Mathnavi of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (133 pages, 3/18)
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paws makes them flee.
The main reason for this is the major difference between the hearts in the breast of the mice and the heart in the breast of the cat. The unity of the heart in the cat and the courage lying in it, is not found in the mice. Hence the mice becoming confounded and defeated in the presence of the cat, is proof thereof that the cat possesses unity of heart and courage. Otherwise it would appear that if a large number of mice should attack the cat, it will be impossible for the cat to escape.
Hence we conclude that even if the number of mice were a hundred thousand, still, seeing a weak and sickly cat, will cause all of them to run away. This proves that numbers mean nothing. The main thing is unity of the heart and courage.
EXAMPLE THREE
The sheep and goats may be numerous in number but in the face of the knife of the slaughterer, that number is of no consequence.
EXAMPLE FOUR
Sleep comes along and causes many thoughts and imaginations to be put out of the mind. EXAMPLE FIVE
The lion in the forest courageously attacks a multitude of animals with horns and one alone gets the upper hand over them. Furthermore whichever animal he cl100ses from among them, he eats.
LESSON
Allah, the King of Kings, is the One who grants this unity of heart and such courage. This unity of the heart is of two kinds. One is natural, or common possessed by the Non Believers, polytheists and even animals. The other form is that which is granted by Allah and comes about through the blessings of close contact with Allah. This is what the Sufis term as "Nisbat", for which one has to strive. It is a great favour from Allah to have contact with Him. And there is only one way of attaining this contact and that is through following the Shariat.
THE STORY OF SULTAN MAHMOOD CHAZNAWI
One night Sultan Mahmood went walking among his subjects after taking off his royal clothes and putting on ordinary clothes. He chanced to come upon a group of thieves who were consulting amongst themselves. On seeing him they asked him: "Who are you?"
The King (Sultan) replied: "] am also one like yourselves". They understood that to mean that he was also a thief like themselves and allowed him to join their company. They then continued the conversation amongst themselves and it was decided that each one of them should explain what specialty or skill he possesses so that at the time of need a task could be put before him to show that special skill.
One of the thieves said: "Friends, I have a special gift in my ears, that whenever a dog barks, I fully understand what he says."
The second one said: "I have a special gift in my eyes, that whatever I see in the darkness of night, I am able to recognise it in the light of day".
The third one said: "I have this specialty in my arms that through the strength that lies in my arms, I can make a hole in the strongest wall, to enter a house".
The fourth one said: "I have a special gift in my nose that by smelling the sand on the ground I am able to ascertain whether there is any treasure buried underneath it or not. It is just like in the case of Majnoon, who without being told, merely by smelling the ground, got to know where Layla was buried".
The fifth one said: "I have such strength in my hands that no matter how high a building is, I can climb along its walls with my rope ladder and easily enter the building in this manner".
Thereafter they all asked the King: "0 Man, what special gift do you possess which we can make use of in our thieving activities?" The King replied: "I have this specialty in my beard that when criminals are handed over to their executioner, I merely shake my beard and such criminals are immediately set free". (In other words, if as a show of merrcy I shake my beard, the criminals found guilty of murder, I' re set free). On hearing this the thieves said: "O dear Qutub, on the day of difficulty, You will be our only means of salvation. "
(In other words, if we are arrested, then through your blessings we will be saved. Now we do not have to fear, because the rest of us had the special gifts which would help us in our thieving exploits, but none of us had the means of granting safety from punishment. This specialty lies only with you. Now we need not have any fear of punishment. Now we can get on with our work).
They all went in the direction of the palace of Shah Mahmood with the King in their midst. Along the way a dog barked and the one who understood the dog's language translated: "The King is also in your midst". Although they heard it, no one paid any attention to this information, as their greed was uppermost in their minds.
One of them smelled the ground and explained that this is the Royal Palace. There is a treasure in this place. The other One threw a rope ladder against the wall. The other one made a hole in the wall and they all entered to burgle. Afterwards they divided the loot amongst themselves and hastily each one of them went to hide his share of the spoils.
The King noted each one's description and found out where each of them resided. He left them and secretly re-entered the Royal Palace.
The following day the King -related the entire story to his courtiers and thereafter sent the policemen to arrest them and to inform them of their death sentence. When they were brought before the Court with hands bound together, they were all trembling in fear before the King's throne. However, the thief who had this special gift of recognising anybody during the day whom he had seen during the darkness, was quite at ease. In him together with the signs of fear there were also signs of hope. In other' words, although he was struck by awe while standing before the King and although fearing the King's wrath and revenge, he also had the hope, that the King would be true to his word, that when in mercy he shakes his beard, criminals will be set free. Furthermore he also had the hope of setting free all his companions because the King will surely not turn away from all those whom he knew and recognised.
