"O my soul, it is only a few days, bear them patiently.A lifetime seems long but a flitting reverie"

~Imam Shafi~
" “The heart will rest and feel relief if it is settled with Allah and it will worry and be anxious if it is settled with people.” – Ibn al-Qayyim"....Say : "This is my way; I invite unto Allah with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me with sure knowledge" (Qur'an - 12:108) "Say: we believe in God and in what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma'il: Isaac, Jacob and The Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus and the Prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another, among them, and to God do we bow our will (in Islam)." (Qur'an, Al-Imran 3:84) . "And if he (Muhammad SAW) had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allah),We would have seized him by the right hand;And then certainly should have cut off his life artery (Aorta),And none of you could withhold Us from (punishing) him" (Qur'an,Al-Haqqah 69:44-47) "Do they not ponder the Quran! If it were revealed from a source other than Allah,certainly they would have found,many contradictions."[Holy Quran 4:82] " O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, and you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did)" [Holy Qur'an, 84:6] Say, "Is it other than Allah I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." ~Holy Quran 6:164 Imam Malik (rh): “Do not look to the sins of people as if you are Lords, but look to your own sins as if you are slaves. Have mercy on the people of affliction and praise Allah for your well-being, and never say, ‘This person is from the people of Hellfire, and this person is from the people of Paradise.’ Do not be arrogant over the sinners, but rather ask Allah to grant them hidayah and rashad (i.e. guidance).” Ibn Kathir (Ra) narrated: كان نقش خاتم عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه : كفى بالموت واعظاً ياعمر “The engraving on ‘Umar ibn al Khataab’s(Ra) ring was: “Sufficient is death as an admonisher O Umar”. ["Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaaya]. "When you fear the creation, you run away from it, but when you fear the Creator, you feel close to Him,& run towards Him.".Ibn Qayyim . "Allahumma la‘aisha illa‘aish-al-Aakhirah": 'There is no life but the life of the next world' "And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty (i.e. death)". (Quran 15:99) “And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways.And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.” [Quran: 29:69] "... And my success is not but through Allah . Upon him I have relied, and to Him I return." ~ Al Quran 11:88
"Nothing in this world is really useful to you unless it has some utility and value for the next world"-Imam Ali(R)

Monday, January 1, 2018

Truthfulness of a boy changes the robbers



Abdul Qadir Jilani was an eminent Islamic scholar born in 11th Century CE, Persia.
Early stories of Abdul Qadir Jilani describe him as a youth with a strong inclination for learning with a pious mother who encouraged her son to acquire knowledge. The following incident is narrated in a number of biographies of Abdul Qadir Jilani.
At the age of eighteen he asked permission from his mother to travel to Baghdad to pursue his education. Baghdad then was the hub of political, commercial and cultural activity, and the center of world learning.
On hearing this his mother was more than happy to send her son off to follow the path of higher scholarship. It was for such a purpose she had saved forty gold coins for Abdul Qadir. As she prepared supplies for his journey she sewed the coins into the lining of his coat for safekeeping.
Before Abdul Qadir joined the caravan to travel to Baghdad, her parting advice to her son was, “Whenever you speak, speak the truth. Remember that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, ‘Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise…’ and the Quran tells us “O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to God, and be with the truthful.” (Quran 9:119)
In route to Baghdad the caravan was assaulted by a band of robbers. As the thugs began to extract all the valuables from the travelers, one of the robbers started to search Abdul Qadir’s belongings.
While searching, the robber asked Abdul Qadir, “Do you have anything valuable?’
Abdul Qadir calmly replied, “Yes.”
On hearing this the robber franticly searched further but could not find anything.
The robber took Abdul Qadir to his leader and said, “This boy says he has valuables but I cannot find anything on him.”
The leader of the robbers asked Abdul Qadir, “Are you hiding any valuables?”
Again Abdul Qadir answered, “Yes.”
The robber asked, “What are you hiding?”
Abdul Qadir replied, “Forty Gold Coins.”
Upon further searching the robber discovered the coins hidden in the lining of Abdul Qadir’s coat.
Among all the chaos and panic stricken travelers Abdul Qadir’s unfrazzled demeanor and admitting the valuables he was hiding was perplexing to the robber.
The robber was now curious to know more about this boy who was not afraid and insisted on speaking the truth.
The robber asked, “What is your name and where do you come from?”
He got a reply, “My name is Abdul Qadir and I come from the province of Jilan in Persia.”
“Where are you going?”
“I am going to Baghdad.”
“What do you plan to do in Baghdad?”
“I want to study with the greatest scholars to gain knowledge.”
“Why didn’t you hide the truth and keep your gold coins safe from us?”
Abdul Qadir related the advice his mother gave him and the directive of the Prophet and the Quran to always speak the truth.
On hearing this the robber was overcome with remorse and exclaimed to his companions, “This young boy is fearless and has an unshakable faith in God. He has the courage to stand up against people like us. Indeed his mother has taught him wisely and he is a true example of being a Muslim.”
Holding his head in shame, tears started to roll down his face. He embraced Abdul Qadir and asked for his forgiveness.
Abdul Qadir responded, “You only need to pray to God and ask for forgiveness and guidance. God willing you will amend your ways.”
On hearing this the leader of the robbers told his henchmen to return everything that was taken from the travelers. Then he cried out, “O God this young boy has shown us the straight path. Please forgive us and guide us to the right way.”
This is how a simple moral value of truthfulness thought by a mother to a young boy affected a band of robbers to change their lives.
Abdul Qadir Jilani went on to become a great scholar and teacher of Islamic jurisprudence.
All religions place a high value on truthfulness. It is the foundation for a fair and just society. Truthfulness and trustworthiness exemplify spiritual qualities without which individual or social progress is not possible.


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