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Islam Invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided." Holy Qur'an 16:125 |
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Hazrat Rabia Basri (RA)
Rabi'a's parents were so poor that there was no oil in house to light a lamp, nor a cloth even to wrap her with. She was the fourth child in the family. Her mother requested her husband to borrow some oil from a neighbor. But he had resolved in his life never to ask for anything from anyone except the Creator; so he pretended to go to the neighbor's door and returned home empty-handed. In the night Prophet appeared to him in a dream and told him, "Your newly born daughter is a favorite of the Lord, and shall lead many Muslims to the right path. You should approach the Amir of Basra and present him with a letter in which should be written this message; 'you offer Durood to the Holy Prophet one hundred times every night and four hundred times every Thursday night. However, since you have failed to observe the rule last Thursday, as a penalty you must pay the bearer four hundred dinars '. Rabi'a's father got up and went to the Amir straight with tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. The Amir was delighted on receiving the message and knowing that he was in the eyes of Prophet, he distributed 1000 dinars to the poor and paid with joy 400 to Rabi'a's father and requested him top come to him whenever he required anything as he will benefit very much by the visit of such a soul dear to the Lord." After the death of her father a famine overtook Basra and she parted from her sisters. Once she was accompanying a caravan, which fell into he hands of robbers. The chief of the robbers took Rabi'a I his custody and as an article of loot, and sold her in the market as a slave. The new master of Rabi'a used to take hard service from her. She used to pass the whole night on prayers, after she had finished her household jobs. She used to pass many her day observing fast. Incidentally, once the master of the house got up in the middle of the night, and was attracted by the pathetic voice in which Rabia was praying to her Lord. She was entreating in these terms, "Lord! You know well that my keen desire is to carry out Your commandments and to serve Thee with all my heart, O light of my eyes. If I were free I would pass the whole day and night in prayers. But what should I do when you have made me a slave of a human being?" At once he felt that it was sacrilegious to keep such a saint in his service. He decided to save her himself. In the morning he called her and told his decision that thenceforward he would serve her and she should dwell there as the mistress of the house and if she insisted on leaving the house he was willing to free her from bondage. She told him that she was willing to leave the house to carry on her worship in solitude. This the master granted and she left the house Was the door ever closed? Salih Qazwani always taught his disciples, "Who knocks at the door of someone constantly, one day the door must be opened to him" Rabi'a one day heard it and said, "Salih, how long 'will you go on preaching thus, using the future tense, saying 'will be opened'? Was the door ever closed? It was ever open." Separation... simply unbearable ! One day, people asked why she kept no knife in the house. Rabi'a replied, "Cutting asunder is the wok of the knife. I fear it may not asunder the bond between that exist between me and my beloved Lord." A fervent prayer One day she was going on an errand. Whilst passing a street a vagabond pursued her. She ran to save herself from him, and in doing so her foot slipped and she fell down and broke her arm. She thereupon prayed to the Lord, "I am poor orphan and a slave. Now my hand too is broken. But I do not mind these things if Thou be pleased with me. But make it manifest to me that you are pleased with me." The Divine voice in reply said, "Never mind all these sufferings. On the day of judgment you shall be accorded the status that shall be the envy of the angels even." Then she returned to her master's service. Thanking the Lord One day Sufyan Thauri went to Rabi'a. She passed the whole night in worship, standing before the Lord. When the morning broke she remarked, "God be praised that He conferred His grace on us that we could pass the whole night in prayers. As a mark of gratitude, let us pass the whole day in fasting." The joy of pain! A man was crying, "Ah! How great a pain!" Rabi'a approached him and said, "Oh! What a lack of pain" He asked her why she said the contrary. She replied, "Because pain is the privilege of great devotees, who cherish even with the joy even so much anguish that even talking and drawing breath become a