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
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
1000th 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”.
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