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.

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

Am I Grateful?

Am I truly grateful for each breath that I take,
For each and every moment that I am awake?
Do I thank Allah for my restful sleep,
And for the dreams that cause me to weep?

Am I honestly thankful to the Almighty One,
For the early morning mist, the bright, rising sun?
During Fajr prayer, I use my soft prayer mat,
As Allah’s servant, do I appreciate that?

Throughout the day, do I realise,
That Allah, All knowing and the Most Wise,
Gives me what I need and so much more
And that I have so much to be grateful for?

A grandmother’s love, a book of hadith,
The clothes that I wear, the food that I eat,
The book that I should follow, the Holy Qur’an,
Promoting the good and ending the wrong.

So I must ask myself every beautiful day,
Am I truly grateful for each breath that I take,
For each and every moment that I am awake?
Do I thank Allah for my restful sleep,
And for the dreams that cause me to weep?

By Ibn-e-Malik (Voices Issue 7)

Reposted from January 2008

Allah’s Love & Mercy

Allah still loves and shows mercy to those who disobey Him, so imagine how much He loves those who obey Him.

Allah's Love & Mercy

Say Thanks to Allah

A man reached 70 years of age and he faced a disease; he could not urinate. The doctors informed him that he was in need of an operation to cure this disease. He agreed to have the operation done as the problem was giving him much pain for days.

When the operation was completed, his doctor gave him the bill which covered all the costs. The old man looked at the bill and started to cry. Upon seeing this the doctor told him that if the cost was too high then they could make some other arrangements. The old man said “I am not crying because of the money but I am crying because Allah let me urinate for 70 years and He never sent me a bill.”

…and if you try to count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them… Surah Ibrahim

Allah states that the servants are never able to count His blessings, let alone thank Him duly for them. In Sahih Al-Bukhari it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah( Peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate;

«اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ غَيْرَ مَكْفِيَ وَلَا مُوَدَّعٍ وَلَا مُسْتَغْنًى عَنْهُ رَبَّنَا»

O Allah ! All praise is due to You, without being able to sufficiently thank You, nor ever wish to be cutoff from You, nor ever feeling rich from relying on You; our Lord!

It was reported that Prophet Dawud peace be upon him, used to say in his supplication, “O Lord! How can I ever duly thank You, when my thanking You is also a favor from You to me’’
Allah the Exalted answered him, “Now, you have thanked Me sufficiently, O Dawud,’’ meaning, `when you admitted that you will never be able to duly thank Me.’

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Thanks to Allah

Wanting from Allah

When you get what you want, that is Allah’s direction.

When you don’t get what you want, that is Allah’s Protection.

4 Levels of Purity

“Purity has 4 levels:
1) Purifying the external body from impurities
2) Purifying the limbs from the disobedience of Allah
3) Purifying the heart from bad habits and character
4) Purifying the soul from everything besides Allah.’

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi
Ahkam al-Islam, pg 21

3 Pieces of Advice Vs 20 Years of Salary

A very poor newly wedded, young couple lived in a small farm. One day the husband made the following proposal to his wife:
Honey, I will leave the house: I will travel faraway, get a job and work hard in order to come back and give you the comfortable life that you deserve. I do not know how long I will stay away, I only ask one thing, please wait for me, and while I am away, you should be faithful to me, because I will be faithful to you.

So the young man left. He walked many days until he found a farmer who was in need of someone to help him. The young man offered his services. He was accepted. Therefore he discussed the terms with his boss: Let me work for as long as I want and when I think I should go home, please relieve me of my duties. I do not want to receive my salary. I ask you to save it for me, until the day I leave. The day I decide to go, please give me the money and I will go my way.

They agreed on that. So, the young man worked for twenty years without holiday and without rest. After twenty years, he came to his boss and said: – Boss, I want my money, because I am returning to my home.
The boss replied:
– All right, after all, I made a deal with you and I will stick to it. However, before you go I want to offer you something new: I will give you all your money and send you away; or I will give you 3 pieces of advice and send you away. If I give you the money, I do not give you the 3 pieces of advice. And if I give you the 3 pieces of advice, I will not give you the money.
Now, go to your room and think about your answer.