This person's face was changing from yellow to red, as within himself the feelings of fear and hope alternated. The Sultan Mahmood in Kingly dignity passed judgment that they all should be handed over to the Executioner to be hung on the gallows. As the King himself was witness to their crime, there was no heed for any other witnesses. As soon as the King announced his judgment, this person appealed in great humility: "Sire, with your permission, may I say something?" The King permitted him to speak and he said: "O Master, each one of us had exhibited his special gift which helped in this crime. Now it is time that the Kingly specialty should be exhibited according to the promise. I have all the while recognised you. Remember you had promised that in your beard there is this specialty, that if you cause it to move in mercy, the criminal will be saved from punishment. Hence, o King, shake your beard, so that through the blessings of your grace, all of us can be saved from the punishment of our crimes. Our specialties have brought us to the gallows. Now it is only your special gift that is left which can save us from being punished. Now is the time for the exhibition of your specialty. Kindly shake your beard.
Because of fear our lives have reached right up to our mouths. Please save us with the special gift that lies in your beard. "
Sultan Mahmood smiled at the plea and became filled with mercy and grace as he heard their pitiful admission of guilt. He said: "Each one of you have exhibited his special quality to such an extent that it has brought you to the brim of destruction, except in the case of this one. He recognised me as the Sultan. He saw me in the darkness of the night and recognised me as the Sultan. Hence for his having recognised me, I set all of you free. I feel ashamed at those eyes which recognised me not to shake my beard and thereby .exhibit my special quality".
LESSON
The first lesson contained in this story is that while a person is committing a crime the true King of Kings is with him, and is fully aware of all that he does. "And He is with you wherever you are." When a person commits any disobedience to Allah he is actually committing treachery against Him. Anyone who fails in his duty to Allah or in the rights which are due to men, is like a thief committing theft of Allah's treasures. For this reason, one should always bear in mind that the Master is the witness, seeing us at all times, and is aware of all that we do. If we commit any disobedience or iniquity, it means that in His very presence His treasury is being looted and robbed.
Think for a moment! Whom are you robbing? That King and Master tells you: "1 am seeing what you do. I am with you. My laws have been revealed to you. Today you are breaking that law. Today, in this world I will hide your fault, hoping that perhaps you will come upon the right road. But if you do not come to your senses, then tomorrow on the day of Qiyamat when you will be brought before Me, with hands bound together, then who will be able to save you from My anger and revenge?"
The second lesson from this story is that Allah will punish sinners in the hereafter although He may initially overlook them in this world. We see that at the time the thieves were looting the Royal treasury, the Sultan witnessed the entire incident. He was with them and allowed them to proceed without being punished. However in the end, he had them arrested. If, at all times, this thought is uppermost in our minds that Allah sees all our deeds then there will surely be fear in the heart against committing sins.
The third lesson from this story is this that on the day of Qiyamat no special quality will be of any benefit. A11 those deeds which contravene the laws of Allah will on the day of Qiyamat be bound around man's neck even though, in this world, they were considered as being special qualities. The thieves mentioned those special gifts and qualities as if they were qualities of virtue, but in reality those very qualities were the cause of their destruction:
"Each one of them exhibited their special quality,
But all their qualities only caused their misfortune to increase".
Any special quality which does not bring a person nearer to his Creator, and which does not connect the heart to Allah, and which is not a medium towards the remembrance of Allah is no quality of virtue. In fact it is a curse and a misfortune. All the powers and attributes of man which are used in rebellion
against Allah and towards disobedience and negligence, will one day cause him to be brought before Allah as a criminal.
All those nations who have made great progress and through scientific inventions have made this world subservient to them, but turn away from Allah, passing their lives in disobedience, will realise on the day of Qiyamat, whether that specialty of scientific progress had been the cause of receiving Allah's grace or His anger.
"Blessed be to you the subjugation of the sun and moon,
But if there is no light in the heart there is no light anywhere"
The fourth lesson from this story is that no special quality will be of benefit except that which leads towards recognising Allah, just like the person who having seen the Sultan, recognised him and through this special quality, he not only saved himself but was also able to intercede on behalf of his companions. As for his other companions, their special quality became a means towards earning Allah's punishment.
“Only the sight of the fortunate one was of any use Who recognised the Sultan during darkness of night."
The lesson derived is that this world is like a place of darkness. In the darkness of this world, every servant of Allah who follows the Divine Laws of Shariat and through its blessings recognizes Allah, will be provided with salvation against the punishment of hell-fire, on the day of Qiyamat. This recognition will also be a means towards intercession on behalf of other criminals, from among the sinners of the people of faith. However, there should not be any pride and over confidence in this recognition. In fact, one should alternate between fear and hope and in utmost humility beg for this intercession. Then Allah will accept this intercession from whomsoever He wishes according to His Mercy. For those whom He will not accept this intercession, He will in perfect justice exhibit His overwhelming vengeance.
Hence, fortunate indeed is the person who, in this world, created within himself the knowledge of recognising Allah. The Aarifeen (True knowers of Allah) who through their spiritual efforts and exercises recognise Allah with their souls, will tomorrow on the day of Qiyamat see Allah and attain salvation.
