Are You a Wealthy Man?

A saint was praying silently. A wealthy merchant, observing the saint's devotion and sincerity, was deeply

touched by him. The merchant offered the saint a bag of gold.

"I know that you will use the money for Allah's sake. Please take it."

"Just a moment." The saint replied. "I'm not sure if it is lawful for me to take your money.

Are you a wealthy man? Do you have more money at home?

"Oh yes. I have at least one thousand gold pieces at home," claimed the merchant proudly.

"Do you want a thousand gold pieces more? Asked the saint.

"Why not, of course yes. Every day I work hard to earn more money."

"And do you wish for yet a thousand gold pieces more beyond that?"

"Certainly. Every day I pray that I may earn more and more money."

The saint pushed the bag of gold back to the merchant. "I am sorry, but I cannot take your gold," he said.

"A wealthy man cannot take money from a beggar."

"How can you call yourself a wealthy man and me a beggar?" the merchant spluttered.

The saint replied, "I am a wealthy man because I am content with whatever Allah (SWT) sends me.

You are a beggar, because no matter how much you possess, you are always dissatisfied, and

always begging Allah (SWT) for more."

Young Boy with Strong Belief

Shaykh Fath al-Mowsily relates, once I saw a young boy walking through the jungle. It appeared as if he

was uttering some words. I greeted him with Salaam and he replied accordingly. I inquired,

"Where are you going?"

Young boy retorted, "To the house of Allah, Kaaba in Makkah."

I further asked, "What are you reciting?"

"Noble Qur'an" he replied.

I remarked, "You are at a tender age, it is not an obligation that you are required to fulfill."

Young boy said, "I have witnessed death approach people younger than me and therefore would like to

prepare if death was to knock on my door."

I astoundingly commented, "Your steps are small and your destination far."

He responded, "My duty is to take the step and it remains the responsibility of Allah (SWT) to take me

to my destination."

I continued to ask, "Where is your provision and conveyance (means of transport)."

He replied, "My Yaqeen (certainty) is my provision and my feet's are my conveyance."

I explained, "I am asking you regarding bread and water."

Young boy replied! "Oh Shaykh if someone invited you to his house, would it be appropriate to take your own food?"

I exclaimed, "No!"

"Similarly, My Lord has invited His servant to His house, it is only the weakness of your Yaqeen (certainty)

that makes us carry provisions. Despite this, do you think Allah (SWT) will let me go to waste?"

"Never" I replied.

Young boy then left.

Sometime later I saw him in Makkah.

Young boy approached me and inquired, "Oh Shaykh are you still of weak belief?"

Stop Being a Glass

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

"How does it taste?" the Master asked. "Awful," spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake.

The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake,

the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked

the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No," said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, "The pain of life is pure salt;

no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same.

But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain,

the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things.....

Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

A Man Argues that Wine Should be Halal

A man came to Iyas Ibn Mu'awiyah, a Muslim judge famous for his wisdom, and the following
conversation took place between them:

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!!

Army of Elephants

The following incident is mentioned in Surah Feel of the Holy Quran and it happened during the period of
the birth-year of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Abraha Al-Ashram was the governor of Yemen on behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build
a house (like the Kabah at Makkah) in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and call the Arabs to perform the pilgrimage
there in Sana instead of the Kabah in Makkah, with the intention of diverting the trade and benefits from Makkah
to Yemen. He presented his idea to the king of Ethiopia who agreed to it. So the house (church) was built and
he named it Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like at that time. Then a man from the Quraish tribe of
Makkah came there and was infuriated by it, so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it, soiled its walls
and went away.

When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he could not control his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah
and demolish the Kabah. He had in that army thirteen elephants and amongst them was an elephant called
Mahmud which was the biggest of them. So that army proceeded and none amongst the Arab tribes that
faced them (fought against them) but was killed and defeated, till it approached near Makkah. Then there
took place negotiations between Abrahah Al-Ashram and the chief of Makkah (Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim,
the grandfather of the Prophet), and it was concluded that Abrahah would restore the camels of Abdul Muttalib
which he had taken away, and then he (Abrahah) would decide himself as regards the Kabah. Abdul Muttalib
ordered the men of Makkah to evacuate the city and go to the top of the mountains along with their wives and
children in case some harm should come to them from the invading oppressors.

Then that army moved towards Makkah till they reached valley Muhassir. While the army was marching towards
Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it was overtaken by flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding
that army with small stones slightly bigger than a lentil seed. There never fell a stone on a soldier except it
dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces. So they perished with a total destruction. Abrahah Al-Ashram fled
away while his flesh was bursting into pieces till he died on the way (back to Yemen). Such was the victory
bestowed by Allah, (the All-Majestic, All-Powerful) to the people of Makkah and such was the protection provided
by Him for His House (Kabah in Makkah).

Source: Extracted from Tafsir of Surah Feel (Surah 105) by Ibn Kathir as found in Translation of the Noble Quran
by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.