He thought for two days. Then he went to the boss and told him:
– I want the 3 pieces of advice. The boss stressed again:
– If I give you the 3 pieces of advice, I will not give you the money.

And the man replied:  I want the 3 pieces of advice.
The boss then told him: No. 1: Never take shortcuts in your life, shorter and unknown paths can cost your life.
No. 2: Never be too curious, for curiosity towards evil can be deadly.
No. 3: Never make decisions in moments of anger or pain, because when you repent, it could be too late.

After giving these 3 pieces of advice, the boss said to him:  Here, you have 3 loaves of bread, 2 are for you to eat during the journey and the last is for you to eat with your wife when you get home.

So, the man went his way, after twenty years away from home and from his wife, whom he loved so much.

After the first day of travel, he found a man who greeted him and asked: Where are you going?
He replied: To a distant place which is about 20 days away if I continue walking.
The man said to him: Ol’ boy, this path is too long! I know a shortcut that is very safe and you will arrive in 5 days only.

The man began to follow the path suggested until he remembered the first piece of advice. Then, he
returned and followed the long path. Days later he learned that the shortcut led to an ambush.

After a few more days of travel, he found an inn by the roadside, where he could rest. He paid for a room and after taking a bath he lay down to sleep.  During the night he woke up as he heard a terrifying scream. He rose to his feet and went to the door to check what happened. As he was opening the door, he remembered the second piece of advice. Therefore he returned, lay down
again and slept.

At dawn, after breakfast, the owner of the lodging asked him if he had not heard the scream at night. He affirmed that he heard. Then, the host said: Were you not curious to see what happened? 
And he replied: No, I was not.
Then the host said: You are the first guest to leave this inn alive. My neighbour is completely crazy. He usually shouts at night to call someone’s attention. When some of the guests come out, he kills them and buries their bodies in the backyard.

The man continued his long journey, eager to arrive soon. After many days and nights walking, he was very tired, but he finally saw his house far away. It was night. He saw some light coming out of the window of his house and was able to see the silhouette of his wife. But he also saw that she was not alone. He came closer and saw there was a man with her. She softly caressed his hair. 

When he saw that scene, his heart was filled with hatred and bitterness. He decided to rush at and kill them both mercilessly. However, he took a deep breath and he remembered the third piece of advice. Then he stopped, reflected and decided to sleep
outside that night. He slept in the midst of the bushes, determined to make a decision the next day.

At dawn, he was calmer and thought: I will not kill my wife and her lover. I am going back to my boss to ask him to take me back. But before I go, I want to tell my wife that I have always been faithful to her.

He went to the front door and knocked. When his wife opened the door and recognized him, she cried and embraced him warmly. He tried to push her away, but he was not able. Then, with tears in his eyes he told her: I was faithful to you but you betrayed me.
She was shocked, so she replied: How did I betray you? I have never betrayed you. I waited patiently for you for twenty good
years.

Then he asked: How about the man that you were caressing yesterday?
And she said: That man is your son. When you left, I discovered I was pregnant. Today he is twenty years old.

Hearing that, the man asked her forgiveness. He met and hugged his son. Then he told them all the things he had experienced while away. Meanwhile, his wife prepared some coffee for them to eat together, the last bread given by his boss.

After a prayer of Gratitude, he broke the bread. When he looked at it, he found all his money inside. In fact, there was even more than the right payment for his twenty years of dedication and hard work.

Our Creator is like this boss. When he asks us to make a sacrifice, he wants to give us more than what we give Him. He wants us to have His unique wisdom as well as the material blessings.

Persistent in Du’a

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Verily your Lord is Generous and Shy. If His servant raises his hands to Him, He becomes shy to return them empty.”

(Tirmidhī)

Your Blessings

Remember your blessings, that Allah has granted you, no matter what you’re going through.

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