Sacrifice of the Lamb

Just as the Prophet (S.A.W.),
and his companions landed from their rides, and laid the loads down, it was
decided that they would sacrifice a lamb for dinner.
One of the companions
volunteered: "I will sacrifice the lamb."
Another: "I will skin
it."
Third: "I will cook
it."
Fourth: "
I will...."
The Prophet (S.A.W.): "I
will gather the wood from the desert."
The group: "O Messenger
of Allah, it is not becoming of you to discomfort yourself as such. You rest.
We will be honored to do all this on our own."
The Prophet (S.A.W.): "I
know that you are eager to do it all, but Allah isn't pleased with the slave
who distinguishes between himself and his companions, and considers himself
better than others."
Then he went to the desert,
and gathered some wood, and brought it to the group.
Tying the Camel
The caravan
had been traveling for few hours now. Signs of fatigue were obvious on their
faces. They arrived at a point and stopped. The Prophet (S.A.W.) who was also
in the caravan, stopped the camel, and landed. Prior to anything, they were in
search of water to prepare for prayer.
The Prophet
(S.A.W.) also started searching for water. But soon, returned to his camel,
without saying anything to anyone. The companions were surprised that the Prophet
(S.A.W.) had ordered stopping here, and now perhaps he would like to move
again? Eyes and ears were awaiting his order. But the surprise of the group
increased as they saw him approach his camel, and tied its knees, and returned
back in search of water.
Noises were
raised from every corner: " O Prophet of Allah!
Why didn't you order us to do this for you, and instead you put yourself in
discomfort? We would have proudly done that service for you."
The Prophet
(S.A.W.) responded: "Never seek others' help in your affairs, don't lean
on others, even if it is a small piece of Miswak (the
wood used for brushing teeth)."
Telling the Truth
Telling the truth is a
very good habit. If you always speak the truth, you can save yourself from a
lot of trouble! Here is a story of a man who did a lot of bad things, but his
promise to tell the truth saved him.
Once a man came to the
prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and said, "Oh prophet of Allah, I have many bad
habits. Which one of them should I give up first?" The prophet said,
"Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man
promised to do so and went home.
At night the man was
about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the
promise he made with the prophet. "If tomorrow the prophet asks me where
have I been, what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I
cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start
hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing."
So the man decided not
to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit.
Next day, he felt like
drinking wine, when he was about to do so, he said to himself, "What shall
I say to the prophet if he asks me what did I do during the day? I cannot tell
a lie, and if I speak the truth people will hate me, because a Muslim is not
allowed to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of drinking wine.
In this way, whenever
the man thought of doing something bad, he remembered his promise to tell the
truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a good
Muslim and a very good person.
If you always speak the
truth, you can be a good person, a good Muslim whom Allah likes and favors. If
Allah - our Creator - is pleased with us, He will reward us with HEAVEN, which is
a place of happiness and joy.
Make a promise: I shall
always speak the truth.
The Distressed Young Man
Holy Prophet
Muhammad (S.A.W.) recited his morning Salat (Prayer)
in the mosque along with other people. By this time, it was becoming bright and
the people could be clearly seen. At this moment, the Prophet (S.A.W.) saw a
young man whose condition seemed to be not normal. His head could not rest
properly on his body and was continuously moving this way and that way. The
Prophet (S.A.W.) looked at his face that had become pale; his eyes had gone
deep into his face. His body had become thin and lean. He asked him:
"In what
condition are you?"
"I am in
the condition of certainty, O Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.)". Replied the young man.
"Every
certainty has got some symptoms which indicate its truth; what is the symptom
of your certainty?"
My certainty
is the one, which is associated with my misery. In the nights, it has taken
away my sleep; and I pass the days with thirst. I have turned my back from the
comforts of this world and have turned my face towards the other side. It is
like this that I am seeing the Empyrean of Allah on the Day of Judgment and
similarly I also see the resurrection of the whole of the creation of Allah. It
is as if I am seeing the people in Heaven in pleasure and the people in Hell in
severe torment. It is as if the deadly noise of the flames of the Hell-fire is
just now ringing in my ears."
Prophet
(S.A.W.) turned his face towards the people and said: "He is a worshipper
of Allah whose heart has been illuminated by the light of faith."
Then he
(S.A.W.) turned towards the young man and said: "keep up this good state
of yours for yourself." The young man said:
"O Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.)! Pray that Allah gives me an opportunity
for Jihad (holy war) and bless me with SHAHADAH (martyrdom) in the right
path."
The Prophet
(S.A.W.) prayed. It did not take long when an opportunity arose for Jihad and
that young man participated in that Jihad. The tenth person who got martyred in
that war was none other than this young man.