When Prophet Mohammad (SAW) and Abu Bakr (RA) reached mount Thawr during the migration to Medina, Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) carried him up the mountain to a cave called after the name of the mountain, Cave Thawr. Abu Bakr first entered to explore the cave and be sure that it was safe, closed all holes with pieces torn off from his clothes, cleaned it and then asked the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to step in. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) went in and immediately laid his head in Abu Bakr's lap and fell asleep. Suddenly Abu Bakr's foot was stung by a poisonous insect. It hurt so much that his tears fell on the Prophet's face. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) immediately applied his saliva on Abu Bakr's foot and the pain went off on the spot. They confined themselves to this cave for three nights, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 'Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr would go to see them after dusk, stay the night there, apprise them of the latest situation in Makkah, and then leave in the early morning to mix with the Makkans as usual and not to draw the least attention to his clandestine activities. 'Amir bin Fuhairah, while in the company of other shepherds of Makkah tending his master Abu Bakr's flock, used to stole away unobserved every evening with a few goats to the cave and furnished its inmates with a plentiful supply of milk.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Life in the Cave - Sacrifices of Rasulullah and Abu Bakr
Monday, October 23, 2017
Abdullah ibn Masud at his death bed
Abdullah ibn Masud lived to the time of Khalifah Uthman, may God be pleased with him. When he was sick and on his death-bed, Uthman came to visit him and said:
"What is your ailment?"
"My sins."
"And what do you desire?"
"The mercy of my Lord."
"Shall I not give you your stipend which you have refused to take for years now?"
"I have no need of it."
"Let it be for your daughters after you."
"Do you fear poverty for my children? I have commanded them to read Surah al-Waqiah every night for I have heard the Prophet saying, "Whoever reads Al-Waqiah every night shall not be afflicted by poverty ever."
That night, Abdullah passed away to the company of his Lord, his tongue moist with the remembrance of God and with the recitation of the verses of His Book.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Abdullah ibn Masud bleeds to recite the Quran
The companions of the Prophet were together one day in Makkah. They were still few in number. weak and oppressed. They said, "The Quraysh have not yet heard the Quran being recited openly and loudly. Who is the man who could recite it for them?'
"I shall recite it from them," volunteered Abdullah ibn Masud . "We are afraid for you," they said. "We only want someone who has a clan who would protect him from their evil . "
"Let me," Abdullah ibn Masud insisted, "Allah shall protect me and keep me away from their evil." He then went out to the mosque until he reached Maqam Ibrahim (a few meters from the Kabah). It was dawn and the Quraysh were sitting around the Kabah. Abdullah stopped at the Maqam and began to recite:
"Bismillah irRahma nirRahim. Ar-Rahman. Allama-l Quran. Khalaqal insan. Allamahul bayan... (In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful. The Merciful God. He has taught the Quran. He has created man and taught him the clear truth...)"
He went on reciting. The Quraysh looked at him intently and some of them asked: "What is Ibn Umm Abd saying?" "Damn him! He is reciting some of what Muhammad brought!" they realized. They went up to him and began beating his face as he continued reciting. When he went back to his companions the blood was flowing from his face. "This is what we feared for you," they said. "By God," replied Abdullah, "the enemies of God are not more comfortable than I at this moment. If you wish. I shall go out tomorrow and do the same."
The words reflect one's inner self
Mahmud was a very pious man, but he was not very attractive looking. One day, he was walking along the road, minding his own business, when a lady came up to him, and started calling him names and abusing him. This lady kept saying all kinds of nasty things, and Mahmud just listened to her patiently. Finally, when she was finished calling him names and abusing him, Mahmud just greeted her, smiled, and said
"and a nice day to you," and continued on his way.
Why did Mahmud, the pious man, behave this way?
It is because he knew that everything she said was just a reflection of her own inner self.
If you use bad language, you are just making obvious to everybody how far away you really are from Allah, since your words are in reality a reflection of your own inner self.
The man who made a promise to tell the truth
Telling the truth is a very good habit. If you always speak the truth, you can save yourself from a lot of trouble! Here is a story of a man who did a lot of bad things, but his promise to tell the truth saved him.
Once a man came to the prophet Muhammad (S) and said, "Oh prophet of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?" The prophet said, "Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man promised to do so and went home.
At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the promise he made with the prophet. "If tomorrow the prophet asks me where have I been, what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing."
So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit.
Next day, he felt like drinking wine, when he was about to do so, he said to himself, "What shall I say to the prophet if he asks me what did I do during the day? I cannot tell a lie, and if I speak the truth people will hate me, because a Muslim is not allowed to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of drinking wine.
In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very good person.
If you always speak the truth, you can be a good person, a good Muslim whom Allah likes and favors. If Allah - our Creator - is pleased with us, He will reward us with HEAVEN, which is a place of happiness and joy.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Wisdom of Iyas Ibn Muawiyah
Man: What is the Islamic ruling regarding wine?
Judge: It is Haram (Forbidden).
Man: How about water?
Judge: It is Halal (Permissible).
Man: How about dates and grapes?
Judge: They are Halal.
Man: Why is it that all these ingredients are Halal, and yet when you combine them, they become Haram?
The judge looked at the man and said: If I hit you with this handful of dirt, do you think it would hurt you?
Man: It would not.
Judge: How about if I hit you with this handful of straw?
Man: It would not hurt me.
Judge: How about a handful of water?
Man: It surely would not hurt me.
Judge: How about if I mix them, and let them dry to become a brick, and then hit you with it, would it hurt you?
Man: It would hurt me and might even kill me!
Judge: The same reasoning applies to what you asked me!!
Iyas Ibn Muawiyah Al-Muzani was a tabi'i Qadi (judge) in the 2nd century AH who lived in Basra (modern day Iraq). He was renowned for possessing immense cleverness which became a favourite topic in Arabic folklore.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Malik Bin Dinar and the Thief
Without showing any signs of shock or scare, Maalik calmly extended greetings of peace and said, "My brother, may Allah forgive you. You entered my home and found nothing worth taking, yet I do not want you to leave without taking away some benefit."
He went in another room and came back with a jug full of water. He looked into the eyes of the burglar and said,
"Make ablution and perform two units of prayer, for if you do so, you will leave my home with a greater treasure than you had initially sought."
Humbled by Maalik's manners and words, the thief said, "Yes, that is a generous offer indeed."
After making ablution and performing two units of prayer, the burglar said, "O Maalik, would you mind if I stayed for a while, for I want to stay to perform two more units of prayer?"
Maalik said, "Stay for whatever amount of prayer Allah decrees for you to perform now."
The thief ended up spending the entire night at Maalik's house. He continued to pray until morning. Then Maalik said, "Leave now and be good."
But instead of leaving, the thief said, "Would you mind if I stayed here with you today, for I have made an intention to fast?"
"Stay as long as you wish," Maalik said.
The burglar ended up staying for a number of days, praying during the late hours of each night and fasting in the day. When he finally decided to leave, the burglar said, "O Maalik, I have made a firm resolve to repent for my sins and for my former way of life."
Maalik said, "That is in the Hand of Allah."
The man did mend his ways and began to lead a life of righteousness and obedience to Allah. Later on, he came across another burglar who asked him, "Have you found your treasure yet?"
He replied, "My brother, what I found is Maalik Bin Dinar. I went to steal from him, but it was he who ended up stealing my heart. I have indeed repented to Allah, and I will remain at the door (of His Mercy and Forgiveness) until I achieve what his obedient, loving slaves have achieved."
[Al-Mawaa'idh wal-Majaalis: 85]
