The Sheikh and the Parrot

There was a Sheikh who was teaching his students Aqeedah (faith), He taught them ‘la ilaha illa Allah’ and explained it to them.
The Sheikh loved keeping pets, so he was given a parrot by one of the students as a gift.
And with days the Sheikh started to like the parrot.
He used to take it in his lessons, until the parrot knew how to say la ilaha illa Allah, He would utter it day and night.

One day the students found their Sheikh crying and sobbing.
When they asked him the reason, he told them that a cat attacked the parrot and killed it.
They said: Is this the reason you are crying!
If you wish we will bring you another parrot better than that one.
The Sheikh said: I am not crying because of this…

But it made me cry when the cat attacked the parrot.
It was shouting and screaming until it died.
He used to say la ilaha illa Allah a lot.
However, when he was attacked by a cat he forgot to say it.
He did nothing but scream!
Because he used to say it with his tongue only, and his heart did not learn it, so it didn’t feel it!

Then the Sheikh said: I am afraid to be like this parrot, we live our lives repeating la ilaha illa Allah with our tongues, but when death comes we forget it because our hearts did not know it.
When he told his students, they started crying in fear of lack of honesty in saying “La ilaha illa Allah”.


May Allah grant us ” ﻻ ﺍﻟﻪ ﺍﻻًﺍﻟﻠﻪ” in our hearts and on our tongues.

Self Discipline

Self Discipline is the key to success in Life…

This post is about what happened in a typical middle-class household.

The son didn’t like living in his house.
“You are leaving the room without switching off the fan”
“The TV on in the room where there is no one. Switch it off!”
“Keep the pen in the stand; it has fallen down”

The son didn’t like his father nagging him for these minor things.
He had to tolerate these things till yesterday since he was with them in the same house.

But today, however, he has an invitation for a job interview.
“As soon as I get the job, I should leave this town. There won’t be any nagging from my father” were his thoughts.

He left for the interview.

Father advised: “Answer the questions put to you without any hesitation. Even if you don’t know the answer, mention that confidently.” Father gave him more money than he actually needed to attend the interview.

The son reached the interview centre.

There was no security outside near the gate. Even though the door was open, the latch was protruding out probably hitting the people entering through the door. He put the latch properly, closed the door and entered the office.

On both sides of the pathway he could see beautiful flower plants. The gardener had kept the water running in the hose-pipe and was not to be seen anywhere. The water was overflowing on the pathway. He kept the hosepipe near the plant and went further.

There was no one in the reception area. However, there was a notice saying that the interview was on the first floor. He slowly climbed the stairs.

The light that was switched on last night was still burning at 10 am in the morning. He remembered his father’s admonition, “Why are you leaving the room without switching off the light?” and thought he could still hear that now. Even though he felt irritated by that thought, he sought out the switch and switched the light off.

Upstairs in a large hall he could see many aspirants sitting waiting for their turn. He looked at the number of people and wondered if he had any chance of getting the job.

He entered the hall with some trepidation and stepped on the “Welcome” mat placed near the door. He noticed that the mat was upside down. He straightened out the mat with some irritation. Habits die hard.

He saw that in a few rows in the front there were many people waiting for their turn, whereas the back rows were empty, but a number of fans were running over those rows of seats.

He heard his father’s voice again, “Why are the fans running in the room where there is no one?” He switched off the fans that were not needed and sat at one of the empty chairs.

He could see many men entering the interview room and immediately leave from another door. There was thus no way anyone could guess what was being asked in the interview.

He went and stood before the interviewer with some trepidation and concern.

The officer took the certificates from him and without looking at them asked, “When can you start work?”

He thought ,”is this a trick question being asked in the interview, or is this a signal that I have been offered the job?” He was confused.

“What are you thinking?” asked the boss. “We didn’t ask anyone any question here. By asking a few questions we won’t be able to assess the skills of anyone. So our test was to assess the attitude of the person. We kept certain tests based on the behaviour of the candidates and we observed everyone through CCTV. No one who came today did anything to set right the hose pipe, the welcome mat, the uselessly running fans or lights. You were the only one who did that. That’s why we have decided to select you for the job”, said the boss.

He always used to get irritated at his father’s discipline and remonstrations. Now he realized that it is only the discipline that has got him his job. His irritation and anger at his father vanished completely.

He decided that he would bring his father to to his workplace and left for home happily.

Whatever our father tells us is only for our bright future!

