise, give me a few more words of counsel’ At this, he recited fourteen couplets, which meant: I am lost in heedlessness, and death is being driven towards me, ever drawing closer. If I do not die today, I must pass away tomorrow. I pampered my body with soft, sumptuous clothes, little thinking that it must rot (in the grave) and decay. Methinks I see my body crumbling into dust, in the pit of the grave, under mounds of earth. My beauty will soon fade away, my body reduced to a skeleton, denuded of skin and flesh. I see the hours of my life slipping away, and yet my desires are all unfulfilled. A long journey lies before me, and I have no provisions for the way. Ah! I defied my Lord, openly transgressing His commands, while He watched over me all the time. Alas! I indulged in shameful deeds! Ah! Whatever is done cannot be undone, and time once passed cannot be recalled. Ah! I sinned in secret, never let people know of my heinous sins. But, tomorrow, my secret sins will be revealed, and presented to my Lord, Ah! I sinned against Him, though fearing inwardly. Trusting His Infinite Clemency, I sinned most shamelessly, most audaciously, depending upon His Infinite Forgiveness. Who else, but He will forgive my sins. Truly, He is worthy of all Praise! Had there been no punishment after death, No Promise of Jannah, no threat of Jahannam, In death and decay, there is sufficient admonition, To keep us away from idle pursuits. But our reason being confounded, We do not take warning from anything; And now there is no hope for us, except that The All-Forgiving should forgive our sins. For, when a slave does anything wrong, It is his Master, none else, Who forgives him. No doubt I am the worst of all His men, I, who betrayed my covenant with my Lord, made in Eternity, And, it is the incapable slave whose promises carry no weight. My Lord, what shall be my fate, when the Fire burns my body? The Fire that melts the hardest rocks! Ah! I shall be alone when I pass into the grave, Lonely and forsaken at the time of death; I shall be alone when I rise from the grave; (With none to assist me on that Day). O Thou, Who Art Unique, with no partners to Thy Majesty, Have mercy on my loneliness, on my being forsaken by all.' Deeply moved by the couplets, I swooned anclon recovering after a while, found that the boy had gone. I asked the other boys about him and they said,"Don’t you know him? He is a descendant of Imaam Husain Radhiyallahu anhu'. I said,"I too wondered and I believed he was descended from a noble family. It is no wonder that a descendant of such illustrious ancestors should talk so wisely."May Allah benefit us from the benedictions of this family! 'Aamin!'"(Raudh)

SIXTY ONE Sheikh Shibli Rahmalullah alayhi says: Once, a voice whispered in my heart, 'Shibli, you are a miser.’My proud self said,"I am not a miser."But the voice insisted,"No, you are a miser."I decided to make a trial of myself and said, addressing my own self,"In order to prove that I am not a miser, I shall give away any amount that I happen to receive, however large, to the first poor man that I come across after receiving the money."As soon as I had made up my mind, a man came and gave me a gift of fity Dinaars, which I took and went out looking for some poor, needy person, as I had promised myself. I soon came upon a blind ragged man getting a hair-cut at a barber’s shop. I put the Dinaars into the blind man’s lap, who said,"Give the money to the barber as his wages for cutting my hair". 1 said,"These are fifty Dinaars."‘(Too large an amount to be given as wages for a hair-cut). At this, the blind man turned towards me and said, “Didn't we say, 'You are a miser?"I hurriedly handed the money to the hair dresser, who declined to accept it, saying,"Excuse me; when this man came to me, I decided not to take anything from him as wages, out of regard for his poverty."1 felt so ashamed that I threw the bag of money into the river, saying,"Curse you, you filthy wealth! Allah Ta'ala humiliates him who has any regard for you, just as He has humiliated me"(Raudk). There is nothing extraordinaiy about the Sheikh’s throwing the Dinaars into the river, because his sense of honour was wounded. Many similar instances can be recounted.

(i) Once Sulaiman Alaihissalam was busy inspecting his horses and he forgot to make remembrance (Zikr) of Allah before sunset; when he was reminded of it, He began to slash (with the sword) their legs and necks (slaughter the horses) -(Surah Saad: 33)

(ii) Syedah Aishah Radhiyallahu anha threw away and broke the bowl of food sent to her house by one of her co-wives, in the very presence of Rasulullah ﷺ.

