Mathnavi of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (133 pages, 13/18)
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mutual friendship and compatibility.
The friends were quite surprised at this knowledge. They then tried to find out what was the common attribute between Jalinoos and the mad man. When the friends went close to the mad one, they were astonished to note that he too walked with a limp, like Jalinoos.
In other words, this was the common attribute which caused the compatibility between them. LESSON:
If a person meets a bad person and gets pleased or, a bad person who has no intention of giving up his evil habits, meets him and becomes pleased, then know that some evil in both is the common factor, that has created this pleasure.
Experience has shown that if a person is considered to be pious because of his outward appearance however his association and company and friendship is all the time with the evil doers and materially inclined, then in reality he too is a worldly one and materially inclined, although his outward appearance is that of piety. If he is meeting the evil doers in order that he may invite them towards righteousness then that is an exception.
This is also supported by the Hadith "Every person is on the Deen (way of Life) of his close friend". So if you wish to know about any person's character, then see who his very close friends are. It is also proven that a person greedy for wealth but unable to acquire it, listens greedily to stories of the rich and their wealth. On the other hand a person desirous of the deeds that gain one eternal happiness, but unable to achieve them due to weakness, still listens greedily to stories of people who achieved spiritual perfection and proximity to Allah Taala and Rasululah.
THE STORY OF RASULULLAH'S VISIT TO THE SICK
A companion of the Holy Prophet fell ill and became very weak. Rasulullah went to visit him. He was so ill that he appeared to have reached the last stages of his life. When Rasulullah saw the condition, he expressed great sympathy and feeling.
When the sick Sahabi saw Rasulullah, he was overjoyed. It appeared as if he was endowed with new life. It was as if a dead person sprung back to life. He said:
"This sickness has made me a very fortunate person
That it became the cause of the King of believers coming to visit me"
He also said:
"O my sickness, my fever, my sorrow, my pain and sleeplessness by night. Blessed be you all. You are the cause of Rasulullah coming to visit me today". Rasulullah asked the sick man upon completion of the visit:
"Do you remember any special duah you made during the time of your good health?"
He replied: "Ya Rasulullah, I cannot remember what duah I made".
Then after a short while through the blessings of Rasulullah , he remembered and said: "Ya Rasulullah I now remember the duah. It was this:
"I prayed 0 Allah in view of my shortcomings In my deeds and in view of my faults:
I beseech Thee, grant me the punishment
In this world, which You would give in the Hereafter.
So that I may be exempted from punishment in the Hereafter. This duah I kept making up till this day.
Until the time came that a heavy sickness covered me And I found myself in distress because of the illness.
Due to this sickness, I am unable to perform my Zikr and Wazifas As I did in my healthy days.
And now I am unaware of my relatives and good or evil ones".
Hearing this duah, Rasulullah showed some displeasure and prohibited him from making such a duah: "In future do not make such a duah". Rasulullah declared such a duah does not befit a servant of Allah. He declared it to be against serfdom to Allah. To beg of Allah to send down punishment is tantamount to making the claim that you have the power to withstand Allah's punishment.
Therefore Rasulullah advised him:
"O You, what strength do you possess that on a sick ant like yourself Allah should place a big mountain of calamity?
But pray: O Allah, ease for me my difficulty
So' that He may change the thorns of your distress to a garden of comfort. Grant to us the good of this worldly life,
And grant to us the good of the life of the Hereafter". LESSON:
This story teaches us never to pray to Allah for calamities. We should at all times pray for our welfare in both the worlds, while admitting before Him our weakness and our inability. For example, if a person has the illness of looking at evil, he should pray for his rectification and should endeavour to treat the malady through consultation with the saintly ones and ask them to pray for him. He should never become distressed and say: "0 Allah, this malady of mine is not good. It would be better if you make me completely blind, so that I am not plagued by the sins of my eyes".
Such a duah will be foolishness. As far as possible, one should pray for health, safety, protection from calamities and welfare. I heard my Sheikh Hazrat Phulpoori (R.A.) say that Hazrat Mansoor (RA.) used to perform Nafal Salaah in the sun while there was a place to do so in the shade. A saintly elder endowed with 'nisbat' said: "This man will become involved in a great calamity". This means that when there is ease in front of you, then do not prefer difficulty. When you have to choose between calamity on the one side and calamity on the other side, then choose the tighter of the two as is mentioned in the Hadith.
THE STORY OF THE ROYAL FALCON
Once a King's falcon flew away from his palace and landed in the house of an old woman of the neighbourhood. The old woman saw the falcon's long nails and its big wings and cut them short, saying: "With which unworthy person have you lived all this time who kept you like an orphan".
Moulana Rumi (RA.) says: "So is the love of an ignorant person. For a falcon, long nails and huge wings are necessary items, which are considered as its virtues and required in its hunting pursuits. These signs of perfection in the falcon were looked upon as faults by the old woman, due to her ignorance of what constitutes perfection for a falcon. By cutting the nails and wings, she made the falcon useless.
The King, in the meantime, searched for the falcon. One day while searching, he came to the house of the old woman. Seeing the falcon in this state, he began weeping. The falcon saw him and said:
"0 King, I am very much ashamed of myself
I repent and now make a new promise and commitment to you".
