As King Parveez and Queen Shireen were sitting in their palace one day, a fisherman who was selling fresh fish was brought in front of them. King Parveez decided to buy a fish and gave  the fisherman 4000 dirham for it.

The fisherman was overjoyed. He thanked King Parveez and left.

Queen Shireen turned to her husband in anger and scolded him for paying so much for a fish. King Parveez let her have her say but said that the fish was purchased and that there was nothing that could be done about it.

However, the Queen was adamant and insisted that the fisherman be brought back.

“We will ask the fisherman about the gender of the fish,” she said. “If he answers that it is female, we will say that we wanted a male fish and if his response is that it is male, we will say that we wanted a female fish! Either way, we will be able to return the fish and have our money back.”

So the poor fisherman was called back and was asked the question.

Fortunately, he was clever enough not to be caught out.

He replied, “The fish is neither male or female. It is neutral.”

King Parveez was so impressed by the ingenuity of the man that he ordered a further 4000 dirham to be paid to him. The fisherman thanked the King again but as he was about to leave with the heavy bag of money, one of the coins fell onto the floor. The fisherman immediately bent down to look for the coin. Queen Shireen was already upset that the fisherman had been given 8000 dirham.

“Look how miserly this man is!” the Queen exclaimed. “One coin has fallen out of his bag full of money and he searches for it instead of leaving it for some other poor servant to find.”

The man heard this remark and said, “O Queen, it is not out of miserliness that I search for the coin but rather because it had the picture of generous King Parveez on it. I would not tolerate anyone to cause dishonour to the King by treading on the coin.”

The King was so happy with this response that he immediately called for another 4000 dirham to be given to the fisherman. When Queen Shireen saw all  this, she thought it was better to hold her tongue and let the man go with the 12000 dirham before the King decided to increase the amount again. (Lessons from Life)

Speech is an Art. If one knows what, when and how to talk  then such a person will be successful in life. The Holy Prophet(S) has said,

“The beauty of man is in the clarity of his tongue”. (Kanzul-’Ummaal)

Imam Ali bin Abi Talib(A) has said,

“Your tongue is the translator of your intellect”. (Bihar al-Anwaar)

In other words, a person’s intellect and wisdom is recognized through his speech.

Source: 40 Sparks of Wisdom

Abu Layla was the chief judge in the court of Mutawakkil, the Abbasid Caliph. One day he went to the house of his close friend Zarqa, in a state of extreme agitation. Zarqa was surprised and asked what had happened.

“O Zarqa!” explained Aby Layla, “Today I was humiliated in the court of Mutawakkil by failing  a test! A convicted thief was brought in front of Mutawakkil so that he could be punished for his crime. Mutawakkil turned to me and said, “O Abu Layla! According to the Qur’an, this thief’s hand should be cut off. Tell me, from where should the hand be cut?”

“The Qur’an does state,’ I replied, ‘that the hand of a thief should be cut-off. It also states in the verse on wudhoo that one should wash one’s hands till the elbow. It follows that the hand should be cut from the elbow.’

“Mutawakkil then looked at the other learned people in the court and asked for their opinion. One of them said that in the verse pertaining to ‘Tayyammum’, the hand was regarded as being only up to the wrist.

After much debate, Mutawakkil posed the same question to the Imam of the Shia’s, Muhammad bin Ali. At first the Imam was reluctant to respond, saying that others had already expressed their views. However, Mutawakkil insisted that the Imam must give an answer.

‘You can cut no more than the fingers of the thief,’ said the Imam, ‘because the Qur’an says: The places of prostration are for Allah (72:18). This means that the parts of the body used in Sajdah (prostration during prayer) should not be harmed. As the thief is a Muslim and will need his palms to keep on the ground when performing Sajdah, only the fingers should be cut.’

“O Zarqa! When Mutawakkil heard this, he was so impressed that he praised the Imam of the Shia’s and by doing so, our reputation was ruined. I know that whoever harms the Imam will be sent to hell, but I must have my revenge!”