A rock doesn’t become a beautiful sculpture if it resists the pain of the chisel chipping it away.

For us to become a beautiful sculpture and a human being we need to chisel out the bad habits and behaviour from ourselves. Those are what our father does when he disciplines us.

The mother lifts the child up on her waist to feed her, to cuddle her, and to put her to sleep. But the father is not like that. He lifts the child up on his shoulders to make her see the world that he couldn’t see.

We can realize the pain the mother undergoes by listening to her; but the father’s pain can be realized only when others tell us about it.

Our father is our teacher when we are five years old; a villain when we are twenty, but a guidepost when he is no more in our midst.

The mother can go to her daughter’s or son’s home when she is old; but the father doesn’t know how to do that. He is always independent and alone.

Hence there is no use in hurting our parents when they are alive and remembering about them when they have passed away.

May Allah grant us the ability to value our parent whilst they are alive, and remember them in our prayers when they have passed on, ameen.

Poor Frog

Once upon a time, there was a mouse, which, whilst passing a pond witnessed a frog emerge from the depth of the pond. Astonished by this unusual sight, the mouse began to converse with the frog and through this, a very warm and friendly conversation took place. A very close friendship grew between the two of them, until it developed into a love relationship.

By mutual arrangement, they appointed a specific time at which they could meet each other in the mornings daily and converse with each other for a long time. At these special meetings they use to enlighten each other with their own opinions regarding certain topics or they use to entertain each other with exciting stories regarding their past. Their hearts opened up to each other and were joy filled at the sight of one another.

One day the mouse said to the frog “You are swimming around in the water while I am left all alone on the dry earth. I suffer the pangs of sorrow over being parted from you. When lonely, I come to the edge of the water to call to you, but while you are in the water, even the voice of a lover cannot be heard. I cannot be at peace by meeting you for such a short time each day.”

The mouse replied, “O beloved frog: I cannot live a moment of my life peacefully without seeing your face. By day, the sight of you is my life: by night the thought of you is my tranquillity and sleep. It will be very courteous on your part that you will permit me the pleasure of meeting you time upon time at every opportunity possible.”
The mouse carried on by saying “My respected friend, I am a creature that can live on land alone, whereas you can live on land and in water. But how is it possible for you to know inside the water that I have the desire to meet you?”

For quite a while they pondered upon this and consulted each other until finally, the mouse put an opinion forward. This opinion was that one end of a piece of string is to be tied to the foot of the frog and the other end is to be tied to the foot of the mouse. Thus, when the mouse has a desire to meet the frog he will just need to pull the string and the frog will respond by returning to the surface of the water.

The frog considered the mouse’s suggestion to be a bad one and said in his heart, “This evil one, wishes to tie me up and make me live like a prisoner.”
Despite disliking the mouse’s suggestion, the frog found an inclination within himself to accept to the request.

The two of them, by pulling the string were able to meet each other repeatedly each day until destruction struck them one morning. A vulture seeing it’s pray i.e. the mouse, from high above soared down upon the mouse, it also unknowingly, lifted the frog out of the water where until now he was safe and comfortable. This was due to the fact that the string held the mouse and the frog together. Unfortunately, what fate awaited the mouse befell the frog as well. The vulture killed them both and devoured them. If the frog remained in the water and had not formed a friendship with the evil mouse, nothing would have happened to him and he would not have been the prey of the vulture.

Hadrat Rumi Rahmatullahe alayhi uses this story as an example to draw our attention to the harms and effects of having bad company. It is a very good story with a powerful moral lesson.

Hadrat Rumi Rahmatullahe alayhi says:
“In this story we see the soul, the self and the shaytaan. The self represents the mouse, the soul represents the frog and the vulture represents the shaytaan.
The self, in order to satisfy its desires engages the soul in evil practises, endeavours to tie it with a string so that the soul indulges in these evil practises as well. When the soul reluctantly obeys the desires of the self and befriends the self, it allows the shaytaan to pull it whenever it wishes. In this way the soul is also humiliated because of the contact with the self. Hence, when shaytaan will go to hell, the self, who was in its beak, will also go to hell and so will the soul which was tied to the self.

In this day and age, we live in the midst of bad people and evil company. By befriending these evildoers, we will eventually be affected by their foul doings and will also indulge in these sins. By indulging in things that are wrong, we will only become more and more sinful and we will be dragged with the evildoers into Jahannam, which is the totally the opposite direction to where we should be heading.