Moulana Rumi (RA.) now says:
"The world is like that old woman
That whoever inclines to it is just as disgraced and foolish. He who befriends an ignorant one, will meet the same fate
As the falcon had met at the hands of the ignorant old woman".
Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwy (R.A.) said: "In similar manner some ignorant ones become claimants to being servants of Islam. Then in their ignorance, make Islam subject to their stupid opinions and thereby destort the true teachings of Islam. This is generally true of those people who through their own study later become authors of books and articles on Islam, without having studied deen at the feet of a scholarly teacher. When looking at the writings of these authors, great precaution is required. There is a Hadith in Sahi Tirmidhi that Rasulullah said:
"See from whom you take your deen and the correct transmission chain is part of the deen".
In, other words, as regards him from whom you learn your deen first enquire from well known scholars about his credibility. The jug from which you drink water should first be inspected to see that the water inside it is clean and not contaminated.
THE STORY OF THE FALCON AND THE OWLS
Once a King's falcon flew away from his palace and landed in some ruins, where many owls were staying. As soon as they saw him arriving in their midst, the owls raised a loud voice of protest and objections against his arrival, saying: "This falcon wants to take over our ruins for himself".
The falcon hearing this accusation was bewildered and perplexed and said to them: "I shall not tarry here among you
But shall return to the King.
You may keep your ruins to yourself
My place is with the King and near the crown". The owls replied:
"This falcon is busy with a deceitful plan. He wants to oust us from these ruins and claim it for himself. And he wants to take possession of our homes
And with his flattering and clever plans, intends to destroy our nests".
The falcon got the impression that the owls were going to attack him and thus warned them: "If through your mischief one of my wings should break
That King to whom I am a cherished one, will attack and destroy Your whole neighbourhood. .
That King's bounty and kindness protects me
And wherever I go, his protective glance is over me. I am in the thoughts of the King at all times,
And without me in his thoughts, his heart becomes ill. I am a Royal falcon and for that all envy me.
How can stupid owls understand my position?" LESSON:
There are times when the Awliyaa- the saints of Allah who
are like the royal falcons and the beloved of Allah, are looked at by the stupid, worldly ones, in the same manner as the owls looked at the falcon, through wrong reasoning and analogy. Similarly, we find those who trouble them as a result of their wrong reasoning and conceptions. Allah however protects them. They are never for one moment out of the sight of the Master, no matter where they go.
As Allah says to the Rasool:
"For verily you are within our sight".
In other words: "O Muhammad, these non-believers cannot
destroy you for you are at all times in our sight and under our protection". THE STORY OF TAU-OOS AND THE HAKEEM
Once a peacock was busy pulling out its beautiful feathers and throwing them away. A Hakeem happened to pass that way. He saw this and asked: "0 Peacock, why are you pulling out such beautiful feathers? What ingratitude is this?"
The peacock replied:
"Don't you see that numerous calamities come to me From all sides, due to these wings and feathers.
Unjust hunters place traps in all places
Just in order to get hold of these feathers and wings. When by day I am unable to keep myself
Safe and protected against those calamities and trials, It is better that I remove those feathers from me
And make my appearance unsightly
So as to make myself without worries in the mountains and meadows.
It is my opinion that it is more important for me to save my life than my outer form
For if the life is safe, what harm is there if the form is unseemly?" LESSON:
This is the reason why the saintly ones keep themselves away from fame and pomp as Moulana explains in another couplet:
"Keep yourself unknown and without name or fame and be like an indigent one So that this condition should keep you far removed from fame
For fame takes away all bounds of comfort and brings many calamities in its wake".'
However, when Allah himself makes a saintly one famous, then His protection is like a shade over him. The bad form of fame is that form, where a person himself works for it and tries purposely to acquire it.
Haji Imdadullah (R.A.) used to say:
"I am sitting here without name and without any sign. Who is it that has spread my fame about?"
In annihilating oneself and leading simple lives, our elders found peace and comfort.
I have heard of a story from my Sheikh Hazrat Phulpoori (RA.), that Moulana Qasim Nanotwi (RA.), the founder of Darul Uloom, Deoband was going somewhere dressed in a lungi and a very simple 'kurta' (shirt). A man who saw him dressed so simply considered him a yam spinner. He asked him: "What is. the price of cotton- thread in the market today?" Moulana replied: "I did not go to the market today". He did not say: "Do you consider me a yarn spinner?" because that would have seemed as if there is some insulting reference to the spinners. After all, with Allah the criterion for honour and respect lies only in the "taqwa" that a person has.
THE STORY OF HAZRAT ANAS BIN MAALIK
Once some guests came to visit Hazrat Anas Bin Maalik. He entertained them with a meal. The tablecloth became dirty and discoloured, due to some curry having fallen upon it. Hazrat Anas instructed the maid servant to cast it into the burning furnace. The servant did as she was commanded.
The guests were astonished at this command. When the tablecloth was thrown into the burning furnace, they awaited the appearance of smoke to indicate that the tablecloth was burning. But instead when the tablecloth was removed from the fire, it was still intact and had become clean.
They asked him:
"O Companion of Rasool, why did this tablecloth not burn in the fire? And instead of burning, had become perfectly clean'
Hazrat Anas replied: "The reason for the tablecloth not burning is this that on various occasions Rasulullah cleansed his hands and lips with the cloth".
