TRUE STORIES

From Bahishti Zewar By Maulana Asyraf Ali Thanwi Rahimahullah
First Story

Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam is reported to have said: "A person was in a jungle when all of a sudden he heard a voice in a cloud saying: "Go and water the orchard of so and so person." On hearing that voice, the cloud moved and poured heavily on a stony place. All the water collected in a drain and began to flow. This person began following the water and saw that a man was standing in his orchard and was sprinkling water with a spade. This person asked the gardener: "O servant of Allâh! What is your name?" He gave the same name which this person had heard in the cloud. Thereafter, the gardener asked this person: "O servant of Allâh! Why are you asking me my name?" He replied: "I heard a voice in that cloud whose water this is taking your name and asking it to pour water onto your orchard. What do you do in it that it is so acceptable?" He replied: "Now that you have asked, I will have to inform you. I look at its total produce and from there I give one third to charity. Another third I keep for myself and my family, and the last third I re-invest into this orchard."

Lesson: Glory be to Allâh! How merciful He is that the person who obeys Him has all his work done through unseen ways without him even knowing about it. Without doubt, the person who becomes Allâh's, Allâh becomes his.




Second Story

Once Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam related that there were three men from the Banu Isra'eel. One of them was a leper, the other bald, and the third blind. Allâh Ta'âla wanted to test them, so He sent an angel to them. The angel first went to the leper and asked him: "What would you like best?" He replied: "I would like a nice complexion, a beautiful skin, and that this sickness goes away from me whereby people do not allow me to sit with them and which they hate." The angel passed his hand over the body of that person. He was immediately cured and a nice skin and beautiful complexion appeared. The angel then asked him: "What type of wealth do you like the most?" He replied: "Camels." So he gave him a pregnant camel and told him: "May Allâh Ta'âla give you barakah in this."

The angel then went to the bald person and asked him: "What would you like best?" He replied: "That my hair grows nicely and that this sickness which people dislike goes away from me!" The angel passed his hand over his head, he was immediately cured and beautiful hair began to grow. He then asked him: "What type of wealth do you like the most?" He replied: "Cows." So he gave him a pregnant cow and told him: "May Allâh Ta'âla give you barakah in this."

Eventually, the angel went to the blind person and asked him: "What would you like most?" He replied: "That Allâh gives me back my sight so that I may be able to see everyone." The angel passed his hand over his eyes and Allâh gave him back his sight. He then asked him: "What type of wealth do you like the most?" He replied: "Goats." So he was given a pregnant goat. The animals of all three delivered their babies. In a short time, the jungle was filled with his camels, his cows, and his goats.

Thereafter, under the orders of Allâh Ta'âla, that angel went in his previous form to the leper and said to him: "I am a poor person. All my provisions for my journey are finished. Today I have no means of reaching home except through Allâh and then through your help. In the name of that Allâh who has blessed you with a nice skin and a beautiful complexion, I ask you for a camel which I could ride and reach my home." He replied: "Get far away from here! I have a lot of other commitments to fulfil. I do not have anything to spare which I could give you." The angel said: "I think I recognize you. Were you not a leper, for which people despised you? Were you not very poor, and then Allâh blessed you with so much of wealth?" He replied: "What are you talking? I inherited this wealth from my ancestors." The angel said: "If you are lying, may Allâh return you as you were before."

The angel then went to the bald person in his previous form and asked him the same questions and he also replied in the same way. So the angel said to him: "If you are lying, may Allâh return you as you were before."

Eventually he went to the blind person in that same original form and said to him: "I am a traveller and all my provisions are finished. Today I have no means except Allâh and then you. In the name of that Being who returned to you your eye-sight, I ask you for a goat with which I could do my work and complete my journey." He replied: "Without doubt, I was blind. It was only out of His mercy that Allâh Ta'âla gave me back my eye-sight. Take as much as you want and leave behind as much as you want. By Allâh, I will not stop you from taking anything." The angel replied: "Keep your wealth with you, I do not want anything. I had only come to test you three. Now the test is over. Allâh is pleased with you and displeased with the other two."

Lesson: Just imagine, that because of the ungratefulness of those two, all those bounties were taken away and they were left as they were before. Allâh became displeased with them and they are forsaken both in this world and in the hereafter. Due to his gratefulness, that person's bounties remained intact, Allâh was pleased with him, and he is contented both in this world and in the hereafter.