Furthermore their intercession on behalf of other sinners will also be accepted. But the disbelievers and criminals will through their special qualities be admitted into hell-fire. On that day these poor starving ones with pale faces, patched and coarse clothing, who today are being ridiculed and jeered at, will feast their eyes upon the countenance of Allah. On that day, the criminals will envy them:
"Would that we had lived like them in the world and acquired their qualities. Would that we had recognised Allah properly!"
The fifth lesson is this that the story also illustrates the high position these righteous and saintly ones have as far as their humanity is concerned.
What a pity it is that nations and people, just like those thieves, spend their short span of worldly lives looking upon means of delight and comfort as special gifts of accomplishment, and look upon material progress as being actual progress. Whereas on the other hand, they have adopted uncouth habits like urinating while standing and cleansing themselves with paper after defecating. They also consider it normal to take a bath sitting in a tub and allow the water, which had become dirtied through being in contact with the anus to be drawn into their mouth and nose. They consider these actions as the norms of society. Can such people ever be considered to be cultured and people of progress? What a pity it is that the beloved cultural ways of Muslims should be cast aside and that such despicable ways of these people should be adopted.
DUAH
"O Allah, let just rulers be appointed to rule over us, who will introduce Thy Laws, and punish those who neglect salaat, consume alcohol, gamble, commit adultery, steal, etc. Let them punish those women
who refuse to observe the rules of purdah. Let him order the closure of cinema houses, prostitution quarters and liquor houses". Ameen.
THE STORY OF THE VEILED KINO
A very handsome saintly person who was initially very greedy for wealth and government position ruled as a king over some part of Arabia. He was a good poet of a very sensitive temperament, involved in sensual love. When Divine love took possession of his heart, he lost all interest in the affairs of the state and gave up sensual love.
The author of Qasida-e-Burda says:
"When at night the thoughts of my beloved enters my mind, Then for the entire night sleep flies away and all pleasures turn to sorrow."
Finally he arose at night, wrapped a shawl around him, covered his face and left his Sultanate. At that time Divine Love had taken possession of his heart and the hustle and bustle of government, was proving to be a blockage in the remembrance of the Beloved. The moment had arrived when his patience ran out. He uttered a cry and like a mad person, set forth towards the desert. The sincere cry from this true lover released him from the chains of governing. When one initially enters upon this path, the first stages are caused by one becoming attracted to the path.
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"Create the bounty of madness in your heart (of His love) Not by intelligence alone will you reach to the truth." (For if the mind is not enlightened by revelation,
It is better to remain an ignorant one.)
A special quality of this Love is that one desires to sit down in solitude, remembering his Beloved, which brings great ecstasy. For this reason the silence of the desert is so well-sought after' by these true lovers. Rasulullah used to say: "Before I was endowed with Prophethood, solitude was made beloved to me." Hence he withdrew himself from all men and looked for the solitude in the Cave of Hira, where for several days on end he spent the time meditating and remembering Allah.
Similar was the case of this King. He vacated the throne of his Sultanate and in the middle of the night proceeded towards the desert.
"When Divine Love had its effect,
It made rest and comfort disagreeable. When he experienced the ecstasy of love, He removed the crown from his head.
He exchanged the Royal Throne for a life of poverty. Well done, 0 True Lover, well done!
Ask about the ecstasy of love from him,
Whose heart has been injured by love." (Akhtar)
How can ordinary beings understand this love and ecstasy? How can they know the pleasure of solitude and the delights of the howling winds in the desert? Ask those true servants of Allah Taala, whose lives have become independent of the pleasures of this temporary world and are enjoying the closeness of Allah Taala in solitude. The pleasure of this solitude is such, that thousands of gatherings may be sacrificed for it. It is such a meeting of the true beloved that it transforms the solitude of the lover into full spring bloom.
Moulana Muhammad Ahmed Saheb says:
"If You are not with, then I feel distressed even in a rose garden
If You are with then I enjoy the taste of a rose garden even in a desert"
In fact from the silence of the desert he gets the message from his friend.
"I have forgotten all the stories of the Rose garden the silence of the desert has given me a message"
The King commenced traveling over mountains and rivers, over deserts and plains until he was outside the boundaries of his Sultanate and reached Tabook. He threw a veil over his face so that people would not recognise him: In Tabook he suffered starvation and hunger for several days. At last, being reduced to weakness, he went to work with some labourers, who were making bricks. He worked with the veil over his face but from time to time the veil was lifted by the wind and the other labourers became aware of his noble facial features. In the end the word spread among the labourers that this veiled one is an ambassador of some country, or perhaps the King of a country. The word spread even further in the land until it also reached the King of Tabook.
