Lately, I have been reading a lovely book from the small Islamic selection in our local library. (Imagine… this is real visual proof of living in a Protestant suburb of an 80% Christian, 2% Muslim country: only half a shelf of Islamic literature compared to over 15-20 shelves of Christian literature! Sigh…J) This book is called “The Wisdom of Islam” by Prof. Robert Frager PhD., a revert to Islam who is also a Sufi. There is this wonderful story he relates in the book which I found really inspiring and thought-provoking…
THE MERCHANT AND THE SUFI
A wealthy merchant watched a Sufi praying in the mosque. The merchant was inspired by the devotion of the Sufi, and when the Sufi finished his prayers, the merchant went over and gave him a bag of gold saying, “Please take this money and use it to help others. I am sure that you will do more good with it than I would.”
The Sufi replied, “I am not sure I can take your money. It would not be right to deprive you or your family. Do you have more money at home?”
The merchant proudly claimed, “I have over a thousand gold pieces at home!”
“Do you pray to God for even more gold?”
“Yes, of course. Every day I pray that God might increase my wealth.”
The Sufi handed back the gold to the merchant. “I cannot take your money. A wealthy man cannot take money from a beggar.”
The merchant was shocked. After all, he was clearly the wealthy one and the Sufi was the beggar.
The Sufi explained, “I am wealthy because I am content with whatever God brings me, and you are the beggar because, in spite of all you have, you are constantly begging God for more.”
Wow… how free this Sufi was! I was pondering over what the merchant thought – that the Sufi was the beggar. Yet the Sufi never once asked for the money; he was rich enough in contentment.
This story makes me think of my own life sometimes… I think most of us (if not all of us!) have a weak spot in some area of material goods; there is some area in our lives which we struggle to resist the desire to get more; buy more; make more… If you put me in a bookshop or take me to a shop with beautiful scarves/abayas/fabric… oh, how hard it is to go out without buying something!! Then when I have sewed a robe or bought a scarf, or read a book… I want another, and another, and another – or I start planning my next sewing project in my head, or wonder what I would write or read next… I think: “Oh, the freedom of simplicity!” But then, being ever the planner and list-maker, I start thinking: “Now, how would I live a simple life? What would I keep, and what would I throw out or give away?”
Distractions, distractions! The worst is when they come in salaah… But it is really such a normal part of the greater jihad within all of us. A sheikh once told me that trials come not to discourage us, but to elevate us. The more we turn back to Allah Ta’ala each time we are distracted, the less distractions will bother us. And Allah is Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Also worth sharing is this lovely little poem by Rumi, quoted from the same book…
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you
Don’t go back to sleep
You must ask for what you really want
Don’t go back to sleep
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
Where the two worlds touch
The door is round and open
Don’t go back to sleep
It reminded me of this wonderful thing I learnt about Salaah – that when we go into sudjood we have our head at the Feet of Alla Ta’ala; that we are transported to Jannah… awesome!!! Allah is calling us each new day; we must heed the call of prayer, as others have, and enter the doorway to Jannah where He waits for us, longing to answer our prayers.
Salaam
Saadiqah
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This lovely poem whilst talking about fajr, reminds me of the act of making tahajjud, I have had many struggles since my conversion but when I ask Allah (swt) for help during tahajjud he never ever fails me.
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