4 TRUE STORIES
First Story
Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is reported to have said: "A person was
in a jungle when all of a sudden he heard a voice in a cloud saying: "Go and
water the orchard of so and so person." On hearing that voice, the cloud moved
and poured heavily on a stony place. All the water collected in a drain and
began to flow. This person began following the water and saw that a man was
standing in his orchard and was sprinkling water with a spade. This person asked
the gardener: "O servant of Allah! What is your name?" He gave the same name
which this person had heard in the cloud. Thereafter, the gardener asked this
person: "O servant of Allah! Why are you asking me my name?" He replied: "I
heard a voice in that cloud whose water this is taking your name and asking it
to pour water onto your orchard. What do you do in it that it is so acceptable?"
He replied: "Now that you have asked, I will have to inform you. I look at its
total produce and from there I give one third to charity. Another third I keep
for myself and my family, and the last third I re-invest into this orchard."
Lesson: Glory be to Allah! How merciful He is that the person who obeys Him has
all his work done through unseen ways without him even knowing about it. Without
doubt, the person who becomes Allah's, Allah becomes his.
Second Story
Once Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam related that there were three men
from the Banu Isra'eel. One of them was a leper, the other bald, and the third
blind. Allah Ta'ala wanted to test them, so He sent an angel to them. The angel
first went to the leper and asked him: "What would you like best?" He replied:
"I would like a nice complexion, a beautiful skin, and that this sickness goes
away from me whereby people do not allow me to sit with them and which they
hate." The angel passed his hand over the body of that person. He was
immediately cured and a nice skin and beautiful complexion appeared. The angel
then asked him: "What type of wealth do you like the most?" He replied:
"Camels." So he gave him a pregnant camel and told him: "May Allah Ta'ala give
you barakah in this."
The angel then went to the bald person and asked him: "What would you like
best?" He replied: "That my hair grows nicely and that this sickness which
people dislike goes away from me!" The angel passed his hand over his head, he
was immediately cured and beautiful hair began to grow. He then asked him: "What
type of wealth do you like the most?" He replied: "Cows." So he gave him a
pregnant cow and told him: "May Allah Ta'ala give you barakah in this."
Eventually, the angel went to the blind person and asked him: "What would you
like most?" He replied: "That Allah gives me back my sight so that I may be able
to see everyone." The angel passed his hand over his eyes and Allah gave him
back his sight. He then asked him: "What type of wealth do you like the most?"
He replied: "Goats." So he was given a pregnant goat. The animals of all three
delivered their babies. In a short time, the jungle was filled with his camels,
his cows, and his goats.
Thereafter, under the orders of Allah Ta'ala, that angel went in his previous
form to the leper and said to him: "I am a poor person. All my provisions for my
journey are finished. Today I have no means of reaching home except through
Allah and then through your help. In the name of that Allah who has blessed you
with a nice skin and a beautiful complexion, I ask you for a camel which I could
ride and reach my home." He replied: "Get far away from here! I have a lot of
other commitments to fulfil. I do not have anything to spare which I could give
you." The angel said: "I think I recognize you. Were you not a leper, for which
people despised you? Were you not very poor, and then Allah blessed you with so
much of wealth?" He replied: "What are you talking? I inherited this wealth from
my ancestors." The angel said: "If you are lying, may Allah return you as you
were before."
The angel then went to the bald person in his previous form and asked him the
same questions and he also replied in the same way. So the angel said to him:
"If you are lying, may Allah return you as you were before."
Eventually he went to the blind person in that same original form and said to
him: "I am a traveller and all my provisions are finished. Today I have no means
except Allah and then you. In the name of that Being who returned to you your
eye-sight, I ask you for a goat with which I could do my work and complete my
journey." He replied: "Without doubt, I was blind. It was only out of His mercy
that Allah Ta'ala gave me back my eye-sight. Take as much as you want and leave
behind as much as you want. By Allah, I will not stop you from taking anything."
The angel replied: "Keep your wealth with you, I do not want anything. I had
only come to test you three. Now the test is over. Allah is pleased with you and
displeased with the other two."
Lesson: Just imagine, that because of the ungratefulness of those two, all those
bounties were taken away and they were left as they were before. Allah became
displeased with them and they are forsaken both in this world and in the
hereafter. Due to his gratefulness, that person's bounties remained intact,
Allah was pleased with him, and he is contented both in this world and in the
hereafter.
Third Story
Once some meat from somewhere came to Hadrat Umme Salamah radiallahu anha.
Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam liked meat a lot. She therefore asked her
maid to keep the meat on the shelf. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will
perhaps come and partake of it. So she kept it on the shelf. Just then a beggar
came, and while standing at the doorway, shouted: " Give in the name of Allah,
He will give you barakah!" A reply from the house came: "May Allah also give you
blessings!" These words are used to show that there is nothing in the house
which could be given. That beggar went away. Just then Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam arrived and asked: "O Umme Salamah! Do you have anything to
eat?" She replied: "Yes" and said to the maid: "Go and get that meat." She goes
to bring the meat, but there's no sign of that meat over there. Only a piece of
white stone was kept there. Upon this Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
remarked that because she did not give it to the beggar, that piece of meat
turned into a stone.
Lesson: Just think, that due to not giving in the name of Allah, this misfortune
occurred that the form of the meat changed and turned into a stone. In the same
way, the person who deceives the beggar and yet eats himself, is actually eating
a stone. The result of this is that mercilessness and hard-heartedness
increases. Since Allah Ta'ala has a lot of kindness and mercy on the family of
Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, He changed the form of the meat in front
of their very eyes so that they may be saved from partaking of it.
Fourth Story
It was the noble habit of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that after the
Fajr salaat he used to turn and face his companions and ask them: "Did anyone of
you see any dream last night?" If anyone saw a dream, he would relate it to him
and he would give some interpretation to it. As was his habit, he once asked
them if any one of them had seen any dream. They all said that they had not seen
any dream. He then said: "I saw a dream last night that two people came to me,
took hold of my hand and led me towards a sacred place. I saw a man sitting and
another standing with pincers in his hand. He was tearing open the sitting man's
cheek until it reached his neck. He then did the same with the other cheek. In
the meantime, the first cheek came back to its normal position, so he did the
same to it again. I asked the angels: "What is this?" They replied: "Carry on
further."
We continued further until we passed by a person who was lying down and another
person was standing at his head-side with a heavy boulder in his hand. He took
the boulder and, with full force, he burst his head. Once the boulder struck
him, it fell and rolled away to a far distance. When he went to pick up that
boulder and by the time that he returned, this person's head became normal
again. So he burst it again. I asked them: "What is this?" They replied: "Carry
on further."
We carried on further until we reached a cave which was like an oven. It was
very wide at the bottom and very narrow on top. A fire was burning in it and it
was filled with many naked men and women. When the flames rose, all of them rose
with it until they were about to fall out. When the flames subsided, they all
also went down with it. I asked them: "What is this?" They both replied: "Carry
on further."
We proceeded further until we reached a river of blood. A person was standing in
the centre of the river, and on the bank another man was standing with many
boulders in front of him. The man in the centre walked towards the bank and when
he was about to come out, the person on the bank threw a boulder on his face
with such force that he returned to his original place in the centre. When he
tried to come out again, he threw a boulder at him and sent him back. I asked
them: "What is this?" They replied: "Carry on further."
We proceeded further until we reached a green and luscious garden. There was a
huge tree and under it an old man and many children were sitting. Near the tree
there was another man sitting. There was a fire burning in front of him which he
was blowing. Thereafter my two companions lifted me up and took me on top of the
tree. Within the tree, a beautiful house was being constructed. They took me
inside it; I had never seen such a beautiful house. There were many old and
young men and women, and many children inside. After taking me outside, we went
to an even higher place. Over there was a house which was better than the first
one. They took me inside; there were also young and old people in it. I said to
those two persons: "You took me around throughout the night, now tell me about
all these mysteries."
One of them said: " The one whose cheeks you saw being torn apart is a liar. He
used to speak lies until they used to become famous everywhere. They will
continue doing this to him right until qiyaamah. As for the one whose head you
saw getting smashed, he was a person whom Allah had given knowledge of the
Quran. He was negligent of it at night and did not practise on it during the
day. He will be punished right until qiyaamah in this way. As for those whom you
saw in the cave of fire, they were all adulterers. As for the one in the river
of blood, he was a devourer of usury (interest). The old man under the tree is
Ibrahim alayhis salaam and all the children around him are the infants of other
people. The person blowing the fire is the Guardian of Hell. The first house
which you entered is for the general Muslims. The second house is for the
martyrs. I am Jibra'eel and this is Mika'eel." He then said: "Lift your head." I
lifted my head and saw a white cloud above me. He said: "This is your house." I
said: "Let me enter my house." He replied: "Your life is not completed yet.
There's still some time left. If it was complete, you would have entered it
now."
Lesson: It should be known that dreams of prophets are revelations. All these
incidents are true. Several things are learnt from this Hadith: (a) the severe
punishment for speaking lies, (b) the fate of an aalim who does not practise on
his knowledge, (c) the punishment for adultery, (d) the punishment for devouring
interest. May Allah Ta'ala protect all Muslims from all these sins.
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