The king of Tabook became worried that an ambassador or a King of another country had joined the labourers to spy on his Kingdom and launch an attack after acquiring the secrets of the state. He thought that it would be best to personally investigate the matter. Hence the King of Tabook made preparation to travel and soon entered the ranks of the labourers, with whom the veiled King was busy making bricks. The King ordered all the other labourers to move away and then personally removed the veil from the face of the handsome and noble-faced one. The King then addressed the veiled one:
"O Handsome One, tell me the truth. Who are you? Your enlightened face informs me that you are the King of some country, but why this poverty? It seems that you have sacrificed your comfort and royalty, for this want and poverty. 0 Man of courage, may my Sultanate of Tabook and all Sultanates be sacrificed for your courage. Quickly tell me your secret! If you would be my guest, I would indeed consider it my good fortune. I would derive endless pleasure through the nearness of your company".
In this manner the King of Tabook spoke to the veiled King who was poorly dressed and appealed to him to relate his true story. But in spite of the pleasant conversation, the veiled one, instead of revealing his secret, spoke to the King about Divine love, in such a manner, that the heart of the King of Tabook also became filled with this Divine Love. He too decided to leave his Sultanate and to remain in the company of the veiled one.
Then during the night both of them started walking towards another Kingdom in order that the subjects may not worry them and so that the two of them could in solitude remember Allah. They walked for a long way until they entered another Kingdom.
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says that Divine Love was not responsible for this abandonment of wealth, splendour and power of government, once only. It has happened so many times that a person is prepared to sacrifice wealth and splendour for the sake of Divine Love. None the less, the veiled one who had abandoned his Kingdom must have enjoyed great ecstasy in his love of Allah Taala that he also influenced the King of Tabook to cast aside his Kingdom and to adopt a saintly ascetic life, Forsaking all worldly comforts and becoming filled with Divine love.
"0 Love-sick one, what did you blow into my heart
That it is a river of blazing fire passing through my heart. ". (Khwaja Saheb)
Khwaja Saheb Majzoob (RA.) had written a couplet about his Murshid Hakeemul-Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwy (RA.) in which he speaks of this blazing fire of love:
"The heart whose "Ah's" have burnt numerous hearts, How much of blazing fire is hidden therein?"
Just as fire spreads from one house to another, so does Divine Love spread from one heart to another. Hazrat Rumi (RA.) says that from one heart to another there are secret ways. He goes on to explain this phenomenon of the heart to heart influence with a beautiful example. He says:
"Understand the secret unseen ways of heart to heart contact like this:
When two lamps are being lit The lamps will remain separate
But their light will become intermixed. "
In other words, if the lamps are lit, it is impossible to say which light belongs to which lamp. Similarly the bodies of Mumineen are different, but when they sit together in a gathering the enlightenment (anwaar) from their hearts become as one in the atmosphere of the gathering place.
This is one of the reasons why the courier of this Shariat, the Holy Prophet Muhammad gave the advise to the Muslims to have mutual consultation over matters of importance. Among the other points of wisdom in mutual consultation is that when
ten Muslims gather for consultation, then it is like ten lamps burning together in one place and their light being so much stronger than one light, hence in the light of this increased light of Imaan and Yaqeen, the truth is uncovered.
Moulana Rumi (RA.) says:
"Consult with the assembly of righteous,
For the Prophet 1ft was also ordered to do that. The minds of men are like lighted lamps,
The light of twenty lamps surely gives more light than one."
Moulana Rumi '(RA.) further says:
"This is also the reason why Rasulullah prohibited monasticism, because by casting aside the world and going to settle alone in a cave in the mountains, the idea of mutual rectification and consultation is lost." He says: "Thus the Prophet prohibited monasticism and living in solitude in' the mountains, so that no one may be deprived of the benefit of mutual contact and blessings acquired through the company of Saintly ones. "
Allah has placed such healing powers in the sights of some of the saintly ones, that by their mere casting of a glance, an evildoer is transformed into a righteous one, and mischievous ones become doers of good.
Judge Akbar Ilahabadi puts it this way:
"Neither from books nor from preaching nor from gold, Deen comes alive through the glances of the Saintly ones. "
Here an objection may be raised, that the story being told here refers to a King who had cast aside his Kingdom and the whole world. Is not this also a case of the prohibited monasticism? The answer to this question is this: For the King to discard his throne, to choose a life of poverty and join the poor labourers is not monasticism. Monasticism means to absolutely avoid all contact with society. The king did not abandon the world, he changed his lifestyle, from that of ~ royal one to that of an ordinary one..
Moulana Rumi (RA.) continues with the story saying that the veiled King must have told the King of Tabook many things regarding Divine Love for him to immediately experience contact with Allah. The King of Tabook said:
"May Allah reward you well for opening my eyes, And for having joined me to the true Beloved".
He also told the veiled King:
"Take me with you. Your heart is like the fountain head of the fire of love. I beg of you, fill my heart also with true Divine Love.
Casting aside your Kingdom, joining the ranks of ordinary labourers, Making bricks, dressed in garments of poor ones,
Is a clear proof that you have surely seen within yourself Another Kingdom, which includes the whole world within itself."
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says that, apart from these two Kings, there were many others who discarded their Kingdoms for the sake of
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paws makes them flee.
