Story of a Wrestler
Junaid Baghdadi earned his livelihood as a professional wrestler. As was the norm, the Leader of Baghdad announced one day, "Today, Junaid Baghdadi will demonstrate his skills as a wrestler, is there anyone to challenge him." An elderly man shakily stood up with his neck quivering and said, "I will enter the contest with him." Whoever was witness to this scene could not contain themselves, they burst out howling with laughter, clapping their hands. The King was bound by the law. He could not stop someone who of his own free will entered the bout. The elderly man was given the permission to enter the ring. He was about sixty-five years old. When Junaid Baghdadi entered the ring, he was dumbfounded as was the King and all the spectators of the Kingdom who were present. The single thought that occupied their minds was, "How will this old man be able to fight?"The old man addressed Junaid with these words, "Lend me your ears." He then whispered, "I know it is not possible for me to win this bout against you, but I am a Sayyid, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). My children are starving at home. Are you prepared to sacrifice your name, your honour and position for the love of Allah's Prophet and lose this bout to me? If you do this I will be able to collect the prize money and thereby have the means to feed my children and myself for an entire year. I will be able to settle all my debts and above all, the master of both the worlds will be pleased with you. Are you, Oh Junaid, not willing to sacrifice your honour for the sake of the children of Rasulullah (peace be upon him)?"Junaid Baghdadi thought to himself, "Today, I have an excellent opportunity." In a display of fervour Junaid Baghdadi executed a couple of maneuvers, demonstrating his finesse so that the King does not suspect any conspiracy. Junaid with a great display of antics did not use his strength and allowed himself to be dropped. The elderly man mounted his chest thus entitling him to the prize.That night, Junaid Baghdadi had a dream of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who said, "Oh Junaid, you have sacrificed your honour, your nationally acclaimed fame, your name and position which was heralded throughout Baghdad in the expression of your love for my children who were starving. As of today, your name is recorded in the register of the Auliya (friends of Allah)."Thereafter, this great wrestler learnt to defeat his nafs (desires) and became one of the most eminent Auliya of his time!Source: From the book "Tajalliat-e-Jazb" by Shaikh Hakim Muhammad Akhtar.
The Fisherman
An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The investment banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, "Only a little while." The investment banker then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The fisherman said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." The investment banker then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening and spend time with my family, I have a full and busy life." The investment banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to a big town and eventually to the the city where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise." The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the investment banker replied, "15 to 20 years." "But what then?" asked the fisherman. The investment banker laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." "Millions?...Then what?" The investment banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings and spend time with your family."
An Interview with Muhammad Ali
The following incident took place during an interview with the world famous boxer, Muhammad Ali.It all started with an innocent question: You have beaten some of the toughest men in the world in the ring. What scares you the most?Ali: [Points to his wife, to much laughter]Lonnie Ali: Come on, Muhammad, joking aside, tell them what really scares you.Ali: Nothing.Lonnie Ali: Nothing on this earth maybe, but ... tell them Muhammad. [There is a long pause]Ali: Not going to heaven.[Everyone present became silent. Sister Lonnie Ali had tears flowing down her cheeks. Others present were also shaken and silent. A few wiping their eyes. Br. Malik Mujahid broke the silence, patting Muhammad Ali on his arm.]Malik Mujahid: "No, Insha Allah, you will enter Jannah because you have helped so many people." Ali: [Muhammad Ali turned his face towards Br. Malik Mujahid, looking at him as though asking: Are you sure? Are you sure about yourself?]Malik Mujahid: "The Mumin lives between hope and fear."Where as the toughest man in the world is wondering about his place in Jannah, what do you think about yourslef. Will you go to Jannah? Its a question which everyone must ask himself and herself. A good answer may help us focus on the everlasting life. We pray to Allah for the best of both worlds. If we want Allah to give us the best, we will have to strive for it.
Story From a Police Officer
Extracted from a lecture by Muhammad AlShareef, obtained from Khutbah.com.A police officer in a Muslim country wrote the following letter to a Shaykh describing the events that led to his return to Allah. He recalls: Seeing accidents and crash victims was a normal part of my day, but one incident was different. My partner and I had parked on the shoulder of the highway and began to chat. In a random second, the scene shattered to the hideous sound of metal bodies becoming one. We threw our heads back to see what had happened: a head-on collision, the result of a vehicle slipping into the lane of the oncoming traffic. You couldn’t describe the carnage. Two young men sprawled in the first car, both in critical condition. We carried them gently away from the car and rested them on the ground. Quickly we returned to assist the owner of the second car. He was dead. Back we went to the two young men lying side by side on the pavement. My partner began dictating the Shahadah to them. “Say: La iIaha illAllah (there is no god but Allah), La iIaha illAllah…” ... their tongues wouldn’t acknowledge. They started humming the hypnotic lyrics of some song. I was terrified. My partner had experience however and he kept repeating his instruction. I stood watching, no movement, eyes locked. Never in my life had I seen anything similar to what was going on before me. In fact, I’ve never actually seen someone die, and never in such a satanic way. My partner continued to instruct them to say the Shahadah but there was no use. The hum of their song came to a slow silence, slowly. The first one stopped and then the other. Not a stir. Dead. We carried them to our patrol car, my partner made no effort to speak. Not a whisper between us two as we carried the corpses to the nearest hospital."Has not the Time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed (to them), and that they should not become like those to whom was given Revelation aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors." Al Quran 57:16
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