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

A King was once strolling in  the woods with his advisor, when they came across a hut in which lived a very old farmer. The King took pity on him but wished to test his integrity. He therefore decided to put a series of questions to the man.

"How are you with that which is near?" asked the King.

The man was shrewd enough to understand the deeper meaning of the question.

"It has become far," replied the old man.

"How are you with that which is far?"

"I have come near it."

"How are your close friends with you nowadays?"

"They have all left me."

"How about the two?"

"The two have become three."

The King smiled and got up to leave.

"Do not sell it cheaply, O old man," he advised

The King’s advisor, who was listening to the question and answer session intently, was completely baffled. On their way back, the King asked his advisor what he had understood from the dialogue. The advisor requested the King to give him three days to ponder over it and the King agreed.

The next day, the advisor was still puzzled and so he decided to go back to the old man and ask him the meaning of the interrogation. Initially, the farmer refused to say anything. But then the advisor decided to tempt the man with money. The man bartered with him until the price of 30,000 dirham was agreed. The farmer started to reveal the meanings.

"The last thing that the King advised me to do was not to sell it cheaply.

He was referring to this very secret and I have sold it to you at a fairly good price.

"As regards the first question, the thing which was near to me was my matrimonial relationship with my wife. Naturally, in this old age it has gone far.

"The King then asked me about that which is far and I replied that I have to go near it. He was enquiring about my eyesight. In my youth, I could see  things, which were at a distance. Now I have to go near the things that are far so that I am able to see them properly.

"The third question was about my ‘close friends’. These were my teeth. I replied that they have all left me."

"Finally, the question of two becoming three relates to my legs. When I was young, I used my two legs to walk. But now I have to use a stick as my third leg."

The advisor was astounded at the wisdom of both the King and  the farmer and realised that the King had wanted to make the farmer rich through such a noble exercise. (Lessons of Life)

Islam teaches us to respect the elderly and the aged people. We should never undermine or belittle them for they have wisdom due vast experiences of life. Imam Musa Ibn Ja’ffar al-Kadhim(A) has said,

"Blessings of Allah are with the elderly people and an old man amidst you is like a prophet." (Ahsan al-Muqaal)

He(A) has also said,

"Respect the elderly people because in their respect is the honour of Allah". (Ahsan al-Muqaal)

Source: 40 Sparks of Wisdom

Almighty Allah(S) made Prophet Solomon(A) King of a vast kingdom, which included His entire creation. The Jinn and men obeyed his will and even the birds adhered to his commands, to the extent of using their wings to provide shelter for him. He was also given many other powers such as being able to talk to animals and control the wind so that it could carry him wherever he wished to go. Solomon(A) was blessed with an extraordinary power of perception and intelligence.

It is narrated that one day, a man entered the court of Prophet Solomon(A), looked around at all the people and went out again. When the court adjourned, one of the people present approached Prophet Solomon(A) and asked him whether he knew this strange man.

"The person you saw was the angel of death, Israel," replied Prophet Solomon(A). The man was taken aback and looked worried.

"Why was he staring at me as though he wanted to take my soul?" he asked.

"What do you want me to do?" enquired the Prophet.

"O Solomon!" exclaimed the man. "You have power over the wind. Command it to transport me to the land of Hind (India)."

As the man was a believer, Prophet Solomon(A) agreed and granted his wish.

A few days later, Prophet Solomon(A) saw the angel of death again. He asked him why he had been staring at the man so intently on that particular day.

"O Solomon!" replied the angel. "Allah commanded me to take the soul of that man on the soil of Hind. When I saw him sitting in your court, I could not understand how I could carry out Allah’s order. Nevertheless, as it was a divine command, I left for Hind and fortunately found the man there. I took his soul as Allah(S) had commanded." (Hayaat al-Quloob)

There is nothing more certain than death. It is a reality, which nobody can escape from. Allah, the Almighty says:

"Wherever you may be, death shall overtake you, even if you were in fortified towers". (4:78)

Source: 40 Sparks of Wisdom