The main reason for this is the major difference between the hearts in the breast of the mice and the heart in the breast of the cat. The unity of the heart in the cat and the courage lying in it, is not found in the mice. Hence the mice becoming confounded and defeated in the presence of the cat, is proof thereof that the cat possesses unity of heart and courage. Otherwise it would appear that if a large number of mice should attack the cat, it will be impossible for the cat to escape.
Hence we conclude that even if the number of mice were a hundred thousand, still, seeing a weak and sickly cat, will cause all of them to run away. This proves that numbers mean nothing. The main thing is unity of the heart and courage.
EXAMPLE THREE
The sheep and goats may be numerous in number but in the face of the knife of the slaughterer, that number is of no consequence.
EXAMPLE FOUR
Sleep comes along and causes many thoughts and imaginations to be put out of the mind. EXAMPLE FIVE
The lion in the forest courageously attacks a multitude of animals with horns and one alone gets the upper hand over them. Furthermore whichever animal he cl100ses from among them, he eats.
LESSON
Allah, the King of Kings, is the One who grants this unity of heart and such courage. This unity of the heart is of two kinds. One is natural, or common possessed by the Non Believers, polytheists and even animals. The other form is that which is granted by Allah and comes about through the blessings of close contact with Allah. This is what the Sufis term as "Nisbat", for which one has to strive. It is a great favour from Allah to have contact with Him. And there is only one way of attaining this contact and that is through following the Shariat.
THE STORY OF SULTAN MAHMOOD CHAZNAWI
One night Sultan Mahmood went walking among his subjects after taking off his royal clothes and putting on ordinary clothes. He chanced to come upon a group of thieves who were consulting amongst themselves. On seeing him they asked him: "Who are you?"
The King (Sultan) replied: "] am also one like yourselves". They understood that to mean that he was also a thief like themselves and allowed him to join their company. They then continued the conversation amongst themselves and it was decided that each one of them should explain what specialty or skill he possesses so that at the time of need a task could be put before him to show that special skill.
One of the thieves said: "Friends, I have a special gift in my ears, that whenever a dog barks, I fully understand what he says."
The second one said: "I have a special gift in my eyes, that whatever I see in the darkness of night, I am able to recognise it in the light of day".
The third one said: "I have this specialty in my arms that through the strength that lies in my arms, I can make a hole in the strongest wall, to enter a house".
The fourth one said: "I have a special gift in my nose that by smelling the sand on the ground I am able to ascertain whether there is any treasure buried underneath it or not. It is just like in the case of Majnoon, who without being told, merely by smelling the ground, got to know where Layla was buried".
The fifth one said: "I have such strength in my hands that no matter how high a building is, I can climb along its walls with my rope ladder and easily enter the building in this manner".
Thereafter they all asked the King: "0 Man, what special gift do you possess which we can make use of in our thieving activities?" The King replied: "I have this specialty in my beard that when criminals are handed over to their executioner, I merely shake my beard and such criminals are immediately set free". (In other words, if as a show of merrcy I shake my beard, the criminals found guilty of murder, I' re set free). On hearing this the thieves said: "O dear Qutub, on the day of difficulty, You will be our only means of salvation. "
(In other words, if we are arrested, then through your blessings we will be saved. Now we do not have to fear, because the rest of us had the special gifts which would help us in our thieving exploits, but none of us had the means of granting safety from punishment. This specialty lies only with you. Now we need not have any fear of punishment. Now we can get on with our work).
They all went in the direction of the palace of Shah Mahmood with the King in their midst. Along the way a dog barked and the one who understood the dog's language translated: "The King is also in your midst". Although they heard it, no one paid any attention to this information, as their greed was uppermost in their minds.
One of them smelled the ground and explained that this is the Royal Palace. There is a treasure in this place. The other One threw a rope ladder against the wall. The other one made a hole in the wall and they all entered to burgle. Afterwards they divided the loot amongst themselves and hastily each one of them went to hide his share of the spoils.
The King noted each one's description and found out where each of them resided. He left them and secretly re-entered the Royal Palace.
The following day the King -related the entire story to his courtiers and thereafter sent the policemen to arrest them and to inform them of their death sentence. When they were brought before the Court with hands bound together, they were all trembling in fear before the King's throne. However, the thief who had this special gift of recognising anybody during the day whom he had seen during the darkness, was quite at ease. In him together with the signs of fear there were also signs of hope. In other' words, although he was struck by awe while standing before the King and although fearing the King's wrath and revenge, he also had the hope, that the King would be true to his word, that when in mercy he shakes his beard, criminals will be set free. Furthermore he also had the hope of setting free all his companions because the King will surely not turn away from all those whom he knew and recognised.
