FOUNTAIN OF WISDOM SERIES - 001: A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES FROM THE MEN OF ALLAH IN AGES PAST

        

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

[BEING A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES FROM THE MEN OF ALLAH IN AGES PAST, WITH REFERENCES WHERE AVAILABLE]

Gathered Together For

                POLISHING THE SOUL

                             

By

THE FOUNDER, QUEEN OF SHEBA PEACE FOUNDATION

Hajiya Seyyidah Bilqis Bolajoko Grillo

e-mail:bola_grillo@yahoo.com

PUBLISHER AND OTHER INFORMATION

Printed and published by:

Queen of sheba peace foundation press

No. 2, Jonah Lane, off Idita Street, Lagos

OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY THE PRESS:

FOUNTAIN OF WISDOM SERIES 002 TO 009

MAN KNOW THYSELF SERIES 001 TO 009

TRANSLATION OF SHEIKH IBRAHIM NIASS LECTURE SERIES 001 TO 025

DIAMOND SPARKLE SERIES 001-OO5

ACOLLECTION OF ESSAYS ON ISLAMIC THOUGHTS

AN INSIGHT INTO TARIQAH TIJANIYYAH

THE QUEST FOR WEALTH

  

Table of titles

  

1.      Merits of salat on the prophet

2.      Salvation is by grace

3.      Merits of the Basmallah

4.     The three categories of worshippers

5.     Lessons from the Sage Khidr during his                                      encounter with Prophet Musa.

6.   The parable of the three kinds of birds killed by         Prophet Ibrahim

  

Merits of salat on the prophet

It was narrated from Sufyan Thaoriyyu (may Allah be satisfied with Him) that he said: While I was in the midst of others carrying out the circumambulation (tawaf) of the House (of Allah – Ka’aba), I saw a man who never raised his feet up in the tawaf process except that he renders salat prayer of peace, salutations and benedictions) on the Holy Prophet (pbuh). So I approached and asked him: Dear one, I observed that you did not make use of a tesbih (glorification of Allah formulae e.g. Subhanallah) or tahlil (la ilaha illa lahu) but rather concentrated on the usage of asalat on the prophet (pbuh) in your tawaf duty, do you have any justification for that action on your part? He replied: may Allah be kind on to you, please who are you? I told him, “I am Sufyan Thaoriyyu. He said: “If not for the fact that you are a stranger among the people of your time, I would not have informed you about my state, and thus not allow you to gaze upon my secret”: then he said: There was one time I left home with my father and both were making a pilgrim to the sacred House of Allah, until we got to a particular point of disembarkment while still on our journey when my father took ill and died. Immediately his face turned black, eyes turned yellow, and stomach got swollen up. So I started crying and said “We are surely from Allah and we are surely returning to Allah; how pitiable was it that my father died in a strange land this kind of unfavourable death!” so I covered his face with a towel and soon my eyes were overtaken with weakness so I slept off. There and then on that spot I saw myself in the company of a man whose beauty was radiating out of his face in such a manner as I have never experienced in my life.

In the same way, his cloth was exceptionally clean beyond imagination and never have I smelled a perfume sweeter than what was exuding from him. He moved closer to my father and removed the towel that was upon his face. He then wiped his hand across his face and immediately the face turned whither than pure milk, then he wiped his hand across his belly and behold! It reverted to its normal state that it was originally. Thereafter, he wanted to go back so I stood up to him, then held on to his cloak and said! O my master that is sent to my father as mercy in a strange land, I beg of thee, who are you? He said: Don’t you know me? I am Muhammad the Apostle of Allah. This your father was much entrenched in sins and offences, except of course, that he was also engaged in plenty numbers of asalat upon me, hence when what descended upon him in this way accured, he has sought help by me in case of this kind of situation; and I have promised him my protection, because I am a source of refuge and assistance for whoever engages in rendering asalat upon me in large numbers while in the abode of Duniya (the present life)”. Thereafter, I awoke and behold! My father’s face had turned white and his belly had gone down to normal”.