(iii) Abdullah bin Amar bin ‘Aas Radhiyallahu anhu burnt away a garment dyed with’ ‘Usfur’ (a reddish yellow dye) because Rasulullah ﷺ, on seeing him wearig it, had said,"What is this?; indicating his dislike of the dye.

(iv) A man from the Ansaar demolished his domed building on seeing Rasulullah ﷺ turning away from him, displeased with his fondness for brick-buildings. Thus Sheikh Shibili's throwing Dinaars into the river is an episode which is very mucbin line with all these incidents.

SIXTY TWO Sheikh Zun-uoon MJari Rahmatullah alayhi, who is one of the prominent Divines, has related the following story: I was once walking through a jungle when 1 saw a youth whose beard was just beginning to grow. 'On seeing me, a tremor ran through his body, his face turned pale and he was about to run away when 1 said,"I am just a man like you. (I am not a jinn, nor any other supernatural being). Then why are you scared of me?"He replied, 'It is human beings that I fear most,” so I followed him and asked him, in the name of Allah, to stop a while. He stopped and 1 asked him,"Do you live in this lonely forest, all alone with no one for company or comfort? Don’t you feel afraid of living in this desolate place?"He replied,"My Comforter remains with me all the time, to soothe my heart."(1 thought that he was talking of a friend who might have gone away). 1 asked,"Where is he?' and he replied,"He is with me all the time; infact, He is present everywhere, on my right and on my left, behind me and in front of me."I asked,"Is there anything with you to serve you for sustenance?"He replied,"My provisions are also with me.' I asked, 'Where are they?"and he said,"He Who provided for my sustenance when I was in my mother’s womb has undertaken to provide for me in my youth"I said, 'One must have something to eat, after all, in order to gain strength for standing in Tahajjud Salaat, for fasting by day and for being able to worship one's Lord with alacrity of mind and body. When 1 talked in detail about the necessity of eating and drinking, he went away, after recitinga few couplets which meant: ’The friend of Allah (Wali) needs no house to live in; nor does he like to possess an estate; When he moves from a forest to live on a hill, the forest weeps over its separation from him; he perseveres in Tahajjud Salaat at night, and in observing fasts by day. You will find him exhorting himself, by saying, 'The more diligent you are in devotion to your compassionate Lord, the more honoured you will be in the estimation of Allah and less ashamed to offer Him your services; When he holds converse with his Lord, in solitude, tears well forth from his eyes and he says, invoking Allah, 'Methinks my heart will beak with yearning for Thee, I want to have neither a palace made of rubies (in Jannah) and inhabited by houris, nor the Garden of Eden, replete with bounteous fruit; my sole desire is having a Vision of Thee; Grant me to look at Thy Countenance, my only coveted boon.” (Raudh) Cll VIE ANECDOTES OE ASCETICS

SIXTY THREE Sheikh Ibrahim Khawas Rahmatullah alayhi says: 1 was once travelling through a forest when I came upon a Chirstian monk, who had tied a sacred string (Zunnar) round his waist (as an emblem of being a monk). He expressed the desire to accompany me, and I accepted him as my companion. (There are many instances, in history, of non-Muslim monks living in company with Muslim Sufi Sheikhs). After journeying for seven days, without food or drink, the monk said to me, '‘O, follower of Muhammad, let me see some signs of your intimacy with your Lord; (for I cannot go without food any more)". I supplicated Allah, saying in secret,"O Allah, do hot shame me before this Kaafir". At once I saw a dish on which were placed some loaves of bread, roasted meat, some fresh dates and a jug of water. We ate and drank and went on our journey. After seven days’ journey, I hastily said to the Chirstian, before he could put me to trial again,"O monk, it is your turn to do something.'' At this, he stood up, leaning on his staff, and started making a supplication. Immediately, two dishes appeared, with twice as much food on them as bad appeared at my supplication. I felt ashamed, my face turned pale and I was so bewildered and grieved that I refused to take the food. The Christian insisted that I must eat, but I requested to be excused. He then said,"Take the food; I have to give you two good tidings: The first is that I have accepted your faith, I declare that there is none worthy to be worshipped but Allah, and I declare that Muhammad is His Rasul. Saying this, he broke the string round his waist and threw it away. The second is that I supplicated Allah to grant us food saying,"O Allah, if this follower of Muhammad enjoys some position in Thy estimation, grant us food. So, it was owing to you that w" were granted this food, and I embraced Islam."After this, we ate and drank and went on journey. We reached Makkah Mukarramah and performed Hajj. My newly converted brother Muslim stayed in Makkah and lived there till his death. May Allah grant him forgiveness!"(Raudh) There are many such incidents about the non-Muslims’ conversion to Islam, in the annals of history. The incident also testifies to the tact that, sometimes, Allah Ta'ala grants sustenance to some people by virtue of others’ piety, but they foolishly think it to be their own achievement and a consequence of their efforts. There are and provision by virtue of the presence of the weak ones among you. It also becomes clear from this incident that, sometimes, the nonbelievers are granted special favours that appear to be a succour granted to them by Allah, but, in reality, they have been granted to them owing to the benedictions of the believing Muslims.