Now Moulana Rumi (RA.) says:
"O You, who have become frightened of the fire and punishment of Jahannam
It is most advisable that you draw near to such blessed hands and lips, by following the Sunnat. When something material has been granted such honour by the lips of Rasulullah
You can imagine what honour he must have granted to his true Lovers" LESSON:
When a tablecloth was granted this honour by the wiping of his blessed hands one can just imagine what honour and nearness to Allah will be granted in both the worlds to those who follow the Sunnat diligently, which is a way of obtaining Divine proximity. May Allah grant us all the ability to follow the Sunnat and make us anxious to attain that great bounty from Him, Ameen!
THE STORY OF A THIEF AT THE TIME OF HAZRAT UMAR
Once during the rule of Hazrat Umar, a certain thief was caught, found guilty and handed over for punishment.
He complained bitterly and pleaded:
"O Ameerul Mumineen, this is my first crime. Please pardon my fault".
Hazrat Umar replied:
"Allah forbid! Allah does not send down His Revenge and punishment at the commission of crime for the first crime.
At most times by way of expressing His bounty
He covers up the faults of servants, but when they continue sinning Then by way of justice, He seizes them and causes them disgrace. So that both Allah's attributes become exhibited
As Giver of Good news and as Warner of His punishment". LESSON:
In this story there is a great lesson for those intending to follow the path of the Sulook. There are those involved with looking at evil and similar sins for a long time and neglect to rectify and change their condition, yet they are noted to be Sufis or pious ones among men. For them to be at ease and be satisfied that Allah has concealed their sins and target Allah's attribute of vengeance and dishing out punishment for sins, is a very foolish attitude.
Allah's exhibition of this graceful nature, grants us the opportunity of rectification and sincere repentance. If we are not taking benefit from this opportunity, then His attribute of Justice will cause us to become seized by calamities and disgrace.
Hence at all times we should remain fearful of Allah exhibiting the other attribute. We should thus remain busy with seeking forgiveness and crying lamentfully before Him, endeavouring to leave aside all sinful activities. At the same time we should also continue to consult our spiritual guide to whom we entrust our rectification. When one continues to commit sins, the performing of much Zikr and the
recitation of 'Wazeefas' will not be of full benefit. The novice treading that Sufi path in such a way will always be incomplete in his endeavours and remain far from his objective of reaching nearness to Allah. This is so because continuing on the path of sin on the one side and attaining Allah's nearness are two opposite and contrasting concepts. The main pre-condition for sainthood is 'taqwa' - fear of Allah and to be careful of one's duties to Him and His creation. The main pre-condition for sainthood is not the performing of Zikr profusely and the recitation of Wazeefas. However, it must be stressed that the recitation of Zikr etc. provide great help for the attaining of 'taqwa'.
May Allah grant us all the ability to acquire within ourselves taqwa (fear for Him) and the ability to avoid all sins and also the ability to treat our sickness of sins. And May He grant us the opportunity to turn to some saint of His with the intention of acquiring all these things, Ameen!
THE STORY OF HAZRAT MOOSA (A.S.) VISITING THE SICK
Once Allah sent revelation to Nabi Moosa (A.S.): "O Moosa (A.S.), you did not come to visit me during my illness".
Hazrat Moosa (A.S.) replied: "Ya Allah, You are free of all shortcomings and free of illness. Glory be to You! What is the inner meaning of this statement of Thine? Please explain".
From the unseen a voice was heard: .
"O Moosa (A.S.), A certain devotee of Mine who is also My chosen one, has fallen ill.
Go and look at him with a caring eye.
The illness of him who is close to me, is like my sickness And that man's helplessness is like My helplessness.
Your visiting me in his sickness is for your own benefit
And its benefit, reward, nearness and the fruits of his duahs Will all .return to you, on returning from him.
Even if the sick one be an enemy, visiting him is better,
For through benevolence, very often an enemy also becomes a friend.
And even if he does. not become a friend, at least there will be a lessening of. enmity and malice, Because doing good to some is an ointment against the wound of malice.
Apart from these there are many other benefits of benevolence. But I fear extending this topic, 0 My righteous friend".
LESSONS:
1.We see here how great Allah's contact is with his special servants. He considers their sickness as His own sickness. This shows their state of belovedness to Him.
Moulana Rumi (RA.) referred to this relationship in another place, where he says:
"Whosoever desires to be a companion of Allah should sit in the gatherings of the saintly ones, And should consider his love and service to them to be love and service to Allah ".
2.The second advise is that even if an enemy is sick he should be visited. The visit will make him a friend.
3.If he is not going to become a friend, then at least his enmity will decrease.
NOTE:
However, where for Allah's sake cutting off of relations with someone is required, then such a person, should not be visited before a clear announcement of repentance has been made. Until such time one should remain far away from him. This mas-ala should be discussed with a pious, God-fearing 'Alim'.
THE STORY OF THE TREE OF LIFE
A wise man once told a person, just to test him that in India there is such a tree, that whoever eats of the fruits of that tree, never dies. When the King heard of this, he fell in love with it. He immediately sent a messenger to India to search for this tree. The messenger wandered around in India from place to place in search of this tree. He wandered about in quite a distressed state, but nowhere did he find such a tree. Whenever he enquired from people, they would tell him: "Only mad people look for such a tree".