Whereas if we are to befriend the pious, we will be affected by their good deeds and we will eventually get in to Jannat.

My dear respected readers, we have been given two choices only, but the big question is, which one will we choose? In this world we are not forced to do anything, we act upon our desires.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the ability to choose what is right and may he the Almighty grant us protection from one’s self and from shaytaan.
Ameen.

Story of an Idolator

Abdul Wahid b. Zaid (mercy be upon him) who belonged to a lineage of saints said, “We were once sailing in a boat. A gush of wind blew away our boat to an island where we saw a man busy adoring an idol. We asked him what he was worshipping. He pointed towards the idol. We said to him that this idol was made with his own hands. How could he worship it? The God whom we worship creates all such things Himself, and so deserves to be worshipped, alone.”

He then asked us, who do you worship? We told him, “We worship the Great God (Allah) who lives in the highest heaven. He alone controls the heavens and the earth. All other creatures whether human or animal depend on Him for their sustenance.” He further asked how we came to know about this Glorious God. We replied, “He sent His final Messenger (Peace be Upon him) to the whole of mankind to teach them about His Greatness.” He proceeded to enquire “Let me know of the place where this Prophet of God is?” We replied, “After the Prophet had completed his mission by conveying the message of God he died and returned to his Lord”.

He continued to ask, “Did this Messenger of God leave behind a thing for your guidance?” We explained, “Yes, he left behind a Book (the Qur’an), which was revealed by God. He asked to see the book. We offered him the Holy Qur’an. He told us he was unable to read and so we recited a few verses for him instead. During the course of its recital he repeatedly wept until we stopped. He finally asserted, “This can only be from Allah, the Most High”, and immediately confirmed his Faith in Allah and His Messenger.

We informed him about the duties of Islam and also explained some verses of the Holy Qur’an. After the late night prayer we went to bed and the man continued to ask questions. “Does Allah sleep at night? he wondered aloud as we lay comfortably in our beds. “Our Exalted God is Everliving and Everlasting. He does not sleep or rest!” we exclaimed. On hearing this he cried, “What disobedient slaves you are! Your Lord keeps awake, whereas you sleep!” We were dumbstruck by his remark. When we were about to return from this island, he begged us to take him with us to allow him to learn more. We agreed.

On reaching the city of ‘Aabadan, says Abdul Wahid, I said to my companions, “This man is our brother, therefore we should provide him with some livelihood”. Some dirhams were offered to him but he refused to accept them and exclaimed, “What is this?” We replied, “These are some dirhams for your expenditure.” He said, “It is enough that.you have shown me the right path. I was upon error and Allah guided me. I did not even worship him yet He neither destroyed nor killed me. I am so grateful to Him and you.

After a few days, we were told that he was about to breathe his last. We went to see him and asked him if there was any need of his to be satisfied. He said no and that he was happy with all that he had gained from Allah. Abdul Wahid said, ” I was all of asudden, overcome by sleep and hence slept there.

While sleeping, I saw a very fertile grden wherein was avery fine vault; a throne occupied by a very beautiful girl, a beauty that I had never seen before. She said to me , ‘By Allah, I returned him to His Lord quickly’, By seeing her in such a state I became very anxious. He addeded, ”When I woke up , the man had passed away. We managed to bury him immediately.”

Again at night, said Abdul Wahid; ”I witnessed the same garden, the same vault and the same girl sitting besides the man who had died. She was recitting the following Qur’anic verse, the transalation of which is ”And the Angels vist them from each door and send them their compliments, glad tiddings for peace and safety against each kind of misfortune. All this is the fruit of your contentment (and steadfastness for the religion of Islam). There is therefore a good reward for you in the Hereafter.”

This story of the idolator shows the Greatness of Allah and His Mercy towards the man who previously worshipped idols. He sent the people to the island as a means to guide the idolator and thus rewarded him a magnificent rewardin the hereafter.
”O Master of the world ! Whom Thou giveth to, nobody can withhold and whom Thou giveth not, no one can confer upon him.”

Humility and Forgiveness

Once upon a time, in a small village nestled amidst rolling hills, there lived a wise and kind-hearted old man named Hasan. He was known throughout the village for his gentle nature and his unwavering faith in Allah.

One hot summer day, a group of young children gathered around Hasan, eager to hear one of his insightful stories. Smiling, Hasan obliged and began to narrate a tale.