SIXTY FOUR A Sufi Sheikh relates: Once 1 bought a slave and brought him home. When I asked him his name, he replied,"O master, you can call me by any name you like.” I asked,"What work would you like to do?"He replied,"Whatever my master commands me to do."I asked,"What food do you prefer for youself?"He replied,"Whatever my master gives me to eat". I said,"After all, you must be desiring something to eat,"He replied,"A slave’s desire is of no account, when compared with his master’s wishes; a slave’s desire is what his master desires for him". On hearing this, I was moved to tears and I 'said to myself,"You too are a slave of Allah; Who is your Lord; you should also behave towards Your Lord in the same manner". 1 said to him,"You have taught me how to behave towards Allah, when I am alone with Him."Whereupon the slave-boy recited two couplets, meaning: What can be more blessed for me than to serve one of your men, in a way pleasing to Him. Forgive me, my Lord, in Your Infinite Mercy, my negligence and my lapses from good behaviour, by virtue of my belief in You as the Greatest Benefactor and the Most Compassionate One. (Raudh).

SIXTY FIVE Sheikh Maalik Bin Dinar Rahmatullah alayhi was one of the renowned Divines of his times. We have already narrated some anecdotes from his life in this book. It is said that, in his early life, he was not a pious man and when someone asked him how he came to repent of his sins and abandon his evil ways, he related the following story about himself:I was a policeman, in my youth, and was fond of wine and would drink like a fish.I drank day and night and led a carefree life. I bought a beautiful slave-girl whom 1 loved most dearly. I had a daughter from her a lovely child, and I was very fond of her and she was also very fond of me. When this baby daughter began to walk and talk, I loved her all the more and she remained with me all the time. The inno-cmt child had a strange habit When she saw a glass of wine in my hinds, she would snatch it away and spill it on my clothes. Being.ond of her, 1 did not scold her. As fate would have it, my innocent child died when she was two years old and I was stunned with shock and heart-sore with bitter grief. One night, the fifteenth of Sha'ban, 1 was dead drunk and went to sleep without performing my Isha Salaat I had a most horrible dream, in which I saw that it was the Day of Resurrection, with men coming out of graves, and I was one of those who were being driven to the Place of Assembly (Maidaan-e-Hashr). I heard the noise of something following me and, looking back, I saw a huge snake chasing me, close behind. Ah! it was a most horrible aight;the snake had blue catlike eyes, its mouth was wide open and it was rushing towards me, most furiously! I ran faster in terror, desperate for my life, the horrible snake still running after me and drawing closer. 1 saw an old man, dressed in elegant clothes, with rich perfumes wafting all around his person, 1 greeted him saying, ‘Assallam-o- Alaikum’ and he returned my greetings. I said, 'For the sake of Allah, help me in my misery.' He said, ‘I am too weak to help you against such a mighty foe; it is beyond my powers. But you must go on running; perhaps you may find some help to save you from if. Running wildly I saw a cliff in front of me and climbed it, but on reaching its top, I saw, beyond it, the raging Fire of Jahannam, with its most horrifying spectacles. I was so terrified by the snake, that 1 ran on, till, I was afraid I would fall into Jahannam. Meanwhile, I heard a voice calling aloud,"Get back, for, you are not one of them (Jahannamis) I came away and began to run in the opposite direction. The snake also turned around and came after me. I saw, again, the white-robed old man and said to him, 'Old man, can’t you save me from this python; I asked you before, but you did not help me. The man began to cry and said, ‘I am too weak to help you against such a mighty snake, but I can tell you that there is a hill nearby where they keep the ‘sacred trusts’ of the Muslims. If you go up that hill, you might find something of yours, kept intrust, which might save you from the snake.’ I rushed towards the hill, which was round in shape, with a large number of open curtained casements. The casements had golden shutters studded with rich rubies, and most precious jewels; on each shutter hung a curtain made of the rarest silk. When I was going to climb the hill, the angels called aloud,"Open the windows and raise the curtains and come out of your closets! Here is an unfortunate man in misery; may be you have with you some ‘trust’ of his, that might help him in his distress."The windows opened at once, the curtains went up, and there issued forth from the casements a host of innocent children, with faces bright as the full moon. By this time I was utterly despondent, for, the snake had drawn very close to me. Now the children called their friends,"Come out quickly all of you, for the snake has come very close to him". Hearing this, more children came out of the windows, in large crowds, and among them I saw my own dear daughter who had died some time ago. She also espied me and began to weep, exclaiming, 'By Allah! he is my own dear father'. She jumped on a swinging cradle, which seemed to be made from heavenly light (Noor) and darted across to me. Next moment, she was standing by my side and I took her to my bosom; she lifted her left hand towards me and with her right hand motioned the snake away. The snake went away immediately. Then she gave me a seat and sat in my lap and began to stroke my beard with her right hand saying,"My dear father.

