Transcribed by Abdul Alim Abdullah

The following story is an extract from ibn al-Jawzī’s Ocean of Tears.

It has been related through some reports that there was a man who was from amongst the Islāmic jurists of Baghdād. He was a source of knowledge and authority for the people in addition to being a great and noble shaykh.

One time he desired to perform Hajj to Allāh’s Sacred House and to visit the grave of His Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him). He gathered some of the students who used to study with him and they set out for the journey placing their full trust in Allāh, Exalted is He.

During their travels they came upon a Christian monastery. They had become exhausted and fatigued from the heat of the sun and thirst. The students said to the shaykh, “Our dear teacher, let us take refuge at the monastery until the weather becomes cooler and then we’ll set out again.” The shaykh said to them, “Do as you please.” They then went to the monastery and settled at its walls. The students slept, but the shaykh did not.

The shaykh left the students sleeping with no other concern except to search for some water to perform wuḍū’. As he was searching for the water he raised his head and saw a young woman whose beauty emanated like the sun. At this moment Iblīs gained control of his heart and he forgot about the water and wuḍū’. He did not have any concern now except for this young woman. He went to the monastery’s gate and knocked upon it intensely. A priest came out and asked, “Who are you?”

The shaykh introduced himself.

The priest said, “And what do you want, O jurist of the Muslims?”

The shaykh said, “Dear priest, that young woman who appeared at the top of the monastery. Who is she?”

The priest said, “She is my daughter. What’s your business with her?”

The shaykh said, “I want you to marry her to me.”

The priest said, “That is something not permissible in our religion. If it were permissible, I would marry her to you even without consulting her. However, she made a covenant upon herself that she would not marry anyone whom she is not pleased with. I will go to her and inform her about you, and if she is pleased I’ll marry her to you.”

The shaykh said, “My warmest love and honor to you.”

The priest then went to his daughter and informed her of what transpired as the shaykh listened nearby.

She said, “My dearest father, how could you marry me to him? I am a Christian and he is a Muslim. No marriage will occur until he becomes a Christian.”

When she said that, the priest replied, “So if he accepts your religion will you marry him?”

She said, “Yes.”

As these events were unfolding, the noble scholar was becoming overly passionate. Iblīs began to beautify all of this to him while his companions were in deep sleep with no knowledge of what had happened to their teacher.

The shaykh approached the young woman and said, “I have rejected Islām and have accepted your religion.”

She said to him, “A marriage destined to happen! However, it is from my rights of marriage that there is a dowry payment. So, where is my dowry? I see you as someone poor, but if you herd these pigs over here for one whole year, I will accept that as a dowry.”

He said, “Sure, I will do that. But I have a condition that you do not conceal your face from me so that I may look at you throughout the day and night.” She agreed.

He took his cane that he used to lean upon during his public sermons and went to the pigs, driving them towards the pasture.

All of this happened while his companions were asleep. When they awoke they began to look for their teacher, but with no success. They asked the priest about him, and he told them what happened.

Some of them fell down unconscious, others cried and wailed. Others felt great regret for what happened to him.

They then asked the priest, “Where is he?”

He said, “He is herding pigs.”

They went to him and found him leaning upon his cane—the one on which he used to lean during his public sermons. This time around he was herding pigs with it. They said to him, “Our dear teacher, what is this misfortune that has happened to you?” They began to remind him of the virtues of Islām and the Qur’ān, and the virtues of Muḥammad ﷺ. They proceeded to recite some verses of the Qur’ān to him, as well as Prophetic traditions.

He said to them, “Get away from me! I am more knowledgeable with what you are reminding me with. This ordeal of mine is from the Lord of the Worlds.”

His companions said, “We tried convincing him to come with us but we were not able to. Thus, we left him and proceeded to Makkah with a feeling of regret for him in our hearts.

They performed their Hajj and began their journey back to Baghdād. When they came across the same monastery on the way back, they said, “Let us go see what our teacher has done. Perhaps he felt regret over his actions and repented to Allāh, Exalted is He, and returned to his previous state.”

They went to him and found him in the same situation, herding the pigs. They conveyed their salām to him, gave him reminders, and recited some Qur’ān to him, but he gave no response. They left him and the regret for him in their hearts intensified.

As they distanced themselves from the monastery in a state of mourning, someone began to come from the direction of the monastery crying out to them, and they stopped. It was their shaykh and he joined them once again.

He said, “I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh. I have repented to Allāh and have abandoned what I was upon. All of this has happened because of a sin between me and my Lord, and He wanted to punish me and thus you witnessed the ordeal I was in.”

The students were happy beyond belief and returned to Baghdād. The shaykh engaged in acts of worship and self-struggling far more than what he used to do. One day while they were reading to the shaykh, there was a knock at the door and it turned out to be a young woman. The students asked her, “What do you need, young lady?”

She said, “I want to speak to the shaykh.”

They went to the shaykh and told her that she was so-and-so, the daughter of the priest. She came to accept Islām at his hands. He permitted her to enter and she said to him, “My master, I have come to accept Islām at your hands.”

The shaykh said, “What is your story?”

She said, “When you left me, I became weary and fell asleep. I saw in my dream `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib, may Allāh be pleased with him, and he said to me: ‘There is no religion except the religion of Muḥammad, may Allāh’s peace and blessings be upon him.’ He said that three times and then said: ‘And Allāh will not test one of His righteous servants through you.’ So now I have come to you, standing here in front of you to say that I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh, and I bear witness that Muḥammad his the Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh’s peace and blessings be upon him.”

