Part 5

* Famous authentic hadith documented by a/-Jami al-Uhim wal Flikam by Yon. Rajab (1/269) and al-Jami‘ al-Saghir by al-Suyuti (4401)

Salman al-Farsi (radiyAllabu ‘anhu)

encouraged him to search for the signs which would lead him to our Prophet (4), the most noble among those held in esteem; so they said to him: His time has come, so beware of going astray [during your search for him], for he will appear in the land of the Arabs, then he will immigrate (from his hometown) to another place located between two hills. So go in search for him when you hear of his migration; if they could but see him as he crossed the open country, his yearning will be acting as his guide, his longing (to his home) will be a soutce of perturbation to him, and his anxiousness will keep him alert. Thereafter, Salman travelled with a company that took advantage of him so

“they sold him for a reduced price” [Yusiff 12: 20)

to a Jew living in Madinah. But, his state of dejection due to this enslavement was eventually to be restored by the soothing effect of [the words of the Prophet (#2) when he said]: “Salman is from

His excitement revived when he finally found himself at the place located between the two hills, even as Madinah remained unawate of the burning emotion of its new inhabitant. He endured [the life of slavery and waiting] until the news bearer came with the glad tidings of the arrival of the Messenger (2) [to Madinah] whilst he was on top of a palm tree; the joyous rush of anxious feelings he experienced upon hearing this news overwhelmed him and almost made him fall off the tree, were it not for his steadfast will that kept him holding on, just like it happened on the day [when the mother of Musa (‘a/layhi as-salam)|,

SEEDS OF ADMONISHMENT AND REFORM

ean SEIS ol saree Ae ee es ten “she was about to disclose [the matter concerning] him had We not bound fast her heart that she would be of

He went down the tree in great haste to meet the Messenger () but his overwhelming excitement made him lose control over himself just as had happened to Ya‘qiib (‘a/ayhi as-salam) [when he said]:

Aa pew NY “Indeed, I find the smell of Yisuf.”

His master shouted at him, ‘This is not of your concern, go back to your work’, but how could he turn away now, when he still had unfinished business to attend to!? His refusal to turn away made his master to start hitting him while he was indulging in the sensation of longing and his heart singing with joy, but how the can deaf hear!

In the saying of Allah: “They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and hope...”

ping at night] is unbearable except by the one starving

[whose hunger perks him up]. The legions of indolence assemble to clutch onto the tail of slackness, and so they embellish the beauty of sleep [in the eyes of the sleeper]; adorn the comfort of the bed [to the body], and picture the coldness of water as intimidating [to abstain the body from performing wudu]. However, as soon as a spark of strong will and endeavor is provoked, the path of worship becomes illuminated, thereupon the heart of certainty hears the call: “Is there anyone seeking anything so I that may fulfill it for him’?

T HE JOURNEY OF NIGHT [ie. praying and worship-

At night, the breath of the devotee rapidly quickens [due to his excessive effort in acts of worship]. There is a concealed strength

? Reported by Muslim (758)

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inside the worshippers while they beseech Allah’s forgiveness; indeed the crying of children is unlike the crying of men. Spending the night awake [worshipping] is the howdah of devotees; the breeze of the night awakes the eyes of the thoughtful. You can see them laying down the mattress of Qais [i.c. awake duc to their passion] and spending their night like the nights of a/-Nabighah*, if they sleep, they lay [their heads on] pillows of lofty aspiration, and when they rise, they get up worried as if sleep took an oath to stay away from their eyelids. They remain standing, their feet bearing their weight all night, until the night breeze approaches sleep, and the caller declares the death of darkness [due to nearness of dawn] so that when the brunt of darkness is borne away by the break of dawn, they rush to lean on the rides of forgiveness.

The fragrance of late nights is the nourishment of souls whereby they become softened hence enjoying the sense of tranquility, cooling down the heat of theit yearning and delivering their letters of love. He whose heart is in distress finds his tranquility and comfort when feeling the breeze, despite its disturbance. Yet, understanding the uttered words of this breeze can only be understood by the one yearning [for his Lord], for conversation about lightning is only attractive to the lovers [i.e. worshippers]. They seclude themselves, with the One Whom they love, inside the house of supplications, therefore He clothes them with garments that indicate their connection to Him, and perfumes them with the scent of good treatment. Indeed, the late part of the night is too precious for words, so they receive the dawn while the signs

> A known poet who is known of his platonic love. This metaphor indicates how their love to Allah makes them awake all night just as how Qais used to

stay awake all night remembering his beloved.