They used to jeer and scoff at him. At last when he had become tired of roaming around like that in a foreign country and exhausted by the difficulties of travel, he decided to return home. He was very disappointed. On his return he met a "Qutub Sheikh" along the way.
He said to the Sheikh:
"O Sheikh, this is a time for mercy and benevolence.
I have become helpless and disappointed in my quest. This is a time for your kindness".
The Sheikh replied:
"What is your disappointment
And what is the nature of your quest?" He replied:
"My King has given me this job to search for such a tree in India That whosoever eats of its fruits will live forever.
I have wandered around in India for years and searched everywhere
But no sign of it did I find. People jeer at me and consider me a mad one". The Sheikh listened to him, laughed and said:
"0 Saleem, this tree is only the bounty of knowledge. Through knowledge a person finds everlasting life And one without knowledge is a dead one.
You have searched for the outer form of knowledge and therefore lost the way.
You have been deprived of the form of knowledge too, because you failed to understand the inner meaning".
LESSON:
The wise man who originally told the story about the tree in India actually compared knowledge to a tree. His aim was to test the listener. Knowledge is an abstract concept and such abstract concepts do not stand by themselves alone. For their existence they require an agent or a place on which to exist. Thus knowledge can only be acquired from the Ulama. The Ulama are the tree.
By knowledge is meant only that knowledge which causes one to reach Allah. The knowledge which is to a means of livelihood and leads to employment in industry and trade, is called industrial knowledge and trade knowledge. True knowledge is only knowledge of deen, through which a person tries to please his Master and thereby acquire a life of honour in both the worlds. Without this knowledge a person is a corpse,
even if he is alive. For this reason, the wise man compared knowledge to the water of life. Without this knowledge, recognition of Allah (Ma'rifat) is impossible.
May Allah grant us true knowledge and grant us the ability to practise according to that knowledge, Ameen.
THE STORY OF HAZRAT IZRAEEL (A.S.) STARINO AT A PERSON
A simple man once came to Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) His face was pale and he was quite struck by fear and anxiety. Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) asked him: "Why are you so struck with fear?"
He replied: "Hazrat Izraeel (A.S.) stared at me with very angry eyes. For this reason, I am quite worried and distressed".
Then Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) asked: "What do you want?" He replied: "Send me from here to India". Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) commanded the wind to transport
him to any place in India where he wanted to go.
The following day Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) met Hazrat Izraeel (A.S.) and at this meeting asked him: "Why did you stare at a certain Muslim in such a manner that he became very distressed and worried? Was it your intention to take his soul away in a land where he has no heirs? "
Hazrat Izraeel (A.S.) replied: "I stared at him in astonishment because I had received the command to take hold of his soul in India.
Allah ordered me to take his soul this day in India.
But when I saw him here I was astonished and confused.
When through the order of Allah I reached India, I found him there And there I took hold of his soul.
O You listener, compare all the world's affairs in the light of this And open your eyes to witness it.
Who are we fleeing from? From Allah? This is impossible.
Against who are we rebelling? Against Allah? This is pure disaster, disaster, disaster."
From this story we learn the lesson that at all times we should keep our affairs with Allah clear and safe. We should try our utmost to fulfil our duties to Allah and the rights of mankind, because we do not know when and where we shall have to say farewell to the life of this world, and appear before Allah for the reckoning.
It does not befit man to remain negligent in this world. He shall have to remember death at all times.
To every man who ever comes to this world. Destiny says: "I am following you, do remember".
THE STORY OF THE PLAN OF THE THIRSTY ON
A very thirsty person was sitting on the bank of a river but high wall prevented him reaching the water. Being very thirst~ very impatient and restless to get to the water, he climbed the wall. He then removed one-by-one brick out of the wall and threw it into the water. The splashing sound the brick made as it hit the water pleased him very much and consoled him. So he continued breaking one-by-one brick from the wall and throwing it into the water.
The water questioned him: "Why. do you strike me with the bricks? What benefit is there in it for you?".
The man replied: "There are two benefits for me".
"The first benefit is that the splashing sound of the water To the ear of a thirsty one, is sweet music.
Secondly, as the bricks are lessened the wall is lowered And the water is becoming nearer,.
The removal of the wall will become a means of reaching the water" LESSON:
It is reported that Nabi Moosa (A.S.) asked Allah: "What is the way of reaching unto You?". The reply from Allah's was: "Discard your "nafs"(self) and come to me",
In the above story there is a lesson for the seekers of Allah. They are thirsty for Allah while the wall of the nafs (self) is preventing that meeting. Beyond this high wall of nafs lies the great ocean of nearness to Allah. Hence the one who will start annihilating his 'self' i.e. he who will discard every desire that is contrary to Allah's wishes - those desires which are like the bricks in that wall. He who will, for the sake of attaining Allah's
pleasure; destroy those evil desires, for him there will be two great benifits.
Firstly, he will feel the closeness of the ocean of Allah's love and perceive it as being within reach.
Secondly, that as the preventative wall of his desires become lower, the seeker after Allah will come nearer to his objective, until perfect n
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mutual friendship and compatibility.