This person's face was changing from yellow to red, as within himself the feelings of fear and hope alternated. The Sultan Mahmood in Kingly dignity passed judgment that they all should be handed over to the Executioner to be hung on the gallows. As the King himself was witness to their crime, there was no heed for any other witnesses. As soon as the King announced his judgment, this person appealed in great humility: "Sire, with your permission, may I say something?" The King permitted him to speak and he said: "O Master, each one of us had exhibited his special gift which helped in this crime. Now it is time that the Kingly specialty should be exhibited according to the promise. I have all the while recognised you. Remember you had promised that in your beard there is this specialty, that if you cause it to move in mercy, the criminal will be saved from punishment. Hence, o King, shake your beard, so that through the blessings of your grace, all of us can be saved from the punishment of our crimes. Our specialties have brought us to the gallows. Now it is only your special gift that is left which can save us from being punished. Now is the time for the exhibition of your specialty. Kindly shake your beard.
Because of fear our lives have reached right up to our mouths. Please save us with the special gift that lies in your beard. "
Sultan Mahmood smiled at the plea and became filled with mercy and grace as he heard their pitiful admission of guilt. He said: "Each one of you have exhibited his special quality to such an extent that it has brought you to the brim of destruction, except in the case of this one. He recognised me as the Sultan. He saw me in the darkness of the night and recognised me as the Sultan. Hence for his having recognised me, I set all of you free. I feel ashamed at those eyes which recognised me not to shake my beard and thereby .exhibit my special quality".
LESSON
The first lesson contained in this story is that while a person is committing a crime the true King of Kings is with him, and is fully aware of all that he does. "And He is with you wherever you are." When a person commits any disobedience to Allah he is actually committing treachery against Him. Anyone who fails in his duty to Allah or in the rights which are due to men, is like a thief committing theft of Allah's treasures. For this reason, one should always bear in mind that the Master is the witness, seeing us at all times, and is aware of all that we do. If we commit any disobedience or iniquity, it means that in His very presence His treasury is being looted and robbed.
Think for a moment! Whom are you robbing? That King and Master tells you: "1 am seeing what you do. I am with you. My laws have been revealed to you. Today you are breaking that law. Today, in this world I will hide your fault, hoping that perhaps you will come upon the right road. But if you do not come to your senses, then tomorrow on the day of Qiyamat when you will be brought before Me, with hands bound together, then who will be able to save you from My anger and revenge?"
The second lesson from this story is that Allah will punish sinners in the hereafter although He may initially overlook them in this world. We see that at the time the thieves were looting the Royal treasury, the Sultan witnessed the entire incident. He was with them and allowed them to proceed without being punished. However in the end, he had them arrested. If, at all times, this thought is uppermost in our minds that Allah sees all our deeds then there will surely be fear in the heart against committing sins.
The third lesson from this story is this that on the day of Qiyamat no special quality will be of any benefit. A11 those deeds which contravene the laws of Allah will on the day of Qiyamat be bound around man's neck even though, in this world, they were considered as being special qualities. The thieves mentioned those special gifts and qualities as if they were qualities of virtue, but in reality those very qualities were the cause of their destruction:
"Each one of them exhibited their special quality,
But all their qualities only caused their misfortune to increase".
Any special quality which does not bring a person nearer to his Creator, and which does not connect the heart to Allah, and which is not a medium towards the remembrance of Allah is no quality of virtue. In fact it is a curse and a misfortune. All the powers and attributes of man which are used in rebellion
against Allah and towards disobedience and negligence, will one day cause him to be brought before Allah as a criminal.
All those nations who have made great progress and through scientific inventions have made this world subservient to them, but turn away from Allah, passing their lives in disobedience, will realise on the day of Qiyamat, whether that specialty of scientific progress had been the cause of receiving Allah's grace or His anger.
"Blessed be to you the subjugation of the sun and moon,
But if there is no light in the heart there is no light anywhere"
The fourth lesson from this story is that no special quality will be of benefit except that which leads towards recognising Allah, just like the person who having seen the Sultan, recognised him and through this special quality, he not only saved himself but was also able to intercede on behalf of his companions. As for his other companions, their special quality became a means towards earning Allah's punishment.
“Only the sight of the fortunate one was of any use Who recognised the Sultan during darkness of night."
The lesson derived is that this world is like a place of darkness. In the darkness of this world, every servant of Allah who follows the Divine Laws of Shariat and through its blessings recognizes Allah, will be provided with salvation against the punishment of hell-fire, on the day of Qiyamat. This recognition will also be a means towards intercession on behalf of other criminals, from among the sinners of the people of faith. However, there should not be any pride and over confidence in this recognition. In fact, one should alternate between fear and hope and in utmost humility beg for this intercession. Then Allah will accept this intercession from whomsoever He wishes according to His Mercy. For those whom He will not accept this intercession, He will in perfect justice exhibit His overwhelming vengeance.
Hence, fortunate indeed is the person who, in this world, created within himself the knowledge of recognising Allah. The Aarifeen (True knowers of Allah) who through their spiritual efforts and exercises recognise Allah with their souls, will tomorrow on the day of Qiyamat see Allah and attain salvation.
