A Few Stories from the Lives of the Pious

Rewards on Nights of Salaah

Sheikh Abd al-Waahid Rehmatullah Alaihi says, “One day I was so much overpowered by sleep that I went to bed before finishing my Zikr for the night. I saw in my dream a most beautiful girl dressed in green silk. All parts of her body and even her shoes were engaged in Zikr. She said to me “Make efforts to possess me. I love you and then she recited a few couplets about the eagerness of a lover. When I woke up from the dream, I vowed not to sleep any more during the night.” It is reported that for full forty years he never slept at night, and performed Isha and Fajr Salaah with the same Wudu’.

What Allah has created for those who stand before Him

Sheikh Mazhar al-Sadee Rehmatullah Alaihi, the famous pious man, kept weeping for sixty years in love and eagerness for Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). One night he saw in a dream a few young girls by the side of pearl trees with gold branches, on the bank of the brook brimming with fluid musk, pure and fragrant. The girls were hymning the glory of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) . He asked who they were. In reply they recited two couplets, which meant, “We have been created by the Sustainer of mankind and of Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam) for those people who keep standing before Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) all night long making Dua to Him.”

The physical Appearance of Nights of worship

Abu Bakr al-Dareer Rehmatullah Alaihi says, “There lived a young slave with me. He fasted all day and stood in Tahajjud all night long. One day he came to me and related: ‘Last night, against my usual practice, I went to sleep. I saw in my dream that the wall of the Masjid cracked from the place where the person leading Salaah stands, and a few young girls appeared. One of them was very ugly. I asked one of the pretty young girls who they were. She replied that they were my previous nights and that the ugly one was this night.’”

The pleasure of sleep cannot compare with the pleasures of Jannah

An eminent sheikh says: “One night I was in a deep sleep and could not get up for Tahajjud. I saw in my dream a girl of such beauty as I had never seen in my life. She was giving out such fragrance as I had never smelt before. She handed over to me a piece of paper on which were written three couplets, which meant, ‘You were so fond of deep sleep that you became unmindful of the high balconies of Jannah, where you have to live forever with no fear of death. Wake up! It is better to recite the Quran in Tahajjud than to sleep.’ Since then, whenever I feel sleepy, these couplets come to my mind and the sleep goes away.”

Salaah at night is a sign of Allah's favor on the Person

Ataa Rehmatullah Alaihi writes, “I went to the market. A person had a slave girl to sell, who was said to be mad; I purchased her for seven gold coins and brought her to my house. After a portion of the night had passed, I noticed that she got up, performed wudoo and started her Salaah. In her Salaah she wept so much that I thought she would die of excessive crying.”

“After finishing the Salaah. she began to appeal to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) saying, ‘O my Allah! By the love Thou hast for me, show mercy on me. I interrupted by telling her that she should rather say, ‘By the love that I have for Thee....’ She got irritated at this suggestion and said, ‘By Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) Himself! Had He not loved me, I would not be standing here before Him while you are in your bed.’”

“Then she fell down in Sajdah and recited a few couplets meaning. ‘I am growing more and more restless. How can one rest whose peace of mind is taken away by love, eagerness and constant anxiety? 0 Allah! Show mercy and give some glad news.’ Then she made Dua in a loud voice thus, ‘0 Allah! So far the matter between me and Thee has been a secret. Now people have come to know of it. 0 Allah! Call me back’. After saying this, she cried aloud and died on the spot.”

Another story that Salaah at night is a sign of Allah's favor

A similar thing happened with Sarree Rehmatullah Alaihi. He writes: “I bought a slave woman to attend on me. She served me for some time, but I was in the dark about her state of affairs. She had a corner in the house reserved for her Salaah. After finishing her work, she would go there and offer her Salaah. One night, I noticed her performing Salaah and then supplicating to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). While making her supplication, she said, ‘By the love Thou hast for me, do such and such a thing for me’. I said to her, ‘0 woman! Say, by the love that I have for Thee.’ She replied, ‘My master, if He had not loved me, He would not have made me stand for Salaah and deprive yon thereof.’ Next morning I sent for her and said to her, ‘You are a misfit in your present job. You are exclusively meant for Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) 's worship.’ I then gave her some gifts and set her free.”

Excessive weeping in Salaah

Sarree al-Saqtee Rehmatullah Alaihi writes about another woman: “When she stood up for Tahajjud she would say, ‘0 Allah! Shaitan is but thy creation. Thou hast full power over him. He sees me and I cannot see him. Thou seest him and hast control over all his actions, while he has no control over Thee. 0 Allah! Save me from the evil that he wishes to do me, prevent the wrong he may do to deceive me. I seek Thy refuge, from his evil designs, and with Thy help I drive him away’. Thereafter she would cry bitterly. And as a result thereof she lost the sight of one eye. People warned her to stop excessive weeping lest she should lose her other eye as well. She replied, If it is destined to be an eye in Jannah, Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) will grant me better than this; but if it be destined for Jahannam then the sooner it is lost the better.’