matter of strain to them." One day Rabia saw a man passing on the way with his forehead tied with a bandage. She asked him why he put on the bandage. He replied that he was suffering from headache. "What is your age?" she asked. He replied that he was thirty. She asked, "Till today, how have you passed your life?" He replied, "In perfect health". She said, "For thirty years the Lord kept you sound, and you did not fly any colors on your body to express your gratitude for His gift, so that people could ask you the reason for your joy and knowing of God's blessings on you would have praised Him, but when for your own fault you have suffered from a little headache you have tied a bandage and go about exhibiting His harshness to you in making you suffer from headache. What a base act is yours!" Neither this nor that world, You are enough for me
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HAZRAT ABU MUHAMMAD IMAM JA’FAR SADIQ
Hazrat Ja’far once summoned by the Caliph. He went there. The Caliph was much pleased with him and wanted to offer some gold. But he refused to accept anything. The Caliph then entreated that he might ask anything to his liking. Hazrat Ja’far said, “If you are pleased, grant me this boon that you never summon me to your presence again, as it dislocates my worship.” The Caliph agreed. Somebody commented, “Hazrat Ja’far, you put on very costly dress.” He said, “Mark my underwear.” The man thrust his hand below his gown and was shocked to find that the undergarments on the body were made of coarse sack cloth, and by that touch the skin of his hand was scratched all their skin of his hand was scratched all over. He said, “What do these two classes of dress signify?” Hazrat Ja’far replied, “ the outer garment is for the world (to hide my devotion and avoid publicity) and the inner one is for my Lord’s pleasure (Who honors our poverty and cherishes our renunciation).” Somebody questioned, “Who is to be preferred, Tawangar-e-Shakiri (a rich man who offers gratitude to the Lord for His gifts to him) or Faaqir-e-Sabir (a derviesh lodged in contentment)?” Hazrat Ja’far replied, “The poor derviesh who is lodged in contentment is superior, because the rich is ever pondering over his riches whilst the derviesh is ever engaged in contemplation of the Lord. The Lord Himself praises the repentant converts and holds them superior to pious worshippers. Real remembrance (Zikar) defies all thoughts of world.” Sayings of Hazrat Ja’far i. On the Day of Judgment you will not be asked about your wealth or honor, or you ancestry and acquisitions, but for the spiritual practices undergone and the worship you have performed. ii. God is not met until we are extremely distressed for Him, and seek Him just as a drowning man calls for help. iii. It is sin to be vain about your worship. iv. He is a favorite with God and His dear servant who repents every time he sins. v. The secret was revealed to me when I became mad in love of God. |
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HAZRAT HASSAN BASRI
In his childhood Hazrat Hasan was fortunate enough to drink the water that was left in the cup by the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.W). When the Prophet knew of it he remarked, “This child will receive from the Lord an amount of knowledge equivalent to the water drunk.” When they brought Hazrat Hasan, as a newly born child before Hazrat Umer (R.A.U), he said, “Call him by the name of Hasan, as he is beautiful. He was initiated by Hazrat Ali (R.A.U). A very interesting incident records the conversion of Hazrat Hasan. Before turning a Sufi, he was a jeweler. One day he proceeded to Rum (in Asia Minor) on business, and put up with the minister of the Sultan. The minister told him, “You well have to wait for some days as we are present accompanying the Sultan on an important private errand. If you so desire, you may accompany us.” Hazrat Hasan went in company of the Sultan, the minister, and others. They entered a vast wideness. In the middle of it, they saw a magnificent tent fixed up, which was guarded by army officers. The officers entered the tent and then came out. Then they circumambulated it and went away. Some very old respectable citizens who, like the officers, entered the tent, uttered some words, came out, circumambulated the tent and then went away followed them. Then came some medical experts who did likewise. Then came two hundred extremely beautiful young maidens, who entered the tent and acted as the previous ones had done. Lastly came the Sultan accompanied by his ministers, he too entered the tent, uttered some words, then circumambulated the tent and went away. Surprised at the incident Hazrat Hasan inquired of the minister what all that meant. The minister replied, “A