Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Eid of an Orphan and of the Little Princess







Children of Madinah were excited. They had looked forward to this day with great eager. For them Eid meant new clothes, shoes, good food and a lot of sweet dishes. Some of them had purchased the clothes in the beginning of the month. They were ready for them to wear on this auspicious occasion. Some children had dressed themselves up immediately after the morning prayers. Others were in the process of taking bath. A few had already left for the Idgah along with their parents, for they wanted to be in the first row to hear the sermon from the lips of the Prophet. Already the sounds of Takbir were being heard.

The Prophet also left for the Idgah. As he was passing through the streets of Madinah he caught sight of a child sitting all alone on the doorsteps of his home, sad and gloomy, his face stained with tears. He was dressed in tattered clothes. This sight made the Prophet stop and move towards the boy sitting aloof, lost in thought, far from Eid preparations, going all around.

The Prophet went up to the boy, lovingly picked up his arms and asked him in a soft voice so as not to hurt his feelings. My dear boy, you have not dressed up for Eid prayers, and from your looks you appear to be unhappy. Why are you so sad, when children around you are happy and playing around? Please tell me the reason. It is possible that I can be of some help.

The child looked up to see the warm, friendly face of the Prophet, smiling at him, waiting for his answer. Tears started welling up in the eyes of the boy, and he started crying.He was feeling sad and unhappy because most of the children in Madinah were all dressed up in fine clothes, and he and his family were poor who would not afford new clothes. He could not celebrate Eid like others. His father had been killed in a battle and his mother had remarried. His stepfather had turned him outside to fend for himself. He had no family, no relatives, no friends to take care of him and nobody to buy him new clothes.

On hearing this sad story from the boy, the Prophet was greatly moved. Hugging the boy close to him, the Prophet (PBUH) asked him, My beloved son! Do you prefer Muhammad to be your father, Ayesha to be your mother, Fatima to be your sister and Hasan and Hussain to be your bothers?

These words of the Prophet fell sweet on the ears of the boy, and his joy knew no bounds. O Prophet of Allah! Please forgive me. I did not know that I was speaking with you, for I had not met you before. Where on earth can I get a better mother than Hazrat Ayesha, a better sister than Fatima and better brothers than Hasan and Hussain? Can there be anybody more fortunate and favoured than me when Allah has bestowed on me the benefits and blessings of being a part of the noble family of the Prophet?

Once again, the tears flowed on his tiny cheeks but this time they were not out of sorrow but of extreme happiness. The Prophet took him by the hand and led him to his house. He told his wife Ayesha: My dear Ayesha! This is your son, take him. Give him sweets and dress him in the best clothes available. The boy was taken inside the house and given a bath and a new dress to wear.

Very soon, the boy all dressed-up was ready to accompany the Prophet to the Idgah. Before departing for the Idgah, the Prophet addressed Ayesha happily: Dear Ayesha! Perhaps this is the happiest Eid in my life! I am extremely happy in the happiness of an orphan. From then onwards the boy became a part of the household of the Prophet.







The princesses, of the leader of the Muslims, Hazrat  Umar bin Abdul Aziz, went to him on the day before Eid and said, “Father! tomorrow on Eid Day which clothes will we be going to wear? “He replied, “The ones you are wearing, wash them today and wear them tomorrow.”


“No! Father! make new clothes for us the little princesses insisted, stubbornly. He replied, “My wonderful daughters! Eid Day is a day on which prayers to Allah should be performed and it is a day to thank Allah. It is not necessary to wear new cloths.”


“Father! No doubt you are right but our friends and other girls will tease us and say that you are the daughters of the leader of the Muslims and you are still wearing these old clothes.” As they said this their eyes got filled with tears. On seeing this the heart of the leader of the muslims also got hurt. He called the treasurer and said. “Give me my one month’s salary in advance” The treasurer requested, Sir! Are you sure that you will stay alive for one month?”


He replied (“May Allah give you reward!) No doubt you said something wonderful and correct.”


The treasurer went away. He told the princesses, “Dear daughters! Sacrifice your wishes for the happiness of Allah and the Holy Prophet(peace be upon Him). No one shall be permitted into the Heaven till he gives some sacrifice. 




No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...