“There was once a small sparrow named Malik,” Hasan began. “Malik lived in a beautiful garden filled with lush trees and blooming flowers. He had a melodious voice and loved singing praises to Allah. Each morning, Malik would perch on a tree branch and greet the dawn with his enchanting melodies.”

“One day, as Malik sang his heart out, a proud peacock named Zafar passed by. Zafar was known for his magnificent feathers and believed himself to be the most beautiful bird in the garden. He couldn’t stand the idea of Malik’s sweet songs overshadowing his own beauty.”

“Filled with envy, Zafar approached Malik and said, ‘How dare you sing so joyfully? Your voice is nothing compared to my majestic presence! Stop singing at once!'”

“Malik, taken aback by Zafar’s words, replied humbly, ‘Brother Zafar, I sing not to outshine anyone, but to express my gratitude to Allah for the gift of life. My purpose is to bring joy and peace to the hearts of those who listen.'”

“Zafar scoffed and flew away, leaving Malik disheartened. Despite the encounter, Malik continued to sing his melodious songs each day, undeterred by the peacock’s criticism.”

“One evening, a heavy storm approached the village. The rain poured down relentlessly, and strong winds swept across the garden. The trees swayed dangerously, their branches ready to snap. In the midst of this chaos, Malik, seeking shelter, noticed Zafar perched on a precarious branch that was about to break.”

“Without hesitation, Malik fluttered towards Zafar and urged him to find a safer place. ‘Quickly, brother Zafar! This branch won’t hold much longer,’ Malik warned.”

“But Zafar, filled with regret for his past behavior, trembled in fear. ‘I was arrogant and foolish,’ Zafar confessed. ‘I judged you based on appearance and failed to recognize your true worth. Now, I am trapped because of my own pride.'”

“Understanding Zafar’s predicament, Malik called upon Allah for help. With a final burst of strength, Malik pecked at the branch, causing it to break and sending Zafar tumbling into safety.”

“Grateful and humbled, Zafar realized the error of his ways. ‘Malik, I apologize for my jealousy and arrogance. Your selflessness has saved me, despite my unkindness towards you. From this day forward, I vow to appreciate the beauty in others and treat all creatures with kindness.'”

Hasan paused, looking at the captivated faces of the children. “You see, my dear children, this story teaches us the importance of humility and recognizing the inherent value in every living being. Allah has bestowed unique talents and qualities upon each of us, and it is not for us to judge or belittle others. True beauty lies in the purity of the heart and the goodness of one’s character.”

The children nodded, absorbing the moral lesson conveyed by Hasan’s story. They left Hasan’s side with newfound understanding and a determination to be kind and humble in their own lives, just as Malik and Zafar had learned to be.

Make the Right Effort

This is the story of the giant ship engine that failed. The ship’s owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, from top to bottom.

Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man searched into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. & instantly, the engine lurched into life & got started.

He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for £10,000.

“What?!” the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything!”
So they wrote the old man a note saying “Please send us an itemised bill.”
The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer …..£2.00
Knowing where to hammer..£9,998.00

Total £10,000

Moral of The Story:
Effort itself is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life,
‘Makes all the difference’.  So often we see people striving, working and making effort tirelessly, often for years only for them to later on realise that they were all misplaced and how they wish they had spent the time and effort on something more fruitful.  This reminds me of a quote I once read a long time ago:

“My worry for you is not that you fail to succeed, but that you succeed in the wrong thing.”

An example that springs to mind which I have heard from our scholars is that people strive to do a lot of good a’maal but fail to refrain from committing sins, and they explained this point by using the example of a petrol tank with a hole in the bottom, we keep on filling it with petrol, little realising our loss of fuel from the hole in the tank.

May Allah give us the ability to reflect, learn and act on the above.

The Necklace

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

“Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?”

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl’s upturned face.

“A dollar ninety-five. That’s almost $2.00. If you really want them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday’s only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.”

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday,Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?”

“Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She’s my very favorite.”

“That’s okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s daddy asked again, “Do you love me?”

“Daddy, you know I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.”

“That’s okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.”

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.

As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. “What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?”

Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, “Here, daddy; this is for you.”

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time… He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with God. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

Are you holding onto things that God wants you to let go of?

Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing.

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

Reposted from Dec 2009

Charity wrapped in Dignity!

She asked him, “How much are you selling the eggs for?”

The old seller replied to her, “Rs.5/- for one egg, Madam.”