Salaah with Trust that Allah will protect us from Harm

Sheikh Abu Abdullah al-Jalaa’ says, “One day my mother asked my father to fetch some fish from the market. My father left for the market and I also accompanied him. The fish was bought and we needed a porter to carry it for us. We engaged a boy who was standing there and who had offered to do the job for us. He put the load on his head and followed us. While we were on our way, we heard the Azaan.

“The boy abruptly spoke, “Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) 's summoner has summoned me: I have to make my Wudu too. I shall now carry the fish after Salaah. If you like, you may wait, otherwise here it is' Saying this he put the load down and left for the Masjid. My father thought that when the poor boy could place his trust in Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) so much, we must as well do so in a greater degree. He therefore, left the fish there and took me to the Masjid.”

“When we three returned after saying Salaah, we found the fish lying exactly where we had left it. The boy then carried it to our house. My father related the strange story to my mother, who insisted that the boy should be detained to eat some fish with us. When the invitation was extended to him, he said, ‘Excuse me, I am fasting. My father then requested him to break his fast at our place. To this he said, ‘It is not possible for me to return once I am gone. Just possibly, I may stay in a Masjid close to your place; if so, then I shall join you in your dinner.”

“Saying this he went to the Masjid and returned after Maghrib. When the dinner was over, I showed him the room where he could rest in privacy. Now, there lived a crippled woman in our neighborhood. We were surprised to see her walking in good health. When we enquired from her how she got cured, she said, I asked Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) to heal me for the sake of the Barakah that your guest carries. No sooner had I made the Dua than I was healed’. When we went to find the boy in the room where we had left him, the door was shut and the boy was nowhere to be seen.”

Concentration in Salaah

It is said of a pious man that once he had a sore on his foot. According to the opinion of the surgeons, if his foot were not amputated, the sore might prove fatal. His mother proposed that the operation should be done while he was absorbed in his Salaah. This was done, and no pain was felt by him.

Being affected by the Quran recited in Salaah A Slave woman's story

Abu Amir Rehmatullah Alaihi says, “I saw a slave woman on sale for a very small sum. She was very lean and her hair were dirty. I took pity on her and purchased her. I said to her, ‘Come, woman, let us go and make purchases for Ramadan.’ She remarked, ‘Al-hamdu lillaah all the months are alike for me’. She fasted on all days and stood in Salaah on all nights.”

“When Eid drew near, I said to her, ‘Woman! You will go with me tomorrow to make purchases for Eid. She remarked, ‘My master! You are too much absorbed in this world.’ She then went into her room and started her Salaah. She was reciting soorah Ibrahim and when she reached the 16th Aayah of the soorah: ‘Jahannam is before him and he is made to drink boiling dirty water’ (Ibrahim 16,) which describes the doom of a disbeliever, she repeated it again and again, and then gave out a cry and fell dead.”

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz's Salaah

Everybody knows of Umer Ibn Abd al-Azeez Rehmatullah Alaihi. After the four al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon he is the most eminent caliph. His wife said “There may be other people more particular about Wudu? and Salaah, but I have never seen anybody fearing Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) more than my husband. After his daily Isha he would sit at a place reserved for his Salaah and raise his hands in Dua and keep crying before Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) till sleep overpowered him. Whenever he awoke during the night, he would again start Dua and crying before Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala).” It is said that, since his becoming caliph, he never shared the bed with his wife. His wife was the daughter of the great King Abd al-Maalik. Her father had given her much jewelry in dowry, which included a marvelous diamond. He said to his wife, “Either part with all your jewelry for the sake of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), so that I may deposit it in bait al-maal or be separated from me. I would not like to live in a house where there is so much wealth.” His wife replied, “I can part with a thousand times more wealth, but I cannot leave you.”

She then deposited everything she had in the bait al-maal. After the death Umer Ibn Abd al-Azeez, when Yazeed son of Abd al-Maalik succeeded him as caliph he said to his sister, “If you like you may have your jewelry back from the bait al-maal” She replied, “How can the wealth that I discarded during my husband’s lifetime, please me after his death.”

Umer Ibn Abd aI-azeez was on his death-bed when he inquired from the persons around him about the cause of his disease. Someone said, “People think it is the effect of black magic.” He said, “No, it is not magic.” He then sent for a particular slave of his and said to him, “What made you poison me?” He replied, “One hundred gold coins and a promise of freedom.” Umer Ibn Abd al-Azeez Rehmatullah Alaihi took those gold coins from the slave and deposited them in bait al-maal, and advised him to run away to some distant place where he could not be caught.

Just before his death, Maslamah Rehmatullah Alaihi came to him and said, “Nobody has ever treated his children so cruelly as you are doing; none of your thirteen sons has anything to live on.” He sat up in his bed and said, “I have not held back from my sons what they were entitled to. I have, of course, refused them what was actually due to others. If my sons are righteous, then Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) will surely be their guardian, as He has said in His Book: ‘He is guardian of the righteous’ (al-araaf 196). But if they are wrong-doers, then why should I care for them?”