The friends were quite surprised at this knowledge. They then tried to find out what was the common attribute between Jalinoos and the mad man. When the friends went close to the mad one, they were astonished to note that he too walked with a limp, like Jalinoos.
In other words, this was the common attribute which caused the compatibility between them. LESSON:
If a person meets a bad person and gets pleased or, a bad person who has no intention of giving up his evil habits, meets him and becomes pleased, then know that some evil in both is the common factor, that has created this pleasure.
Experience has shown that if a person is considered to be pious because of his outward appearance however his association and company and friendship is all the time with the evil doers and materially inclined, then in reality he too is a worldly one and materially inclined, although his outward appearance is that of piety. If he is meeting the evil doers in order that he may invite them towards righteousness then that is an exception.
This is also supported by the Hadith "Every person is on the Deen (way of Life) of his close friend". So if you wish to know about any person's character, then see who his very close friends are. It is also proven that a person greedy for wealth but unable to acquire it, listens greedily to stories of the rich and their wealth. On the other hand a person desirous of the deeds that gain one eternal happiness, but unable to achieve them due to weakness, still listens greedily to stories of people who achieved spiritual perfection and proximity to Allah Taala and Rasululah.
THE STORY OF RASULULLAH'S VISIT TO THE SICK
A companion of the Holy Prophet fell ill and became very weak. Rasulullah went to visit him. He was so ill that he appeared to have reached the last stages of his life. When Rasulullah saw the condition, he expressed great sympathy and feeling.
When the sick Sahabi saw Rasulullah, he was overjoyed. It appeared as if he was endowed with new life. It was as if a dead person sprung back to life. He said:
"This sickness has made me a very fortunate person
That it became the cause of the King of believers coming to visit me"
He also said:
"O my sickness, my fever, my sorrow, my pain and sleeplessness by night. Blessed be you all. You are the cause of Rasulullah coming to visit me today". Rasulullah asked the sick man upon completion of the visit:
"Do you remember any special duah you made during the time of your good health?"
He replied: "Ya Rasulullah, I cannot remember what duah I made".
Then after a short while through the blessings of Rasulullah , he remembered and said: "Ya Rasulullah I now remember the duah. It was this:
"I prayed 0 Allah in view of my shortcomings In my deeds and in view of my faults:
I beseech Thee, grant me the punishment
In this world, which You would give in the Hereafter.
So that I may be exempted from punishment in the Hereafter. This duah I kept making up till this day.
Until the time came that a heavy sickness covered me And I found myself in distress because of the illness.
Due to this sickness, I am unable to perform my Zikr and Wazifas As I did in my healthy days.
And now I am unaware of my relatives and good or evil ones".
Hearing this duah, Rasulullah showed some displeasure and prohibited him from making such a duah: "In future do not make such a duah". Rasulullah declared such a duah does not befit a servant of Allah. He declared it to be against serfdom to Allah. To beg of Allah to send down punishment is tantamount to making the claim that you have the power to withstand Allah's punishment.
Therefore Rasulullah advised him:
"O You, what strength do you possess that on a sick ant like yourself Allah should place a big mountain of calamity?
But pray: O Allah, ease for me my difficulty
So' that He may change the thorns of your distress to a garden of comfort. Grant to us the good of this worldly life,
And grant to us the good of the life of the Hereafter". LESSON:
This story teaches us never to pray to Allah for calamities. We should at all times pray for our welfare in both the worlds, while admitting before Him our weakness and our inability. For example, if a person has the illness of looking at evil, he should pray for his rectification and should endeavour to treat the malady through consultation with the saintly ones and ask them to pray for him. He should never become distressed and say: "0 Allah, this malady of mine is not good. It would be better if you make me completely blind, so that I am not plagued by the sins of my eyes".
Such a duah will be foolishness. As far as possible, one should pray for health, safety, protection from calamities and welfare. I heard my Sheikh Hazrat Phulpoori (R.A.) say that Hazrat Mansoor (RA.) used to perform Nafal Salaah in the sun while there was a place to do so in the shade. A saintly elder endowed with 'nisbat' said: "This man will become involved in a great calamity". This means that when there is ease in front of you, then do not prefer difficulty. When you have to choose between calamity on the one side and calamity on the other side, then choose the tighter of the two as is mentioned in the Hadith.
THE STORY OF THE ROYAL FALCON
Once a King's falcon flew away from his palace and landed in the house of an old woman of the neighbourhood. The old woman saw the falcon's long nails and its big wings and cut them short, saying: "With which unworthy person have you lived all this time who kept you like an orphan".
Moulana Rumi (RA.) says: "So is the love of an ignorant person. For a falcon, long nails and huge wings are necessary items, which are considered as its virtues and required in its hunting pursuits. These signs of perfection in the falcon were looked upon as faults by the old woman, due to her ignorance of what constitutes perfection for a falcon. By cutting the nails and wings, she made the falcon useless.
The King, in the meantime, searched for the falcon. One day while searching, he came to the house of the old woman. Seeing the falcon in this state, he began weeping. The falcon saw him and said:
"0 King, I am very much ashamed of myself
I repent and now make a new promise and commitment to you".