She said to him, “I will take 6 eggs for Rs.25/- or I will leave.”

The old seller replied, “Come take them at the price you want. May God bless us, and maybe this is a good beginning because I have not been able sell to anyone today.”

She took it and walked away with a feeling that she has won. She got into her fancy car and went to pick her friend, and invited her to a posh restaurant.

She and her friend sat down and ordered what they liked. They ate a little and left a lot of what they ordered.

Then she went to pay the bill. The bill was Rs.1,400/-. She gave him Rs. 1,500/- and said to the owner of the restaurant: “Keep the change.”

This incident may seem quite normal to the owner of the restaurant. But it is very painful for the poor egg seller.

The bottom line is:

Why do we always show that we have the power when we buy from the needy and the poor? And why are we generous with those who do not need our generosity ?

Every time a poor child comes to me to sell something simple, I remember a tweet from the son of a rich man who said, “After performing salah in masjid, my father would go out and buy simple goods from poor people at expensive prices, even though he did not need them. Sometimes he used to pay more for them. I used to get concerned by this act and I asked him about it. Then my father told me: ‘It is a charity wrapped with dignity, my son.'”

Compare these two stories of social hypocrisy.

The first one is disappointing and the second one is inspiring.

May God enlighten our vision.

Let me hug you

*Come, let me hug you on my chest:*

A true story which happened in Saudi Arabia.
Saeed bin Jumaan was an old father whose job was being a teacher. After the death of his wife, may Allah Have Mercy on her, he lived with his sons so they could serve him. Allah blessed him with four sons, and Alhamdulillah all of them were obedient.

Their father was known for his strength, prestige and words. If someone said Saeed bin Jumaan has arrived in the school, the principal and the teachers would get afraid, so how would the students be?

He used to hit his sons very hard, and hung his bamboo stick at the door.
When he became old, he realized his weakness and felt ashamed about how he hit his sons.

This story was told by one of his sons.

He said that their father sent them a message saying: “Habits often drive us to do wrong. Sorry my sons for what I did to you when you were young. I was cruel on you, not because I didn’t love you, but because you were more precious than my breath. Our tradition was saying that the cruel father is the only one who can raise his children properly, but a compassionate father is a one who failed, one who drives his sons to failure. I pretended to be tough and used force expecting that it will benefit you and thinking it was best for you. I was satisfied with our tradition, so as to please the society more than anything else, as if their satisfaction will make us enter Jannah! I tried to please the society even though deep inside I knew it wasn’t right.

My sons, don’t turn against me. When I see you kissing your children and befriending them, my heart breaks apart from pain, and I want to scream and tell you I also loved you, and I still love you.

So why is it, that when one of you kisses your children, you look at me in such a way that I feel like a sharp blade is stabbing my heart? It is as if you are telling me to learn how to love my children and be tender to them.

I understand how parents should deal with their children. But this wasn’t our time, and I can’t bring back what I’ve lost a long time ago. So don’t teach me anything unless it’s useful.  I ask for your forgiveness.  You can do anything you want to me, but don’t torture me with that look.”

This story was told by his youngest son, Yaser, who is now the father of three sons and a daughter.

“We were all touched by his message and we went and kissed his head, hands and feet, and we told him if it wasn’t for the way he raised us, we wouldn’t have been successful men.  When I went to bed to sleep, my father’s words kept ringing in my ears, and my heart ached and I turned over on my bed but it didn’t help.

Then I cried bitterly and I wrote to my father saying:
My beloved father, You may have thought that our looks to you when we embrace our children is a punishment, but this is the proof of our innocence, and only Allah Knows. When I embrace my children and look at you, it’s like I am saying ‘what if my father embraces me now?’ Because even though I’ve grown up and I’ve become a father, it doesn’t mean that I don’t need your warm hug and kisses. So can I have a hug and a kiss?”
Then he sent it to his father’s mobile phone and slept.

At dawn, Yaser went out of his room to pray and found his father standing on his crutches at the door, saying: “Come my son, let me hug you on my chest, I didn’t realize that beating you would hurt my heart so much now. If I did good then Allah Knows, If I was wrong then forgive me. You don’t know how precious you are to me. You are my soul, my liver and my everything.”

He brought Yaser to his chest and kissed him, and both of them started to cry.

After a few minutes, the father fell to the ground. His sons took him to the hospital and they tried to help him, but his time had come, he had departed from this world. May Allah have mercy on him.