very beautiful and brave son of Sultan died and his corpse is interred in a tomb on which stands that tent. Every year all of us visit it, and perform the ceremonies like the ones you saw today. First, the members of the army approach the tomb and addressing the Price say, “If by our arms, we could save thee from the God of Death, we would have sacrificed our life for the fulfillment of that aim, but we are helpless.” Then come the learned citizens who say, “If our knowledge and experience could save thee we should have surely averted thy death, but before Death we are helpless.” Then come the medical men, who say, “If our medicines could save thee, we would have left no stone unturned to save thee from the clutches of Death, but we were powerless before it.” Then come the beautiful maidens who say, “If our beauty and accomplishments could save you, we would have sacrificed our all to save you but we were powerless before Death.” Then enters the Sultan is turn accompanied by the ministers and says, “My son! We tried our best with our army, doctors, and other means to save thee, but no charge was possible in Divine dispensation. We bid you good-buy now and shall visit you nest year at this time.” This incident made such and indelible mark on the mind of Hazrat Hasan that he decided to pass the rest of his life in prayers and worship to face that inevitable end. He returned to Basra, gave up his business, took to solitude, and vowed never to smile in his whole life. Moreover, for seventy years he passed every moment in prayers. The cause that made Hazrat Hasan most famous was that in his life he felt only one necessity---God. In his anxiety to meet God, he took concern of nothing besides Him. When Hazrat Ra’bia Basri would not come to attend the sermons of Hazrat Hasan, he would deliver no discourse that day. People in the audience asked him why he did that. He replied, “The syrup that is held by the vessels mean for the elephants cannot be contained in the vessels meant for the ants.” He was asked, “What is Islam, and who is a Muslim?” He replied, “Islam is in the books and Muslim is in the tomb.” Hazrat Hasan said that four incidents gave him the greatest lessons of life: One: - Once I pulled off the garments of and eunuch in mere fun. He said, “Kindly return them to me, for nobody knows my real state.” Immediately the thought crossed my mind: What shall be our condition when on the Day of Judgment, we shall be made naked and all our sins lay bare? Two: - A drunkard was struggling in mire. I told him to beware lest he should sink in it. He replied, “Hasan, if I fall I alone shall suffer. However, you take care of yourself. For if you fall, all your congregation will stand condemned.” Three: - A child was one day carrying a lighted lamp. I asked him wherefrom he had brought the light. The child extinguished the light and said, “Tell me, where is the light gone?” Four: - A beautiful young woman was running one day along the street with her head uncovered, and was complaining about her husband in harsh terms. I told her to cover her head and face. She said, “The love of my husband has made me lose my senses so much that I am not conscious of my body and of my surroundings. If you had not told me that my head and face were uncovered, I would have never known it. I would have walked like that in the street. However, it is a matter of surprise, O Hasan, that you pretend to be a lover of God, and yet are conscious of everything that crosses your way and retain your senses. What is this love of God like in you?” Sayings of Hazrat Hassan Basri: i. Depart not from your religious practice out of fear of the antagonists who condemn you. They condemned even the Lord. ii. The end of the world and the beginning of the life to come is in the tomb. iii. Evil company degenerates the seeker. iv. Accumulating wealth is worse than drinking wine that is prohibited by the scriptures. v. He who takes to solitude finds safety in it. Moreover, he who disowns allegiance to his carnal soul is set free. vi. He is wise who digs out the foundation of the world and builds instead the castle of otherworldliness (eternity) on it. vii. He, who gives up his spiritual practices to play the philanthropy in the world, trying to mould its evil ways, is ruined. viii. The Lord humiliates whosoever loves silver and gold and he who considers himself the leader of the c9mmunity is misled and belittled. ix. The Lord in the Qur’an says, “I shall forgive thee all thy transgressions if ye shall cast thy glances on none besides Me.” x. It was asked, “How are you?” Hazrat Hasan replied, “I am like a person in the midst of the sea whose boat is shattered and he is floating in the waters.” |
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