Third Story

Once some meat from somewhere came to Hadrat Umme Salamah radiAllâhu anha. Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam liked meat a lot. She therefore asked her maid to keep the meat on the shelf. Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam will perhaps come and partake of it. So she kept it on the shelf. Just then a beggar came, and while standing at the doorway, shouted: " Give in the name of Allâh, He will give you barakah!" A reply from the house came: "May Allâh also give you blessings!" These words are used to show that there is nothing in the house which could be given. That beggar went away. Just then Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam arrived and asked: "O Umme Salamah! Do you have anything to eat?" She replied: "Yes" and said to the maid: "Go and get that meat." She goes to bring the meat, but there's no sign of that meat over there. Only a piece of white stone was kept there. Upon this Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam remarked that because she did not give it to the beggar, that piece of meat turned into a stone.

Lesson: Just think, that due to not giving in the name of Allâh, this misfortune occurred that the form of the meat changed and turned into a stone. In the same way, the person who deceives the beggar and yet eats himself, is actually eating a stone. The result of this is that mercilessness and hard-heartedness increases. Since Allâh Ta'âla has a lot of kindness and mercy on the family of Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam, He changed the form of the meat in front of their very eyes so that they may be saved from partaking of it.





Fourth Story

It was the noble habit of Rasulullah sallAllâhu alayhi wa sallam that after the Fajr salât he used to turn and face his companions and ask them: "Did anyone of you see any dream last night?" If anyone saw a dream, he would relate it to him and he would give some interpretation to it. As was his habit, he once asked them if any one of them had seen any dream. They all said that they had not seen any dream. He then said: "I saw a dream last night that two people came to me, took hold of my hand and led me towards a sacred place. I saw a man sitting and another standing with pincers in his hand. He was tearing open the sitting man's cheek until it reached his neck. He then did the same with the other cheek. In the meantime, the first cheek came back to its normal position, so he did the same to it again. I asked the angels: "What is this?" They replied: "Carry on further."

We continued further until we passed by a person who was lying down and another person was standing at his head-side with a heavy boulder in his hand. He took the boulder and, with full force, he burst his head. Once the boulder struck him, it fell and rolled away to a far distance. When he went to pick up that boulder and by the time that he returned, this person's head became normal again. So he burst it again. I asked them: "What is this?" They replied: "Carry on further."

We carried on further until we reached a cave which was like an oven. It was very wide at the bottom and very narrow on top. A fire was burning in it and it was filled with many naked men and women. When the flames rose, all of them rose with it until they were about to fall out. When the flames subsided, they all also went down with it. I asked them: "What is this?" They both replied: "Carry on further."

We proceeded further until we reached a river of blood. A person was standing in the centre of the river, and on the bank another man was standing with many boulders in front of him. The man in the centre walked towards the bank and when he was about to come out, the person on the bank threw a boulder on his face with such force that he returned to his original place in the centre. When he tried to come out again, he threw a boulder at him and sent him back. I asked them: "What is this?" They replied: "Carry on further."

We proceeded further until we reached a green and luscious garden. There was a huge tree and under it an old man and many children were sitting. Near the tree there was another man sitting. There was a fire burning in front of him which he was blowing. Thereafter my two companions lifted me up and took me on top of the tree. Within the tree, a beautiful house was being constructed. They took me inside it; I had never seen such a beautiful house. There were many old and young men and women, and many children inside. After taking me outside, we went to an even higher place. Over there was a house which was better than the first one. They took me inside; there were also young and old people in it. I said to those two persons: "You took me around throughout the night, now tell me about all these mysteries."

One of them said: " The one whose cheeks you saw being torn apart is a liar. He used to speak lies until they used to become famous everywhere. They will continue doing this to him right until qiyâmah. As for the one whose head you saw getting smashed, he was a person whom Allâh had given knowledge of the Quran. He was negligent of it at night and did not practise on it during the day. He will be punished right until qiyâmah in this way. As for those whom you saw in the cave of fire, they were all adulterers. As for the one in the river of blood, he was a devourer of usury (interest). The old man under the tree is Ibrahim alayhis salâm and all the children around him are the infants of other people. The person blowing the fire is the Guardian of Hell. The first house which you entered is for the general Muslims. The second house is for the martyrs. I am Jibra'eel and this is Mika'eel." He then said: "Lift your head." I lifted my head and saw a white cloud above me. He said: "This is your house." I said: "Let me enter my house." He replied: "Your life is not completed yet. There's still some time left. If it was complete, you would have entered it now."

Lesson: It should be known that dreams of prophets are revelations. All these incidents are true. Several things are learnt from this Hadith: (a) the severe punishment for speaking lies, (b) the fate of an âlim who does not practise on his knowledge, (c) the punishment for adultery, (d) the punishment for devouring interest. May Allâh Ta'âla protect all Muslims from all these sins.