5. Would you like to meet him outside the institution? (cont.)

This is because these matters may affect a person, and subsequently influence his decisions and judgements. In a previous era, there lived a mass murderer. Yes, a mass murderer who did not kill one, two, or even ten people. No, he had killed ninety-nine. I have no idea how this man managed to escape revenge; perhaps, he was so ruthless that none would ever dare approach him, or perhaps he kept in hiding. The important fact here though is that he was guilty of ninety-nine mur20 People are like the minerals of the earth ders. One day, the idea of repentance crossed his mind, so he decided to ask the most knowledgeable scholar in the world. People pointed him in the direction of a monk in a monastery who would never leave his prayer mat, spending all his time praying to Allah and weeping. The man visited the monk, stood in front of him and asked, "I have killed ninety-nine souls. Could I still repent?" How could this monk, who I think if he were to have killed an ant mistakenly would have spent the rest of his life weeping, respond to a person who had murdered ninety-nine people with his bare hands? The monk was furious. It was as if the man standing in front of him was the embodiment of the ninety-nine corpses! He yelled, "There is no repentance for you! There is no repentance for you!" It should come as no surprise that such a response would be given by a monk who lacked knowledge and made emotional decisions. When the murderer heard this response he was enraged. Being the callous person he was, he grabbed a knife and repeatedly stabbed the monk, cutting him into pieces, then stormed out of the monastery. After some time, he thought about repentance once again. He enquired about the most knowledgeable person he could ask, and the people referred him to a scholar. When he visited the scholar, he found him to be sedate and god-fearing. The murderer came forward and asked, "I have killed a hundred people. Could I still repent?" The scholar instantly replied, "SubhaanAllah! What could prevent you from repenting?" People are like the minerals of the earth What a wonderful response! Who could prevent a person from repentance? The Lord is in the heavens and there is no power on earth that can prevent a person from repenting to Him submissively. This scholar, who had made his statement based on knowledge and upon Allah's Law as opposed to his whims and emotions, said to the man, "However, you are in an evil land." Strange! How did he know that? He gathered this by knowing the magnitude of the man's crime and the absence of anyone to forbid him. He realised that murder and oppression had become a norm in that city, so much so that nobody had any concern for the plight of the oppressed. He said, "You are in an evil land." Meaning, you must leave here and go to such-and-such a land where there are people worshipping Allah and join them in worshipping Him. The man set out for that land but died before reaching it. The angels of mercy and those of punishment descended to take his soul. The angels of mercy argued that he had been on his way to repenting and returning to Allah. The angels of wrath argued that he had not done any good in his entire life. Therefore, Allah sent an angel in the form of a man to settle their dispute. He judged that the distance between the two cities be measured, and that the man be judged according to whichever of the two he had been closer to. Allah inspired the city of mercy to be closer and the city of disobedience to be farther. It was thus discovered that he had been closer to the city of virtue. The angels of mercy therefore took the man's soul. Unfortunately, many of those who pass verdicts in Islamic People are like the minerals of the earth matters as well as some who seek them are often carried away by emotion. I recall one of my neighbours who often had arguments with his wife. One day he had a terrible one due to which he divorced her once, and then took her back. After that, he had another one due to which he divorced her again, only to take her back again. Each time I would meet him, I would remind him of the seriousness of divorce as well as of his responsibilities towards his small children. I would often say to him, "You only have one divorce left – the third one.