The shaykh rejoiced that Allāh blessed her with Islām upon his hands. He then married her based upon the law of Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ.

The students asked him about the sin that he committed that was between him and Allāh.

He replied, “One day I was walking in a path when a Christian man grabbed a hold of me. I said: ‘Get away from me! May Allāh’s curse be upon you!’

He asked, ‘Why?’

I told him: ‘I am better than you.’

The Christian man turned to me and said, ‘And how do you know that you are better than me? Do you know of the matters with Allāh that would lead you to say such words?’

After some time, news reached me that this Christian man accepted Islām, lived it in a beautiful manner, and was persistent in his worship. Thus, Allāh tested me because of this as you have witnessed.”

We ask Allāh for a state of spiritual well-being in this life and the Hereafter.

A few gems:

The Alternation of Days

Know that time does not remain at a stand-still, for Allah subahnahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) says:

وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ

“[…] And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people […]” (Qur’an 3:140)

One time it is poverty, and another time it is wealth. Once it is honor, and another it is humiliation. So the happy one is the one who remains well-grounded in each situation, and he is the one who has taqwa (consciousness) of Allah (swt). For if he is wealthy, it beautifies him and if he becomes poor, the doors of patience open up for him. And if he is healthy, he recognizes the blessings upon him. If he is tested, he bears it all. The alternation of days does not hurt him—no matter if he is elevated, or if he is starving.

This is because all of these situations change and do not remain constant, but taqwa (God-consciousness) is the foundation of peace. It is the guard that does not sleep, taking you by the hand when you slip. And the disgraced one is the one who is deceived by the sweetness of his present situation without having any taqwa. Soon enough that situation will change and he will be a loser.

So, hold tight to taqwa in every situation. You will only see vastness in every confinement and well-being in every sickness. This is the wealth of the present, and what the future holds is known.

—Sayd al-Khatir

Supplication of the One in Hardship

When a calamity befalls the believer, he begins making du`a’ (supplication) constantly, but he may not see any sign of response for some time. When he is close to despair, Allah (swt) looks into his heart to see if he is pleased and content with the Decree, and not hopeless or discouraged. If this is his situation, then the response comes quickly. This contentment and pleasure in Allah (swt)’s Decree is what reforms and fixes the iman (faith) as well as destroys Shaytan (the devil). That moment when the believer is close to despair is when the real men are determined.

This is seen in the statement of Allah (swt):

حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ

“[…] until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said,’When is the help of Allah?’ […]” (Qur’an 2:214)

And this is what occurred with Jacob (Ya’qub, peace be upon him)—after he lost two children, he did not despair, rather he said:

عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن يَأْتِيَنِي بِهِمْ جميعا

“[…] Perhaps Allah (swt) will bring them to me all together […]” (Qur’an 12:83)

And likewise with Zakariah (peace be upon him)—he did not despair even with old age from having children:

وَلَمْ أَكُن بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا

“[…] And never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy.” (Qur’an 19:4)

So, be aware of why the response is delayed! Understand that He is The Master, and that He is The Most Wise in planning, and Most Knowing of what will lead to the reformation of His slaves. Know that He wants to put you through trials to test what you hide in your heart, and that He wants to see your humility, and that He wants to reward you for your patience. Know that He wants to test you with a delay in response so that you can fight the whispers of Shaytan.

Indeed every one of these things strengthens the recognition of His Favors and leads to being thankful to Him. Thus when the trial begins, the supplications are lengthened, and the one in hardship shows his need and takes refuge in Allah (swt)—he will be content with everything.

—Sayd al-Khatir

Keep Guard

Satan tricks people in whatever way he can, and his power over them increases and decreases according to their alertness or negligence, their ignorance or knowledge. Note that the heart is like a fortress, and the devils are always going around the fortress watching for the guards to become heedless. The guard should know all the gates of the fortress which he has been appointed to guard, and he should not let his attention slip for a moment, for the enemy never lets his attention slip.

—Talbees Iblees (Dr. Bilal Philip’s translation)

A Wake-Up Call

O you who persists in mistakes and wrong doings; O you who has turned away from what the most Loving and Compassionate commands; O you who obeys the falsifier of the path and the creator of calamities—How long are you going to insist on your misbehavior? How long are you going to keep yourself distant from your Lord? How long will you seek from this world what you cannot have, and keep away from the other world by that which you cannot possess? Neither are you sure of what Allah (swt) prepared of sustenance for you, nor are you satisfied with that which He has commanded for you. O my brother, by Allah (swt), admonition does not seem to benefit you. Afflictions do not seem to threaten you. Time does not leave you, and the call of death does not reach your ears. As if, you poor man, would live forever and you weren’t meant to expire and be forgotten!

—Bahr ad-Dumoo’ (Translated by Shazia Ahmad)

Who is the real poor person?

One should implement what he knows for it is the greatest foundation. And the poor person, the truly poor, is the one who wasted his life learning that which he does not practice. So, he loses the pleasures of this worldly life and the goodness of the hereafter, coming forth bankrupt (on the Day of Judgment) with strong evidences against himself.

—Sayd al-Khatir