THE PRIEST AND THE MUSLIM
mohammad
Translated by: Shaykh Dr Ismail Mangera
I am reminded of an incident:
A certain person left home with the intention of going for jihad. En
route he lost his way. He climbed a huge mountain. On top of the
mountain he came across a gathering of a huge army of the Christians.
In the centre of the gathering was placed a big chair. This person
asked somebody the reason for them gathering there. One person replied,
"Once a year one of our priests comes and gives us a sermon. The chair
is for him."
This pious person narrates, "I quickly changed my clothes, dressing
like one of them, and sat there. After a short while the priest came
and sat on the chair. He cast his searching gaze in all four directions
and said, 'O people gathered here! I am not going to ask you to listen
to any sermon today. The reason is that there is amongst you an
individual of the ummah of Muhammed!' Having said this he again cast
his gaze in all four directions and called out in a loud voice, 'I take
an oath on my religion! Come forward and stand before all of us so that
we may beneficially drink from your radiance and adornment.'
"Hearing these words I could not desist. Reluctantly I stood up and
went to stand in front of the priest. The priest addressed me. 'I have
a few questions to put to you. Please provide me the answers.'"
THE FIRST QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"'The first question is: I have heard that Jannat has fruit of various
colours and differing types. Are there such fruits in this world?'
"I replied, 'Definitely there are such fruits. However, in name and
colour they bear a resemblance to the fruit of Jannat, but in
pleasurable taste and enjoyment they bear no resemblance.'"
THE SECOND QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The priest put forward a second question: 'Jannat has no such house or
abode that a branch of the Tree of Tىba does not flourish in it.
Is there a like example in this world?'
"I replied, 'There is. Just see: when the sun reaches its zenith, as
the branches of the Tree of Tىba spreads its branches into all
the houses, similarly does the sun spread its rays everywhere.'"
THE THIRD QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The priest asked a third question: 'Jannat has four rivers. The taste
of the contents are dissimilar, yet the source of the rivers - the
point of origin of all four - is one. Can one find a similar example in
the world?'
"I said, 'Indeed, there is a similar example to be found in this world.
Just see: the fluid from the ears is bitter; that of the eyes is salty;
that from the nose is smelly; that from the mouth is sweet. These four
fluids are dissimilar in their taste and fragrance, yet their source is
just one and that is the head.'"
THE FOURTH QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The fourth question that the priest put to me was, 'I wish to know
that in Jannat there is such a large platform that it has a length of
five hundred years. That is, if a person travels on it for five hundred
years then only will he reach the end of it. When a mu'min wishes to
climb on it, it will accommodate him by bowing low before him. When the
mu'min rests on it comfortably it will carry him high up into the air.
Is there any illustration of this in this world?'
"I replied, 'Why not? Just see: Allah Ta'ala states:
Do they not see how the camel has been created? S.88 a.17
"'This is an eye-witnessed scene that a camel bows its head towards the
ground, then takes its passenger and then stands up.'"
THE FIFTH QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The priest then said, 'O generous soul! I have only one other question
left to ask. It is this: I have heard that the inhabitants of Jannat
will be eating a variety of food and will be drinking various types of
drinks, but they will neither have the need to urinate nor to defecate.
Tell me, is there such an example in this world?'
"I replied, 'Yes, there is an example like it in this world! Just see:
as long as an infant is in the mother's womb, whatever the infant
desires to eat, Allah Ta'ala places in the mother's heart the desire to
eat that item. By the grace of Allah Ta'ala that item gets digested and
then reaches the infant. Yet, as long as the child is in the womb of
the mother, neither does it defecate nor does it urinate.'
"The priest remained silent."
ONE QUESTION FOR THE PRIEST
"I told him, 'You asked me five questions. I answered each and every
one. You accepted the answers. Now I wish to ask you just one question.
Hopefully you too will answer me. The question is: You tell me - what
is the key to Jannat?'
"The priest turned his attention to his people and said, 'O my people!
This person has asked me what the key to Jannat is. So, become alert!
Listen with attentive ears! I have read in the previous Heavenly Books
that the key to Jannat is "the kalimah..." Saying this the priest
became a Muslim and a great number of people also followed and became
Muslims."
48.THE CONSOLING FRIEND OF A MUSLIM
This is that Kalimah regarding which Rasulullah(sallallaa hu alaiyhi
wasallam) has stated:
"Jibril has informed me that the Kailmah is the companion and consoling
friend of a Muslim, at the time when the frightening scene of death
presents itself before him, at that time as well when the overwhelming
darkness of the grave overtakes him from all four sides and also at
that time when he is resurrected from the grave to proceed
grief-stricken to the plains of Hashr (Reckoning)."
The provision for Jannat is this Kalimah.
This Kalimah Tayyibah is such that if it is recited with the tongue,
even though the heart is inattentive, the person is rewarded with ten
nèkies; if the recitation is with an attentive heart - that is, the
heart inclines to the hereafter - then the nèkies rewarded are seven
hundred; and if at the time of recitation the heart bonds in a special
way with Allah Ta'ala, then the nèkies attained are such in number
that they will fill the space from east to west!