So be gentle to your parents, because they might have wanted so much to be tender to you but they didn’t get the chance to.

Forget any painful past and remember that they have a great value, even if they didn’t raise you up with love.

Who stood up for your interests until you became an adult man, or woman and active member of society?

O Allah forgive our parents and have mercy on them, as they brought me up when I was little. Ameen!

Please share this story with those you love, because many need this.

The Story of Barseesa

There was a man who lived amongst the children of Israel named Barseesa. His worship and devotion to Allah was so great that we call him ‘aabid bani Isra’eel’: the great worshipper from the Children of Israel.

During his time, the King of the land made a call for men to join the army to fight in a jihad against an enemy. Amongst those who wanted to sign up were three brothers, but there was one problem. They had one sister and no other family to look after her. So they decided to go to Barseesa, the righteous man, and ask him to look after her in their absence, as they feared no evil from him.

Barseesa immediately refused their request: he would rather devote his time to worship of Allah. But when the three brothers went away, shaitan came to Barseesa and whispered to him “If you don’t look after the sister, then they will leave her in the hands of someone else, and then her safety isn’t guaranteed.”

So Barseesa changed his mind and took responsibility for the sister while the three brothers left. He left her in a house next to the building in which he prayed and each day he would prepare her some food and leave it outside his house for her, and then she would come and pick it up.

After some time, shaitan again came to Barseesa and suggested “why don’t you go and deliver the food to her doorstep. As it is, she is coming out of the house and everyone sees her, and you can see her inconvenience.”

So Barseesa accepted this suggestion and started taking the food right to the doorstep of where she was staying.

This continued for a while until shaitan came to him again and said “how can you leave the food at her doorstep? She still has to open the door and people see her.” Barseesa again changed his plan and decided to take the food into the house. But that was it, he decide. No further.

So this continued for a while until shaitan came and whispered to him “why dont you ever ask her how she is, at the moment she lives like a prisoner no one ever talks to her.” So now Barseesa started to talk to her, and soon they were smiling and laughing with each other and then passions flared, and then they fell in love, and then Barseesa, `aabid Bani Israeel, committed zina.

The story doesn’t end there because she became pregnant.

Shaitan now came to Barseesa and said “What have you done? If those three brothers come back and find their sister with a child, they will know that you betrayed their trust and committed zina with their sister, and then they are going to kill you. The only way to get out of this situation is to kill the child.” So Barseesa killed the child.

Shaitan came back to him again and warned “Do you think that the woman is going to keep quiet about the fact that you killed her child? The only way you can save yourself from this situation is to kill her too.” So Barseesa killed her as well.

Time passed, and the three brothers returned from jihad and asked for their sister. Barseesa merely pointed to a fake grave in which he had buried some animal bones. So the brothers cried and returned to their home.

However, shaitan came to each of them in a dream and said “that man Barseesa is a liar. When you were away he committed zina with your sister and then he killed her and their child and buried her in such-and-such place. And the grave you were shown is a fake grave with animal bones in it.”

When these three brothers woke up, they were shocked that they had all shared the same dream. So they checked the false grave to find the animal bones, and found the real grave of their sister and her child. When they interrogated Barseesa about it he confessed to everything, so they chained him up and dragged him to the King so that he could be executed. On the way there, shaitan appeared to Barseesa in a physical form and said “O Barseesa, do you know who i am? I am shaitan, and i am the one who has led you along this path. And now i am the only one who can save you.” Barseesa begged for help, so shaitaan instructed “If you prostrate to me i will save you.” So Barseesa prostrated to shaitan and … shaitan disappeared.

Barseesa ex-`aabid Bani Israeel was led away and executed. The once best of people died as the worst of poeple.
The point of the story is, you might think at the beginning that what you are doing is fine and that you can keep check on your emotions and everything, but you don’t know where this will lead to. Shaitan didn’t come to Barseesa directly and tell him to commit zina or murder, rather he took the softly-softly approach, and Barseesa fell for it. Shaitan doesn’t come to us guys and say “go and sleep with that girl.” He starts off by saying “hey, check her out, isn’t she pretty.” And then, “why don’t you just pop over there and say hello to her?”* and then … i guess you know what i’m saying. This excellent story was shared by a brother, may Allah (SWT) reward him. AMEEN.

When Allah has said that shaytan is an awoved enemy to you and we dont understand all his little ways that he uses to trap us, why open the door for him…

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