In the saying of Allah: “They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate...

of their nearness to Allah are apparent on them.

The odour of their worship smells out their clothes, leaving you, O you sleeping corpse, to grieve over your loss! O you, naked and heedless, weep, for you neither know how they spent their night nor are you aware of what has happened to them. How would the one whose heart is void know what transcends the one whose heart is filled and attached to the one Whom he loves! The company of the

“their bodies forsake their beds” [alSajdah (32):16]

has already departed before the arrival of the late night while the one cast away in the state of sleep is still locked in his cell of slumber. The jailor does not set the sleeper free until the worshippers reach their destination. The sleeper then gets up [hoping to catch up with them] so he starts seeking their traces in the city of Kufah? while they have already commenced the state of shram [in Makkah].

Hasan ibn Abi Sinan’ used to feign asleep, until his wife would fall asleep so that he could get up and pray. When al-Rabi‘ ibn Khaytham’ used to be in a state of distress, weeping and exces-

5A city in Seaq

“He is from the tabi‘in living in the city of Basrah. He was known of his piety and righteousness.

7 He is from the tabi‘in and known of his shyness and piety. His high rank can be noted from the statement of Ibn Mas‘tid who said to him, “If the Messenger of Allah was alive today and saw you, he will surely love you.”

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sive worship at night, his mother used to say to him: ’O son, have you murdered someone [because of which you arte in such great distress and weeping]? He would reply: yes... I have killed myself.’

One of the ascetics was told: be gentle to yourself [i.e. do not exhaust yourself with excessive worship], he replied: gentleness is what I am after [i.e. seeking the comfort of the immortal life not this life]. Umayyah al-Shami used to cry and weep in the masid wntil his weeping became loud. The ruler of those regions sent him a letter saying: you are disturbing those who pray with your excessive crying and loud weeping so hold yourself back a little. When he read it he cried and said: The grief of the Day of Judgment has bequeathed me endless tears. I gain some relief by shedding some of them sometimes.

Turning to Allah (in repentance)

YOU WHO DELAYS his repentance because of his deluded hope of a long life; {tell me]

“For what Day was it postponed?” [alMursalat 77: 12]

You used to say, I will repent when my hair becomes grey [i.e. old] and here they are, the months of summer (i.e. youth) have passed and gone and if the sword of your endeavors was of any use, your vain desires would have met their death under its sharp edge. Every day you lay down the basis of your repentance and returning to Allah but you position this foundation on the edge of a precipice, because every time you get a heartfelt feeling to repent, the troops of your desires attack and overcome your intention of repentance. Slaughter the throat of desire with the knife of firm resolve, because so long as desire remains alive, you are never safe from the relapses of an ever-changing heart [from good to evil]. Let the tears you shed in the darkness of the night be your intercessors for when you make mistakes. Indeed, the flint

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of the intercessor sparks the flames of success.

With the ink of your tears write your good expectations from He Who is capable of fulfilling them; do not suffice with your repentance without accompanying it with grief and sorrow similar to the grief of Prophet Ya‘qib (‘a/ayhi as-salam) [when he lost Yusuf (‘alayhi as-salam)| ot the patience of Prophet Yasuf (‘a/ayhi as-salam) over what he had gone through]; but if you cannot bear either of those, then at least accompany it with the humility of the brothers of Yisuf (ala as-salam), [when they said]:

teas “and be charitable to us.”

O people, these are the torches of success and acceptance; O you whose house is devoid of provision, these are the days of harvest; O you who was abandoned in [the land of] Kan’an, when will you smell the breeze of “Yusuf (‘alayhi as-salam)y”; O “prison of Egypt” when will the king see the seven cows [in his dream so Yiisuf (‘a/ayhi as-salam) could be free], O Benjamin, the time of departure is when you hear the tones of [the words]