As to the asalat-al-fathi limo ugliqa, our Sheikh, leader or means of approach to our Lord, Ahmad bin Muhammad Tijani affirmed as related from “Jawahiri-l-Mohaani”: I was engrossed in the rendition of solatul fathi prayer of peace on the prophet when I returned from Hajj to Tilmisan based on what I saw of its merit and worth. Part of this value is to be likened to six hundred thousand of other forms of asalat formulae just as it was written in wirdatul Juyinub.

A NARRATION 

SALVATIONS BY GRACE OF ALLAH ONLY AND NO OTHER

There was once a devoted, pious man. He was however tried with poverty. Finding a means of subsistence in order to feed and clothe himself was a great problem. He thought of a way out but found none. He however had only an option – to serve his junior brother who is rich famous and proud. If he can act as one of his brother’s numerous errands, then his feeding and clothing would be guaranteed.

Having no option available to him he went to his brother and indicated his intention to join his servant. The junior brother agreed and assigned him tasks he must meets.

One day, the junior brother set out to visit a major  [friend of Allah] and asked his senior brother to accompany him. They both set out for the journey. On reaching the destination, the chief host welcomed the duo and arranged that the senior brother be put up alongside one of his many student. The junior brother was put up with the chief, the host. During the time of breakfast, the chief host made sumptuous and assorted kinds of meal available to his host. The student also did the same for his guest the senior brother. However he made arrangement for two different classes of food, the superior one and the inferior one. The inferior food was meant for the student and his colleagues while the better food was specially prepared for the guest. However, at the point of service of foods, the inferior food was given to the senior brother while the better food was taken to the junior brother who was already under the care of the chef host. Thus the junior brother’s food was doubly provided.

After meal, the guests gathered in the presence of the chief host and his students. The junior brother got up and expressed his thanks to the chief host as well as the student hosts for the double meal.

The student host remarked that the meal service from his side was meant for the senior brother.

This episode saddened the senior brother to a desperate point that he did not understand why God refused to answer his simple appeal for comfortable means of subsistence. He was so sad that he told his junior brother that he was parting ways with him and going onwards in search of God or death. He vowed he will never return until he meets with only of the above options.

Thus he trekked along the road days and nights until he found himself in a forest. He continued walking until he got to a clearing in the thick dense of the bush. There he met an old man surrounded with prayer books and other articles deep in devotion. He greeted the old man asked him the reason for his being in the forest praying. The old man replied that he had to put up a home in the forest in order to flee from the people in the town so as to avoid any contact with them which may lead to his commission of sins.

The traveller responded that he too is journeying onwards in search of God or death because he has refused to answer his simple prayer for ease of provisions. To this end he left his abode and will not return until he meets with either God or death. The old man wished him the best of luck and prayed him to remember him whenever he meets with God and deliver his message to God about his becoming a bush-based devotee in view of his fear of God and his waiting to avoid sins at all costs.

 He advised the traveller to advance further but once he gets to a two-way path, he should branch to the right to secure a peaceful journey as the left path will lead him to man who matchets anyone passing by him. The travellers thanked the man and advanced in his trek. Soon, he got to the two-way junction but decided in his mind to follow left, if he meets death, it was alright as he has not since met God. After some metres of trek, he came across the matchet man who accosted him by saying: “how dare you come this way? I am going to matchet you”. The traveller rejoined, “well, you are welcome to kill me, after all it is God that I came in search for, so if you now kill me, it’s a faster route to reaching God so kill me”. The man was astounded and shocked. ”You are out in search of God and do not care about death”. He said: yes. He asked: “but why will you not care about dying”? He said: The most important matter n life is to search for and meet God. This is my mission, death is no barrier. I have vowed never to return home till I meet him or I die in the process to kill you and I feel reproachful over my past evil ways. I have killed 999 people before meeting you. You could have been 1000^th person, but now, you instil the fear of God in me. I will never kill again. Please go in peace but tell your God whenever you meet him that I am a sinner who is reproachful that is seeking his forgiveness having realised my bad ways”. The traveller promised to deliver his message and continued his trek onwards.