Moulana Rumi (RA.) now says:
"The world is like that old woman
That whoever inclines to it is just as disgraced and foolish. He who befriends an ignorant one, will meet the same fate
As the falcon had met at the hands of the ignorant old woman".
Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwy (R.A.) said: "In similar manner some ignorant ones become claimants to being servants of Islam. Then in their ignorance, make Islam subject to their stupid opinions and thereby destort the true teachings of Islam. This is generally true of those people who through their own study later become authors of books and articles on Islam, without having studied deen at the feet of a scholarly teacher. When looking at the writings of these authors, great precaution is required. There is a Hadith in Sahi Tirmidhi that Rasulullah said:
"See from whom you take your deen and the correct transmission chain is part of the deen".
In, other words, as regards him from whom you learn your deen first enquire from well known scholars about his credibility. The jug from which you drink water should first be inspected to see that the water inside it is clean and not contaminated.
THE STORY OF THE FALCON AND THE OWLS
Once a King's falcon flew away from his palace and landed in some ruins, where many owls were staying. As soon as they saw him arriving in their midst, the owls raised a loud voice of protest and objections against his arrival, saying: "This falcon wants to take over our ruins for himself".
The falcon hearing this accusation was bewildered and perplexed and said to them: "I shall not tarry here among you
But shall return to the King.
You may keep your ruins to yourself
My place is with the King and near the crown". The owls replied:
"This falcon is busy with a deceitful plan. He wants to oust us from these ruins and claim it for himself. And he wants to take possession of our homes
And with his flattering and clever plans, intends to destroy our nests".
The falcon got the impression that the owls were going to attack him and thus warned them: "If through your mischief one of my wings should break
That King to whom I am a cherished one, will attack and destroy Your whole neighbourhood. .
That King's bounty and kindness protects me
And wherever I go, his protective glance is over me. I am in the thoughts of the King at all times,
And without me in his thoughts, his heart becomes ill. I am a Royal falcon and for that all envy me.
How can stupid owls understand my position?" LESSON:
There are times when the Awliyaa- the saints of Allah who
are like the royal falcons and the beloved of Allah, are looked at by the stupid, worldly ones, in the same manner as the owls looked at the falcon, through wrong reasoning and analogy. Similarly, we find those who trouble them as a result of their wrong reasoning and conceptions. Allah however protects them. They are never for one moment out of the sight of the Master, no matter where they go.
As Allah says to the Rasool:
"For verily you are within our sight".
In other words: "O Muhammad, these non-believers cannot
destroy you for you are at all times in our sight and under our protection". THE STORY OF TAU-OOS AND THE HAKEEM
Once a peacock was busy pulling out its beautiful feathers and throwing them away. A Hakeem happened to pass that way. He saw this and asked: "0 Peacock, why are you pulling out such beautiful feathers? What ingratitude is this?"
The peacock replied:
"Don't you see that numerous calamities come to me From all sides, due to these wings and feathers.
Unjust hunters place traps in all places
Just in order to get hold of these feathers and wings. When by day I am unable to keep myself
Safe and protected against those calamities and trials, It is better that I remove those feathers from me
And make my appearance unsightly
So as to make myself without worries in the mountains and meadows.
It is my opinion that it is more important for me to save my life than my outer form
For if the life is safe, what harm is there if the form is unseemly?" LESSON:
This is the reason why the saintly ones keep themselves away from fame and pomp as Moulana explains in another couplet:
"Keep yourself unknown and without name or fame and be like an indigent one So that this condition should keep you far removed from fame
For fame takes away all bounds of comfort and brings many calamities in its wake".'
However, when Allah himself makes a saintly one famous, then His protection is like a shade over him. The bad form of fame is that form, where a person himself works for it and tries purposely to acquire it.
Haji Imdadullah (R.A.) used to say:
"I am sitting here without name and without any sign. Who is it that has spread my fame about?"
In annihilating oneself and leading simple lives, our elders found peace and comfort.
I have heard of a story from my Sheikh Hazrat Phulpoori (RA.), that Moulana Qasim Nanotwi (RA.), the founder of Darul Uloom, Deoband was going somewhere dressed in a lungi and a very simple 'kurta' (shirt). A man who saw him dressed so simply considered him a yam spinner. He asked him: "What is. the price of cotton- thread in the market today?" Moulana replied: "I did not go to the market today". He did not say: "Do you consider me a yarn spinner?" because that would have seemed as if there is some insulting reference to the spinners. After all, with Allah the criterion for honour and respect lies only in the "taqwa" that a person has.
THE STORY OF HAZRAT ANAS BIN MAALIK
Once some guests came to visit Hazrat Anas Bin Maalik. He entertained them with a meal. The tablecloth became dirty and discoloured, due to some curry having fallen upon it. Hazrat Anas instructed the maid servant to cast it into the burning furnace. The servant did as she was commanded.
The guests were astonished at this command. When the tablecloth was thrown into the burning furnace, they awaited the appearance of smoke to indicate that the tablecloth was burning. But instead when the tablecloth was removed from the fire, it was still intact and had become clean.
They asked him:
"O Companion of Rasool, why did this tablecloth not burn in the fire? And instead of burning, had become perfectly clean'
Hazrat Anas replied: "The reason for the tablecloth not burning is this that on various occasions Rasulullah cleansed his hands and lips with the cloth".