The following day, Abu Layla approached Mutawakkil and reprimanded him.

“What did you do yesterday?” he asked Mutawakkil. “The people consider Muhammad bin Ali to be the true Imam and feel that you are on the path of falsehood. By giving him preference over me, you have proved to them that their view is correct.”

Abu Layla’s words had the desired effect on Mutawakkil. The provocation finally led him to poison and kill Imam Muhammad Taqi(A). (Bikhre Moti)

Jealousy is one of the most dangerous diseases of the soul. If one does not learn to control it, it can lead one to self-destruction. A jealous person is never happy in this life and his actions as a result of jealousy may lead him  to earn the displeasure of Allah(S) in the Hereafter.

Imam Ali bin Abi Talib(A) has said, “A jealous person is he who exhibits love in his speech and conceals his hatred in his actions; he has the name of a friend and quality of an enemy”. (Ghurar al-Hikam)

He(A) has also said, “An extremely jealous person suffers from much grief and his ill-deeds are in manifolds.” (Ghurar al-Hikam)

Source: 40 Sparks of Wisdom

Many years ago there lived a King who built himself a huge and magnificent palace. No one had seen anything like it before. The turrets rose into the sky and many expensive materials were used in its construction. The King invited one and all to come and view his palace and left a guest book at the entrance for them to sign and leave comments in.

He took pleasure in reading the various praises that people visiting the palace had written for him in the book. However, he came across two comments that were not in keeping with the general feeling. These two comments were not in praise of the palace; on the contrary, they criticized it. The King was upset and summoned the authors of the comments. At first, neither of them was ready to explain his comment but, after the King assured them that their lives were not in danger, they disclosed the reasons.

"O King! There are two weaknesses in this palace. The first of these is that some day, the palace will turn into ruins, and the second one is that it does not have anything to ensure that its owner will not be separated from it one day. In a life of just a few days, why do we have to attach ourselves to such worldly, material things?" (Bikhre Moti)

Man will soon die and leave behind all his worldly possessions. What will accompany him the journey to the Hereafter are his noble deeds.

"Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of the world, but lasting righteous deeds are better with your Lord in reward and better in hope." (18:46)

Wisdom therefore dictates that man should focus his attention to things that are imperishable and highly rewardable.

Source: 40 Sparks of Wisdom

The following Dua is to be recited 10 times daily during this month of Safar to prevent misfortunes. It is also highly recommended to give charity (sadaqa) in this month.

"O He who has total, absolute and everlasting power, therefore is versatile and at all times gets the better of the impossible, the Almighty, the Dearest beloved. Dwarfed are all that which have been created by Thee before Thy Majesty. Keep me safe from the evil any of the created beings may direct at me O the praiseworthy who vies in beauty and goodness; does everything in a pleasant way, gives joy, heart and confidence; treats with love and kindness. O "There is no god save Thee. Be Thou glorified. Verily I have been a wrongdoer. Then WE heard his prayer and saved him from the anguish. Thus We save believers", Send blessings on Muhammad and on his Pure and Pious descendants."

"Yaa Shadeedal Quwaa Wa Yaa Shadeedal Mih’aal Yaa A’zeezu Yaa A’zeezu Yaa A’zeez Dh’allat  Bi-A’z'zmatika Jamee-u’ Khalqika Fak-Finee Sharra Khalqika Yaa Muh’sinu Yaa Mujmilu Yaa Mun-i’mu Yaa Mufz’il Ya Laa Ilaaha Illaa Anta Subh’aanaka Innee Kuntu Minadh’ Dh’aalimeen Fas-Tajabnaa Lahoo Wa Najjaynaahu Minal Ghammi Wa Kadh’aa Lika Nunjil Moo-Mineen Wa S’allallaahu A’laa Muh’ammadin Wa Aalihit’ Tayyibeenat’ T’aahireen."