UmmZ, how DO you do it? Masha'Allah - may you be blessed for the timely reminder, that it's our Mawlana's birthday.
I share this pearl of his, from a student of diyn & lover of Rumi:
Once a person goes to Prophet Sulaiman (a.s) and complains to him saying that : I’ve been walking in the city streets and Azreal, the Angel of Death, came and stared at me in a very horrible manner. As you can see I am so frightened that my face has become white, and I am trembling from head to foot. I kindly request you to use your God given powers, and send me off to some other country. I don’t wish to remain in this country anymore.
On hearing this poor mans plea, Prophet Sulaiman agrees to his request, and so, he commands the wind to take this person all the way to India, and the wind sweeps this person across the Ocean and takes him all the way to India.
Then, Sulaiman (a.s) summons Azrael (the angel of death) and asks him : why have you been scaring one of my men by staring at him in a ridiculous manner. That friend of mine was so terribly scared that, he had even requested me to send him all the way to India.
Azrael replies : O Prophet of God, the reason why I stared at him like that was because, God had commanded me to take the soul of this person TOMORROW from India, and I was really surprised to see him TODAY still walking around in the streets of this country (Ethiopia). I was so perplexed and confused at it, and that’s why I was looking at him in a curious and ridiculous manner. I was simply wondering, “What is he doing here in Ethiopia, while Allah had commanded me to take his soul tomorrow from India. Now that he is in India, my confusion is over, and so, tomorrow I can take his soul just as how God had commanded me to do so.”
-The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi
So that's where Maugham got his "Appointment in Samarra!"
ReplyDeleteAh, I remember this story. My dad relayed it to me when I was small. It just goes to show that wherever we may be, death will find us. I don't know whether this story is true, though, or whether it's just a parable?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, regardless...I remember hearing a story about this man who had survived the 1999 earthquake of Turkey. To avoid the risk of 'aftershocks' and chaos that typically comes after an earthquake, he was brought to Australia by some of his family. However, very soon after his arrival to Australia, Allah took his soul. He died in a car accident.
On the flip side, however, there are stories of people who have survived situations which normally one would expect for a person to not survive. Not sure if you would recall, but after a mudslide that happened in Mexico, nine new born babies were recovered from a hospital wreckage. Similarly, there are stories of babies surviving the recent tsunami. Oh, and there is that other story of a man falling out of an aeroplane and landing on a haystack and walking scot-free!
Salam Doc!!
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know that my camel email address is temporarily out of action as the Servers are being meddled with :-/ and Camel is keeping an eye open for smooth operations! Thus I could email OUT but not receive anything for a while. I have emailed you for some postal info..
Please could you reply to my hotmail account: tranquilart@hotmail.com
Many thanks
Salam from the UK
Bint-eh Adam
Salaam' Alaikum
ReplyDeleteJazakh Allah Khair.
And thanks for that. Subhan'Allah.
UZ
hehe nesli it IS a true story :p we have all heard it :)
ReplyDeletenice blog bro!
Hi Abu Dharr. I was just wondering if you knew of any websites which help people to find a 'walking companion' in their local area, just ike this website 'walking companion'? Do you know of any others? Many thanks
ReplyDelete