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.

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

Honesty and Truth

A honest and truthful girl.

One night, as per his usual practise, Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – was walking around Madina Shareef with his slave.

In fact, it was his habit to walk around the streets and pathways of Madina Shareef during the night with the intention of looking after the people in the blessed city and also to see that no harm came to them. As he walked along, at a certain stage, he felt tired and he decided to lean on the wall of a certain house to have a small rest. Morning was also fast approaching.

From this house, the voice of an old lady was also heard and she was commanding her daughter to mix some water with the milk. However, her young daughter was refusing to do this. The daughter told her mother that the Ameerul Mo’mineen had prohibited people from mixing water in the milk and he had also publicly made this announcement. However the mother said, “At this time, ‘Umar is not watching you that you should be so frightened.” However, the young girl mentioned, “Even if ‘Umar is not watching at this moment, the Creator of Umar is still watching.”

Hadrat Sayyiduna Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – who was listening to this conversation was extremely impressed by the honesty of this young girl. He then ordered his servant to keep an eye on this house.

During the day, Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – found out that this girl was the daughter of Hadrat Sayyiduna Sufyan bin Abdullah Saqafi – may Allah be pleased with him – and whose name was Umme Amaarah.

When Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – came to know about this that she was not yet married, he called all his sons and asked them which one was prepared to get married. Among his sons, Hadrat Asim – may Allah be pleased with him – replied that he was prepared to marry this girl.

Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him – then approached the family and had his son Hadrat Asim marry this young girl. The first child that was born was a girl whose name was Umme Asim. This was the granddaughter of Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him. When she became mature, she married the son of Marwan bin Hakam whose name was Abdul Aziz. From this marriage, the first child born was a boy and his mother, Umme Asim, gave him the same name as her grandfather, ‘Umar. This child later on was to become known as the famous Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Umar bin Abdul Aziz – may Allah be pleased with him.

Show humility

Sayyiduna ‘Iyad ibn Himar رضي الله عنه narrates:

Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

“Allah has revealed to me, ‘You should show humility to the extent that neither one considers himself superior to others nor oppresses others.’”

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 2865)

In Anger

You can’t see your reflection in boiling water; similarly, truth cannot be seen in a state of anger.

Making Assumptions

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops – a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on, six foot eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down at the back.

Did I mention that the driver was five foott three, thin, and basically meek?
Well, he was. Naturally, he didn’t argue with Big John, but he wasn’t happy about it. The next day the same thing happened – Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next.

This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John
was taking advantage of him. Finally he could stand it no longer and so he signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff.

By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what’s more, he felt really good about himself.

So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said,
“Big John doesn’t pay!” The driver stood up, glared back at the passenger,
and screamed, “And why not?”

With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass.”

MORAL / LESSON:

The moral of this incident/story is quite self evident. However, it is a lesson that many of us seem to overlook and disregard in the many activities and chores of our life.

We learn from this incident that a person should not be hasty in making assumptions and judging a situation or an individual from what seems to be the apparent.

It is essential that a Muslim assumes the best of his fellow being and gives him the benefit of the doubt. If possible, one should allow the fellow being to explain himself as to clear any doubts one may have.

Our Nabi صلى الله عليه و صلم has stated that being hasty is from Shaytaan whilst steady composure is from Allah سبحانه و تعالى.

In the same manner ‘Ulamaa have stated that if there is a single reason for doubt in a matter relating to a person then that doubt should have an effect on the decision that is made.

In conclusion, one should take all factors into consideration and avoid hastiness in judging an individual. Instead, one should try to make the matter clear as to avoid placing false accusations on anyone.

Jazakallah to Maulana Zain for writing up a moral for the story.

Your Blessings

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

State of anger

You can’t see your reflection in boiling water.

Similarly, you can’t see the truths in your life in a state of anger.

Encourage people trying to be better

When people are trying to better themselves, do not use their past against them. Always remember, people learn, people change, people grow and people move on.

So help them, encourage them, and wish the best for them, do not hurt them and do not try to bring them down.

Maulana Imtiyaz Sidat

Continuous Professional Development

Recently a colleague was mentioning that each year he had to make a declaration to his professional body, that he has undertaken through the year CPD (Continuous Professional Development) activity to fulfill a requirement in order to enhance and maintain a certain skills and knowledge level. It is widely believed that these skills and knowledge kept up to date would equip a person to carry out their duties and responsibilities well.

Why am I even mentioning the above?

Well it got me thinking that for our careers, personal development and worldly objectives we make sure we do enough CPD periodically. However we pay little attention, if any, to our personal development when it comes to the deen.

For those fortunate enough, to have even had a Madrassah education, have we even looked at our books or notes since the day we left? Every day we depend on some of the basic aspects of the deen, performing Wudu, praying salaah, ensuring we are pure but do we review these every so often to make sure we are doing it correctly? Do we sit in the circles of learning in the Masajid when lectures and talks are given?

May Allah grant us the ability to continually develop islamically and spiritually, and give it the priority in our life that it deserves, ameen.

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