Furthermore their intercession on behalf of other sinners will also be accepted. But the disbelievers and criminals will through their special qualities be admitted into hell-fire. On that day these poor starving ones with pale faces, patched and coarse clothing, who today are being ridiculed and jeered at, will feast their eyes upon the countenance of Allah. On that day, the criminals will envy them:
"Would that we had lived like them in the world and acquired their qualities. Would that we had recognised Allah properly!"
The fifth lesson is this that the story also illustrates the high position these righteous and saintly ones have as far as their humanity is concerned.
What a pity it is that nations and people, just like those thieves, spend their short span of worldly lives looking upon means of delight and comfort as special gifts of accomplishment, and look upon material progress as being actual progress. Whereas on the other hand, they have adopted uncouth habits like urinating while standing and cleansing themselves with paper after defecating. They also consider it normal to take a bath sitting in a tub and allow the water, which had become dirtied through being in contact with the anus to be drawn into their mouth and nose. They consider these actions as the norms of society. Can such people ever be considered to be cultured and people of progress? What a pity it is that the beloved cultural ways of Muslims should be cast aside and that such despicable ways of these people should be adopted.
DUAH
"O Allah, let just rulers be appointed to rule over us, who will introduce Thy Laws, and punish those who neglect salaat, consume alcohol, gamble, commit adultery, steal, etc. Let them punish those women
who refuse to observe the rules of purdah. Let him order the closure of cinema houses, prostitution quarters and liquor houses". Ameen.
THE STORY OF THE VEILED KINO
A very handsome saintly person who was initially very greedy for wealth and government position ruled as a king over some part of Arabia. He was a good poet of a very sensitive temperament, involved in sensual love. When Divine love took possession of his heart, he lost all interest in the affairs of the state and gave up sensual love.
The author of Qasida-e-Burda says:
"When at night the thoughts of my beloved enters my mind, Then for the entire night sleep flies away and all pleasures turn to sorrow."
Finally he arose at night, wrapped a shawl around him, covered his face and left his Sultanate. At that time Divine Love had taken possession of his heart and the hustle and bustle of government, was proving to be a blockage in the remembrance of the Beloved. The moment had arrived when his patience ran out. He uttered a cry and like a mad person, set forth towards the desert. The sincere cry from this true lover released him from the chains of governing. When one initially enters upon this path, the first stages are caused by one becoming attracted to the path.
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says:
"Create the bounty of madness in your heart (of His love) Not by intelligence alone will you reach to the truth." (For if the mind is not enlightened by revelation,
It is better to remain an ignorant one.)
A special quality of this Love is that one desires to sit down in solitude, remembering his Beloved, which brings great ecstasy. For this reason the silence of the desert is so well-sought after' by these true lovers. Rasulullah used to say: "Before I was endowed with Prophethood, solitude was made beloved to me." Hence he withdrew himself from all men and looked for the solitude in the Cave of Hira, where for several days on end he spent the time meditating and remembering Allah.
Similar was the case of this King. He vacated the throne of his Sultanate and in the middle of the night proceeded towards the desert.
"When Divine Love had its effect,
It made rest and comfort disagreeable. When he experienced the ecstasy of love, He removed the crown from his head.
He exchanged the Royal Throne for a life of poverty. Well done, 0 True Lover, well done!
Ask about the ecstasy of love from him,
Whose heart has been injured by love." (Akhtar)
How can ordinary beings understand this love and ecstasy? How can they know the pleasure of solitude and the delights of the howling winds in the desert? Ask those true servants of Allah Taala, whose lives have become independent of the pleasures of this temporary world and are enjoying the closeness of Allah Taala in solitude. The pleasure of this solitude is such, that thousands of gatherings may be sacrificed for it. It is such a meeting of the true beloved that it transforms the solitude of the lover into full spring bloom.
Moulana Muhammad Ahmed Saheb says:
"If You are not with, then I feel distressed even in a rose garden
If You are with then I enjoy the taste of a rose garden even in a desert"
In fact from the silence of the desert he gets the message from his friend.
"I have forgotten all the stories of the Rose garden the silence of the desert has given me a message"
The King commenced traveling over mountains and rivers, over deserts and plains until he was outside the boundaries of his Sultanate and reached Tabook. He threw a veil over his face so that people would not recognise him: In Tabook he suffered starvation and hunger for several days. At last, being reduced to weakness, he went to work with some labourers, who were making bricks. He worked with the veil over his face but from time to time the veil was lifted by the wind and the other labourers became aware of his noble facial features. In the end the word spread among the labourers that this veiled one is an ambassador of some country, or perhaps the King of a country. The word spread even further in the land until it also reached the King of Tabook.
