-:Hadees:-:-> How many of us are stumbling in the dark, or sitting quietly in despair, not knowing where to turn? How many of us have giant boulders blocking our progress, preventing us from living happy lives? How many of us are stuck, trapped, immo

The great Companion 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (ra) came to Islam after a
terrible fight with his sister,when he caught her and her husband Zaid
reciting Quran, and he flew into a terrible rage and beat them both.
Then he felt shame and regret; he demanded to see the manuscript they
had been reading. Upon reading it, he was deeply shaken by its beauty,
and the nobility of its call. He went straight to Al-Safa, where the
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was meeting with his companions. He asked
permission to enter, then declared his conversion in front of the holy
Prophet (pbuh). 'Umar went on to become one of the Prophet's closest
and companions, and then the second Khalifah of the Muslim world after
the death of the Prophet (pbuh).
Many of the Sahabah went through terrible hardships in the name of
Islam. Many were tortured. One, SalmanAl-Farisi, left behind a life of
comfort and nobility in order to search the world for the truth,
finally endingup as a slave before the word came to him of the Prophet
that he had sought for so long.
My point is not to say that they suffered, so be patient. This has
been said voluminously. My point is that their suffering led them to
astonishing places spiritually. Because they were sincere and pure of
heart, their suffering purified them, and raised them to a kind of
generational nobility unseen in human history. Materially, they
literally became the masters of the world, but only because they first
proved that they did not desire it. Even from their position as rulers
theywere humble as the dust, like 'Umar, who, as commander of the
second largest empire in the world, ate bread made from coarse flour,
and wore patched clothes.
There is a story told by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in a saheeh hadith:
"Three persons from the tribe of Bani Israel got together and started
out on a journey. On the way, clouds gathered above them and it
started to pourwith rain and so they sought shelter in a nearby cave.
Suddenly, a large boulder slipped and blocked the entrance to the
cave, trapping the three inside and transforming the day into a dark
night for them. They had no other alternative except to turn to Allahn
(SWT) for help.
"Let us use our sincere deeds as a means to obtaindeliverance from
this predicament," suggested one of them. All the others agreed with
the suggestion.
One of them said, "O' Lord! You are aware that I have an extremely
attractive cousin and that I was infatuated and obsessed with her. One
day, finding her alone, I took hold of her and wanted to satisfy my
carnal desires, when she spoke out to me saying: O' My cousin! Fear
Allah (SWT) and do not harm my chastity. Hearing this, I crushed my
lustful tendencies and decided against the evil act. O' Lord!If that
deed of mine had been out of absolute sincerity and only for the
purpose of acquiring Your pleasure, deliver us from grief and
perdition."
Suddenly they witnessed that the huge boulder had moved away a little,
faintlybrightening up the interior of the cave.
The second person spoke out, "O' Lord! You know that I had a father
and a mother, so old that their bodies had bent over due to their
excessive age, and that I used to tend to themregularly. One night,
having brought them their food, I observed that both of them were
asleep. I passed the entire night near them, the food in hand, without
waking them up for fear of disturbing them. O' Lord! If this deed of
mine had beenonly for the sake of Your pleasure and happiness, open up
a way for us and grant us salvation."
As he completed his speech, the group noticed that the boulder had
moved aside a little more.

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