Now Moulana Rumi (RA.) says:
"O You, who have become frightened of the fire and punishment of Jahannam
It is most advisable that you draw near to such blessed hands and lips, by following the Sunnat. When something material has been granted such honour by the lips of Rasulullah
You can imagine what honour he must have granted to his true Lovers" LESSON:
When a tablecloth was granted this honour by the wiping of his blessed hands one can just imagine what honour and nearness to Allah will be granted in both the worlds to those who follow the Sunnat diligently, which is a way of obtaining Divine proximity. May Allah grant us all the ability to follow the Sunnat and make us anxious to attain that great bounty from Him, Ameen!
THE STORY OF A THIEF AT THE TIME OF HAZRAT UMAR
Once during the rule of Hazrat Umar, a certain thief was caught, found guilty and handed over for punishment.
He complained bitterly and pleaded:
"O Ameerul Mumineen, this is my first crime. Please pardon my fault".
Hazrat Umar replied:
"Allah forbid! Allah does not send down His Revenge and punishment at the commission of crime for the first crime.
At most times by way of expressing His bounty
He covers up the faults of servants, but when they continue sinning Then by way of justice, He seizes them and causes them disgrace. So that both Allah's attributes become exhibited
As Giver of Good news and as Warner of His punishment". LESSON:
In this story there is a great lesson for those intending to follow the path of the Sulook. There are those involved with looking at evil and similar sins for a long time and neglect to rectify and change their condition, yet they are noted to be Sufis or pious ones among men. For them to be at ease and be satisfied that Allah has concealed their sins and target Allah's attribute of vengeance and dishing out punishment for sins, is a very foolish attitude.
Allah's exhibition of this graceful nature, grants us the opportunity of rectification and sincere repentance. If we are not taking benefit from this opportunity, then His attribute of Justice will cause us to become seized by calamities and disgrace.
Hence at all times we should remain fearful of Allah exhibiting the other attribute. We should thus remain busy with seeking forgiveness and crying lamentfully before Him, endeavouring to leave aside all sinful activities. At the same time we should also continue to consult our spiritual guide to whom we entrust our rectification. When one continues to commit sins, the performing of much Zikr and the
recitation of 'Wazeefas' will not be of full benefit. The novice treading that Sufi path in such a way will always be incomplete in his endeavours and remain far from his objective of reaching nearness to Allah. This is so because continuing on the path of sin on the one side and attaining Allah's nearness are two opposite and contrasting concepts. The main pre-condition for sainthood is 'taqwa' - fear of Allah and to be careful of one's duties to Him and His creation. The main pre-condition for sainthood is not the performing of Zikr profusely and the recitation of Wazeefas. However, it must be stressed that the recitation of Zikr etc. provide great help for the attaining of 'taqwa'.
May Allah grant us all the ability to acquire within ourselves taqwa (fear for Him) and the ability to avoid all sins and also the ability to treat our sickness of sins. And May He grant us the opportunity to turn to some saint of His with the intention of acquiring all these things, Ameen!
THE STORY OF HAZRAT MOOSA (A.S.) VISITING THE SICK
Once Allah sent revelation to Nabi Moosa (A.S.): "O Moosa (A.S.), you did not come to visit me during my illness".
Hazrat Moosa (A.S.) replied: "Ya Allah, You are free of all shortcomings and free of illness. Glory be to You! What is the inner meaning of this statement of Thine? Please explain".
From the unseen a voice was heard: .
"O Moosa (A.S.), A certain devotee of Mine who is also My chosen one, has fallen ill.
Go and look at him with a caring eye.
The illness of him who is close to me, is like my sickness And that man's helplessness is like My helplessness.
Your visiting me in his sickness is for your own benefit
And its benefit, reward, nearness and the fruits of his duahs Will all .return to you, on returning from him.
Even if the sick one be an enemy, visiting him is better,
For through benevolence, very often an enemy also becomes a friend.
And even if he does. not become a friend, at least there will be a lessening of. enmity and malice, Because doing good to some is an ointment against the wound of malice.
Apart from these there are many other benefits of benevolence. But I fear extending this topic, 0 My righteous friend".
LESSONS:
1.We see here how great Allah's contact is with his special servants. He considers their sickness as His own sickness. This shows their state of belovedness to Him.
Moulana Rumi (RA.) referred to this relationship in another place, where he says:
"Whosoever desires to be a companion of Allah should sit in the gatherings of the saintly ones, And should consider his love and service to them to be love and service to Allah ".
2.The second advise is that even if an enemy is sick he should be visited. The visit will make him a friend.
3.If he is not going to become a friend, then at least his enmity will decrease.
NOTE:
However, where for Allah's sake cutting off of relations with someone is required, then such a person, should not be visited before a clear announcement of repentance has been made. Until such time one should remain far away from him. This mas-ala should be discussed with a pious, God-fearing 'Alim'.
THE STORY OF THE TREE OF LIFE
A wise man once told a person, just to test him that in India there is such a tree, that whoever eats of the fruits of that tree, never dies. When the King heard of this, he fell in love with it. He immediately sent a messenger to India to search for this tree. The messenger wandered around in India from place to place in search of this tree. He wandered about in quite a distressed state, but nowhere did he find such a tree. Whenever he enquired from people, they would tell him: "Only mad people look for such a tree".
