ALMISKEENAH

 

 

 

I Once Complained

Only once did I ever grumble at how Fortune treated me. I was so poor that I could not even afford shoes, and went into the mosque at Kufah with a sore and complaining heart. There I saw a man with no feet.

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Market Value

I saw an Arab merchant sitting among some jewellers at Basrah. He told them this story: ‘I once lost my way in the desert. Soon I had eaten every scrap of food and I knew that I was not far from death. In despair, I searched again through my luggage and found a bag which felt to me as if it were full of grain. You can imagine my joy, my absolute ecsasty!

Imagine my despair and bitterness, then, when I got the bag open. It was full of pearls.’

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Removing the Rubbish

When the young traveler got off the boat, they saw that he looked wise, devout and humble that there was only one place at which he could possibly stay.

They deposited his luggage at the monastery. There the youth was made welcome by the pious community.

One day the head of the community said to the youth:

‘Would you please sweep the rubbish away from the mosque?’

That was the last they saw of him. All were puzzled, but decided that he had no aptitude for work.

But next day, one of the servants of the community happened to catch sight of the youth, and stopped him.

‘It was foolish of you to go off like that,’ he remarked. ‘Don’t you know that it is only by service that you climb the ladder?’

At this the youth wept.

‘Oh my friend,’ he cried, ‘what could I do? I looked around and the place was spotless. I therefore concluded that the head of the community was referring to me! I removed myself so that the place should remain pure and spotless.’

From Sa’di The Discontented Dervishes. 

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What is it to Lose a Donkey….?

Ali al-Nasafi had lost his donkey. Setting out to look for it, he met an unbeliever along the way. Turning back at once, he fell in prostration. In that prostration he prayed:

“My God, I may have lost my donkey, but this unbeliever has lost his faith. His misfortune is much greater than my own. I offer thanks and praise to You for not having made my misfortune the same as his. I went in search of a donkey worth a few dollars, while he was going along without bothering to look for what he had lost, though it was no less than his God and his religion, more precious than this world and all it contains. O Lord, do not cause me to lose my religion and my faith, for the loss of these is the greatest misfortune of all.”

From Sheikh Muzaffer, Irshad Wisdom of a Sufi Master 

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Sayyid Abu Bakr ibn Ali Ibrahim al-Bayti asked Imam al-Haddad about the saying of Shaykh Yahya ibn Mu’ath al-Razi:  “Abandon all the world and you will find all the world. To take it is to abandon it and to abandon it is to take it.”

He answered: The words are clear and show not the least obscurity. They mean that whoever abandons the whole world in renunciation, God will compensate him with repose both in his heart due to giving up avidity and preoccupation, and in his body due to giving up striving and seeking. Reasonable men only wish for repose in the world, for this do people strive and aspire outwardly and inwardly, but they miss the way to it which is only found by the renunciates. This is indicated by the saying of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam: “Renouncing the world rests the heart and body, while the wish for it increases worry and sadness.” A sage was once asked: “To whom does the world belong?” He said: “To those who abandon it.” And: “To whom does the hereafter belong?” He said: “To those who pursue it.”   

From Imam al-Haddad, The Sublime Treasures 

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I leave you to ponder while I disappear for however long it takes for me to act upon the advice given by the helpful souls who responded to my call for assistance with this blog. Insha’Allah I will return after dealing with tasks that are easy for those who know, but that I have been unable to fathom.  Insha’Allah without creating a bigger mess than what already is 

 

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Edit: Remiss of me not to acknowledge the source of the heart penetrating ALLAH image that I have chosen as the favoured header for these posts. Tranquilart can be found here and here. Jazakillahu khairan katheeran for allowing me to share your work. May Allah Ta’ala continue to inject your hands and heart with His creative energy, Ameen

 

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.