After a while, he met an angel in the form of man but unknown to him who asked about his mission. He replied by narrating his poverty predicament. He explained further that the last straw was when the food meant for him was added to his brother’s food despite the superiority of his brother’s meal. For this reason he was out in search of God so as to ask him the reason why life was so difficult for him . The angel man encouraged him not to get tired of searching and passed on. After some distance again he met another angel-man who posited the same question to him and to whom in the same manner.

Eventually his third encounter was with a man who had both the features of an angel and that of mankind. He greated him with the message of peace and told him that he was Angel Jibril. He asked him that was his mission? The man replied that he was on his search for God. The Angel said it was God who sent him to the man, so he is free to deliver his message through him to God. The man said he was disturbed by his lack of getting an answer to his simple call for ease of sustenance in life which was a necessity for a peaceful worship of God. He feared his prayers to God were unanswered and this bothered him.

The angel then faced the man and raised his right wings. Then paradise (at-jannat) was revealed. The Angel pointed to a beautiful abode there saying: “That house there is yours; it is waiting for you to leave this world so as to take possession after your death.”

The angel opened his left wing and behold! There was spread a a house of fine, burning, viciously. The angel said: “See that house, it is the abode of your junior brother. He has everything that compensates for his good works in this earth provided to him now by way of comfortable living, but he has nothing in the next life except this abode of hell fire.

However, up till this moment you have bewailed your lack of ease of sustenance here in this world; my Lord gives you the option of having all the good and comfortable facilities of this world, just like your junior brother, but you must be prepared to exchange your home in the hereafter for his own home, while he too will be made impoverished in this life while you become a wealth person surrounded with all the good things of life”. As soon as the traveller saw and heard these words, he swiftly responded “Dear holy Angel. Of God, please tell God to leave me in my present condition, and to overlook my faults arising out of my lack of ignorance. I am quite happy the way things are and will no longer bewail my poverty state ever”.

The Angel prepared to fly away but the man remembered the message if the two man he encountered on the way earlier. He now informed the angel who lifted up his left wings and behold! Beside the hell house of the junior brother was another hell house. The Angel informed the man that the house beside his junior brother’s our belong to the first man he met on the way who was busy worshipping in the bush. The traveller was taken aback; but he was busy in sincere devotion and was trying to please God buy running into the bush”. The angel rejoined: “That man you saw was given knowledge and wisdom from Allah, and he was expected to utilise this among his fellow people in his community; he was much sought-after to provide guidance, but he refused to assist in spreading knowledge and preferred running man from tapping out of his knowledge. So, on your way back, tell him that God has prepared a home for him in hell fire if he should die in this state”.

The Angel continued: “As to the matchet-man, who has killed 999 people, see his home in the next life. (He lifted up his right wings). See that beautiful home beside yours, it belongs to him”. The travellers was aghast; a murderer’! He said: The angel continued: “He was not a murderer but merely an instrument of Allah. His mission looks negative but in reality, he was assigned the job of matcheting anyone who passed by and had no grain of faith in his heart or is ungrateful to God. When he wanted to matchet you and you told him you are searching for God, did he touch you? The traveller replied: no, he did not? The angel said: Although some works of this world may take the shape or form of an evil work but in reality is a good work. While some works ay take the shape of a good wok but in reality is an evil work”. Therefore, on your way back, give the man the glad tiding, that Allah has accepted him into His mercy”. After this analysis, the angel disappeared.

The man began the trek homewards and met the matchet-man. He delivered the message and the man requested to be the student of this traveller and thus followed him on his trek. When the traveller reached the man in devotion of his message and the man immediately sought forgiveness of Allah and requested to become another student of the traveller. All four men then continued their trek back to their community in order to worship God and explain His ways to the people.

We should learn from this narration that salvation is by the Grace of Allah and not by work. It is by honest, noble intention that we meet the mercy of Allah and not by the picture of works which may seem good or bad to man but carries opposite attribute in God’s perception

The Qur’an says: “That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whosoever He wills. And Allah is the owner of mighty Grace. He whosoever He wills. And Allah is the owner of mighty grace”.