They used to jeer and scoff at him. At last when he had become tired of roaming around like that in a foreign country and exhausted by the difficulties of travel, he decided to return home. He was very disappointed. On his return he met a "Qutub Sheikh" along the way.
He said to the Sheikh:
"O Sheikh, this is a time for mercy and benevolence.
I have become helpless and disappointed in my quest. This is a time for your kindness".
The Sheikh replied:
"What is your disappointment
And what is the nature of your quest?" He replied:
"My King has given me this job to search for such a tree in India That whosoever eats of its fruits will live forever.
I have wandered around in India for years and searched everywhere
But no sign of it did I find. People jeer at me and consider me a mad one". The Sheikh listened to him, laughed and said:
"0 Saleem, this tree is only the bounty of knowledge. Through knowledge a person finds everlasting life And one without knowledge is a dead one.
You have searched for the outer form of knowledge and therefore lost the way.
You have been deprived of the form of knowledge too, because you failed to understand the inner meaning".
LESSON:
The wise man who originally told the story about the tree in India actually compared knowledge to a tree. His aim was to test the listener. Knowledge is an abstract concept and such abstract concepts do not stand by themselves alone. For their existence they require an agent or a place on which to exist. Thus knowledge can only be acquired from the Ulama. The Ulama are the tree.
By knowledge is meant only that knowledge which causes one to reach Allah. The knowledge which is to a means of livelihood and leads to employment in industry and trade, is called industrial knowledge and trade knowledge. True knowledge is only knowledge of deen, through which a person tries to please his Master and thereby acquire a life of honour in both the worlds. Without this knowledge a person is a corpse,
even if he is alive. For this reason, the wise man compared knowledge to the water of life. Without this knowledge, recognition of Allah (Ma'rifat) is impossible.
May Allah grant us true knowledge and grant us the ability to practise according to that knowledge, Ameen.
THE STORY OF HAZRAT IZRAEEL (A.S.) STARINO AT A PERSON
A simple man once came to Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) His face was pale and he was quite struck by fear and anxiety. Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) asked him: "Why are you so struck with fear?"
He replied: "Hazrat Izraeel (A.S.) stared at me with very angry eyes. For this reason, I am quite worried and distressed".
Then Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) asked: "What do you want?" He replied: "Send me from here to India". Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) commanded the wind to transport
him to any place in India where he wanted to go.
The following day Hazrat Sulayman (A.S.) met Hazrat Izraeel (A.S.) and at this meeting asked him: "Why did you stare at a certain Muslim in such a manner that he became very distressed and worried? Was it your intention to take his soul away in a land where he has no heirs? "
Hazrat Izraeel (A.S.) replied: "I stared at him in astonishment because I had received the command to take hold of his soul in India.
Allah ordered me to take his soul this day in India.
But when I saw him here I was astonished and confused.
When through the order of Allah I reached India, I found him there And there I took hold of his soul.
O You listener, compare all the world's affairs in the light of this And open your eyes to witness it.
Who are we fleeing from? From Allah? This is impossible.
Against who are we rebelling? Against Allah? This is pure disaster, disaster, disaster."
From this story we learn the lesson that at all times we should keep our affairs with Allah clear and safe. We should try our utmost to fulfil our duties to Allah and the rights of mankind, because we do not know when and where we shall have to say farewell to the life of this world, and appear before Allah for the reckoning.
It does not befit man to remain negligent in this world. He shall have to remember death at all times.
To every man who ever comes to this world. Destiny says: "I am following you, do remember".
THE STORY OF THE PLAN OF THE THIRSTY ON
A very thirsty person was sitting on the bank of a river but high wall prevented him reaching the water. Being very thirst~ very impatient and restless to get to the water, he climbed the wall. He then removed one-by-one brick out of the wall and threw it into the water. The splashing sound the brick made as it hit the water pleased him very much and consoled him. So he continued breaking one-by-one brick from the wall and throwing it into the water.
The water questioned him: "Why. do you strike me with the bricks? What benefit is there in it for you?".
The man replied: "There are two benefits for me".
"The first benefit is that the splashing sound of the water To the ear of a thirsty one, is sweet music.
Secondly, as the bricks are lessened the wall is lowered And the water is becoming nearer,.
The removal of the wall will become a means of reaching the water" LESSON:
It is reported that Nabi Moosa (A.S.) asked Allah: "What is the way of reaching unto You?". The reply from Allah's was: "Discard your "nafs"(self) and come to me",
In the above story there is a lesson for the seekers of Allah. They are thirsty for Allah while the wall of the nafs (self) is preventing that meeting. Beyond this high wall of nafs lies the great ocean of nearness to Allah. Hence the one who will start annihilating his 'self' i.e. he who will discard every desire that is contrary to Allah's wishes - those desires which are like the bricks in that wall. He who will, for the sake of attaining Allah's
pleasure; destroy those evil desires, for him there will be two great benifits.
Firstly, he will feel the closeness of the ocean of Allah's love and perceive it as being within reach.
Secondly, that as the preventative wall of his desires become lower, the seeker after Allah will come nearer to his objective, until perfect n
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