Has not the time come for the Believers (who indulge in sins) that their hearts should submit in all humility to the remembrance of Allah and to the truth which is revealed"(al-Hadeed: 16) I was moved to tears and asked her,"My daughter, do all of you know the meanings of the Qur'an?,"‘She replied,"We understand the Holy Qur'an even better than you."‘I asked her,"My dear child, what was this snake?" ‘She said, It was your own evil deeds which had maHp it so strong that it was about to push you into Jahannam.' I asked,"And who was that white-robed old man?"She replied,"That were your good deeds and you had made them so weak with your scanty good deeds that he could not help you against the snake (though he suggested to you a means of escape)’ 1 asked,"What are all of you doing on this hill?"She replied,"We are the children of Muslims, who died in infancy. We shall live here till the Day of Resurrection, waiting to be reunited with you when you come to us at last and we shall intercede for yon with our Lord." And then I awoke from the dream, with the fright (of the snake) still heavy on my heart. I turned to Allah in repentance, as soon as I arose, and abodoned my evil ways. (Raudh)

EPIDOCUE: I am afraid this book has far exceeded its initial plan, which was to write a small book, but as I proceeded, it grew in volume and went beyond my original design. And now it has become so voluminous that few people are likely to read it thoroughly. For, nowadays, we can afford to spare little time for the study of religious books. I have, therefore, been obliged to conclude it at this point, somewhat abruptly, May Allah, in His Infinite Mercy, help the author who considers himself to be the most insignificant of His men and who remains ever engrossed in worldly pursuits, ever engaged in sins and acts of disobedience! to turn to Him in repentance! May Allah grant the author a dislike for this despicable world. 1 began to write this book in Shawwal, 1366 A.H. But then I was prevented by circumstances to continue and had to delay its completion. I had a mind to add several other points, but have been obliged to conclude it on this day, the 22nd of Safar (Thursday night) in the year 1368 A.H. for fear of making it too large in size.

We conclude with the invocation: 'Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds! And may Allah’s choicest blessings and peace be upon the most virtuous of all Rasuls and upon his family, and his Companions, and on all his followers! And for this we invoke your Mercy, 0 You, the Most Merciful of those who are merciful!'

MUHAMMAD ZAKARIYYA KANDHALV,, (May Allah grant him Forgiveness) Madrasah Mazahir Uloom

SAHARANPUR