Patience and gratitude are the keys to contentment, in this life and the next. For every hardship, patience brings peace and grows gardens of reward. And every moment gift Allah has given you, from the ability to hear Qur’an to the chance to enjoy a bite of food, is an opportunity to say ‘Alhamdulillah’ with deep sincerity, and allow your thankfulness to flourish.
Can we learn how to have both from the example of a limbless father of a dead son?
NOTE: All depictions of Barzakh are purely conceptual and only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack.
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Captioning provided by Muhsen.
References:
- Humayd at-Tawil narrated that Mutarrif ibn Abdullah al-Harshi said: I attended a janazah, and then went off to myself and prayed two rakahs, but I felt as if I had performed them hastily, without proper focus. Then I dozed off and saw in my dream the person we just buried. He said: “You prayed two rakahs, but you were not satisfied with your focus.”
I replied, “That is true.”
He said: “You are able to act while you do not fully realize (its worth), whereas we cannot act at all. For me to have prayed two rakahs like yours would be more beloved to me than the entire world and all it contains.”
I then asked, “Who is buried here?”
He replied, “Everyone here is Muslim and has attained some good.”
I asked, “Who among them is the best?”
He pointed toward a grave. So I thought to myself, “O Allah, let him emerge so that I may speak to him.”
Then, a young man emerged from his grave. I asked him, “Are you the best among those buried here?”
He said, “That is what they claim.”
I asked, “How did you attain this rank? By Allah, I do not see in you such old age that I might assume you reached this through a lifetime of Hajj, Umrah, striving in Allah’s cause, and righteous deeds.”
He replied: “I was afflicted with trials and was granted patience through them. That is how I surpassed them.” [Al-Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman]
- Imam al-Awza’i narrates from ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad that he said: I went out to the shore as a patrolman, and our patrol at the time was in al-‘Areesh in Egypt. When I arrived at the shore, I came upon an open area with a tent on it. In the tent was a man who had no hands or legs and had impaired hearing and sight. Abdullah says the only thing working was his tongue, and he was saying, “O Allah, grant me the ability to praise You in a way that sufficiently thanks You for the favors You have bestowed upon me and by which You have preferred me over many whom You have created with great preference.”
So I approached the man, greeted him, and said, “I heard your du’a, but what favor from Allah’s favors are you praising Him for? And in what way did He prefer you over others to such a great extent that you need to thank Him for it?”
He said, “I will tell you, but in exchange for a favor. Isn’t it such that some people cannot hear, but I can hear? And isn’t it such that some people cannot think, but I can think? And isn’t it such that some people cannot speak, but I can speak? So for that alone, I will continue to praise Allah for just the tongue He gave me to praise Him.”
Abdullah ibn Muhammad was shocked and said, “What is the favor I can do for you?”
The man replied, “I had a young son who used to come to me at the time of prayer and help me perform ablution. When I became hungry, he would feed me, and when I became thirsty, he would provide me with a drink. But I have missed him for the last three days. Please look for him on my behalf—may Allah have mercy on you.”
So I set out looking for the young boy, and I had not gone far before I saw a valley where crows were descending. I went closer and found the body of the boy being eaten by them. I said, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.” Then I thought to myself, “How am I going to be able to face this man?!”
I returned to the man and said to him, “Are you more honorable in the sight of Allah, or was Ayyub?”
He said, “Of course, Ayyub.”
I said, “Do you know what his Lord did with him? Did He not test him in his wealth, family, and children?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “And how did Allah find him?”
He said, “He found him patient and grateful.”
So I said, “Then be patient, old man, for Allah has taken your son away.”
The man said, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” then cried heavily, eventually praising Allah even for this, saying: “Alhamdulillah, Allah did not give me a descendant who would disobey Him.” But eventually, he cried himself not to sleep—but to death.
I covered him with the cloak that was over him and sat at his head, crying.
As I was sitting along the main route, four men came to me and said: “O slave of Allah, what is your situation and what is your story?”
So I told them my story and his. They said to me, “Uncover his face for us, perhaps we know him.”
I uncovered his face, and the men began kissing his eyes and hands.
I said, “Who is this, may Allah have mercy on you?“
They said, “This is Abu Qilabah al-Jurmi, the companion of Ibn Abbas. He had tremendous love for Allah and the Prophet ﷺ!”
So we washed him, shrouded him with the clothing we had with us, prayed over him, and buried him. The men left, and I returned to my station.
When night fell, I lay down to rest and saw him in a dream, strolling in a garden from the gardens of Paradise, wearing two garments from the garments of Paradise while reciting the revelation: “Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home” (Qur’an, 13:24).
I said, “Aren’t you my companion?”
He said, “Yes.”
I said, “How did you receive this?!”
He said, “Verily, with Allah are levels that cannot be attained except with patience at times of trial and gratitude at times of prosperity.” [Ibn Abi ad-Dunya, As-Sabr wa ath-Thawaab]