The king of Tabook became worried that an ambassador or a King of another country had joined the labourers to spy on his Kingdom and launch an attack after acquiring the secrets of the state. He thought that it would be best to personally investigate the matter. Hence the King of Tabook made preparation to travel and soon entered the ranks of the labourers, with whom the veiled King was busy making bricks. The King ordered all the other labourers to move away and then personally removed the veil from the face of the handsome and noble-faced one. The King then addressed the veiled one:
"O Handsome One, tell me the truth. Who are you? Your enlightened face informs me that you are the King of some country, but why this poverty? It seems that you have sacrificed your comfort and royalty, for this want and poverty. 0 Man of courage, may my Sultanate of Tabook and all Sultanates be sacrificed for your courage. Quickly tell me your secret! If you would be my guest, I would indeed consider it my good fortune. I would derive endless pleasure through the nearness of your company".
In this manner the King of Tabook spoke to the veiled King who was poorly dressed and appealed to him to relate his true story. But in spite of the pleasant conversation, the veiled one, instead of revealing his secret, spoke to the King about Divine love, in such a manner, that the heart of the King of Tabook also became filled with this Divine Love. He too decided to leave his Sultanate and to remain in the company of the veiled one.
Then during the night both of them started walking towards another Kingdom in order that the subjects may not worry them and so that the two of them could in solitude remember Allah. They walked for a long way until they entered another Kingdom.
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says that Divine Love was not responsible for this abandonment of wealth, splendour and power of government, once only. It has happened so many times that a person is prepared to sacrifice wealth and splendour for the sake of Divine Love. None the less, the veiled one who had abandoned his Kingdom must have enjoyed great ecstasy in his love of Allah Taala that he also influenced the King of Tabook to cast aside his Kingdom and to adopt a saintly ascetic life, Forsaking all worldly comforts and becoming filled with Divine love.
"0 Love-sick one, what did you blow into my heart
That it is a river of blazing fire passing through my heart. ". (Khwaja Saheb)
Khwaja Saheb Majzoob (RA.) had written a couplet about his Murshid Hakeemul-Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwy (RA.) in which he speaks of this blazing fire of love:
"The heart whose "Ah's" have burnt numerous hearts, How much of blazing fire is hidden therein?"
Just as fire spreads from one house to another, so does Divine Love spread from one heart to another. Hazrat Rumi (RA.) says that from one heart to another there are secret ways. He goes on to explain this phenomenon of the heart to heart influence with a beautiful example. He says:
"Understand the secret unseen ways of heart to heart contact like this:
When two lamps are being lit The lamps will remain separate
But their light will become intermixed. "
In other words, if the lamps are lit, it is impossible to say which light belongs to which lamp. Similarly the bodies of Mumineen are different, but when they sit together in a gathering the enlightenment (anwaar) from their hearts become as one in the atmosphere of the gathering place.
This is one of the reasons why the courier of this Shariat, the Holy Prophet Muhammad gave the advise to the Muslims to have mutual consultation over matters of importance. Among the other points of wisdom in mutual consultation is that when
ten Muslims gather for consultation, then it is like ten lamps burning together in one place and their light being so much stronger than one light, hence in the light of this increased light of Imaan and Yaqeen, the truth is uncovered.
Moulana Rumi (RA.) says:
"Consult with the assembly of righteous,
For the Prophet 1ft was also ordered to do that. The minds of men are like lighted lamps,
The light of twenty lamps surely gives more light than one."
Moulana Rumi '(RA.) further says:
"This is also the reason why Rasulullah prohibited monasticism, because by casting aside the world and going to settle alone in a cave in the mountains, the idea of mutual rectification and consultation is lost." He says: "Thus the Prophet prohibited monasticism and living in solitude in' the mountains, so that no one may be deprived of the benefit of mutual contact and blessings acquired through the company of Saintly ones. "
Allah has placed such healing powers in the sights of some of the saintly ones, that by their mere casting of a glance, an evildoer is transformed into a righteous one, and mischievous ones become doers of good.
Judge Akbar Ilahabadi puts it this way:
"Neither from books nor from preaching nor from gold, Deen comes alive through the glances of the Saintly ones. "
Here an objection may be raised, that the story being told here refers to a King who had cast aside his Kingdom and the whole world. Is not this also a case of the prohibited monasticism? The answer to this question is this: For the King to discard his throne, to choose a life of poverty and join the poor labourers is not monasticism. Monasticism means to absolutely avoid all contact with society. The king did not abandon the world, he changed his lifestyle, from that of ~ royal one to that of an ordinary one..
Moulana Rumi (RA.) continues with the story saying that the veiled King must have told the King of Tabook many things regarding Divine Love for him to immediately experience contact with Allah. The King of Tabook said:
"May Allah reward you well for opening my eyes, And for having joined me to the true Beloved".
He also told the veiled King:
"Take me with you. Your heart is like the fountain head of the fire of love. I beg of you, fill my heart also with true Divine Love.
Casting aside your Kingdom, joining the ranks of ordinary labourers, Making bricks, dressed in garments of poor ones,
Is a clear proof that you have surely seen within yourself Another Kingdom, which includes the whole world within itself."
Moulana Rumi (R.A.) says that, apart from these two Kings, there were many others who discarded their Kingdoms for the sake of
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