Being affected by the Quran recited in Salaah Mohammed Ibn al-Munkadir

Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir Rehmatullah Alaihi was among the people who had memorized large collections of Hadith. One night, he wept excessively in his Tahajjud Salaah. When someone inquired about it, he said, “While reciting the Quran I came across the following words of the Quran: ‘And the evils that they earned will confront them; and they will be surrounded by what they used to scoff at’ (al-zumur 48). He was very anxious and worried at the time of his death, and said that the same words of the Quran were in front of his eyes.

Thaabit al Bunaani's Wish

Thaabit al-Bunaanee Rehmatullah Alaihi is another one of the people who had memorized many large collections of Hadith. He used to cry a great deal while supplicating Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). Someone warned him that he would lose his eyesight if he did not stop weeping like that. He replied to him, “What use are these eyes if these do not weep before Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala).”

He used to ask in his Dua: “0 Allah! Permit me to offer my Salaah in my grave, if ever you grant this privilege to any of Thy slaves!” Abu Sinaan Rehmatullah Alaihi narrates, “By Allah! I was among those present at the burial of Thaabit al-Bunaanee. Just after he had been placed in his grave, one of the bricks from the side fell off. I peeped into the pit to find, to my great amazement, that Thaabit was offering his Salaah. I said to a person standing by my side, “Look, what is that?” He advised me to keep quiet.

After the burial, we went to his daughter and inquired from her, “What was the special practice of your father?” She wanted to know what made us put that question. We related to her the incident at the grave. She said, “He has been constant in Tahajjud for fifty years and made Dua every morning before Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) to allow him to offer Salaah in the grave if that privilege could be granted to anybody.”

The Salaah of some eminent Scholars

Before finishing this chapter, I give below the pursuits (as regards Salaah) of some of our eminent Muslim ancestors:

1. Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Rehmatullah Alaihi is the famous founder of one of the four schools of Islamic law. Besides being engaged in his usual work, he used to offer daily three hundred Rakaats of Nafil Salaah. After he was whipped by the king for refusal to submit to the royal order, he became very weak and reduced his routine Nafil Salaah to one hundred and fifty Rakaats. We should not forget that he was eighty at that time.

2. Imam al-Shaafi Rehmatullah Alaihi, the eminent founder of another school of Islamic law, used to finish reciting the Quran sixty times in his Salaah during Ramadan. A person narrates, “I remained with Imam al-Shaafi for several days and found him sleeping only for a while at night.”

3. Imam Abu Hanifah Rehmatullah Alaihi is famous for his nightly Salaah. It is said that for thirty, forty or fifty years (according to the information of different narrators) he offered his Fajr Salaah with the Wudu of Isha. He would go to sleep only for a few minutes in the afternoon saying, “It is Sunnah to sleep in the afternoon.”

4. It is said about Saeed Ibn al-Musayyab Rehmatullah Alaihi that, for fifty years, he offered his Fajr Salaah with the Wudu’ performed at Isha. Abu al-Mutamar is said to have done this for forty years. Imam al-Ghazali Rehmatullah Alaihi on the authority of Abu Taalib al-Makki reported the same practice by no less than forty Taabiees, some of whom had been doing it for forty years continuously.

5. Muhammad Ibn Nasr Rehmatullah Alaihi is a famous Hadith scholar. His devotion to Salaah had no parallel. Once while in Salaah, he was stung on his forehead by a wasp, and although blood came out, neither did he stir nor did he allow it to disturb his devotion in Salaah. It is said that in Salaah, he stood motionless like a stick planted in the ground.

6. It is reported about Baqee Ibn al-Mukhallad Rehmatullah Alaihi that he used to recite the complete Quran every night in thirteen Rakaats of Tahajjud and witr Salaah.

7. Hannaad Rehmatullah Alaihi is a Hadith scholar. One of his pupils narrates, “Hannaad used to weep very much. One day after he had finished our lesson in the morning, he continued to offer Nafil Salaah till midday. He went to his place for a short interval and then returned for his Zuhr. He again engaged himself in Nafil Salaah till asr. Between asr and Maghrib he recited the Quran. I left him after Maghrib. I said to one of his neighbors, ‘Our sheikh does so much worship. It is really wonderful. He said, He has been doing this for the last seventy years. You will wonder still more if you see his worship during the night.’”

8. Masrooq Rehmatullah Alaihi is another Hadith scholar. His wife narrates, “He used to offer such long Rakaats that his legs would get swollen and I sat behind, weeping in pity for him.”

9. Abu Attaab al-Sulami Rehmatullah Alaihi is reported to have fasted during the day and wept during the night for full forty years.

10. It is said about a pious man who was a descendant of the Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam) that continuously for twelve days he offered his Salaah with the same Wudu'. For fifteen years, his back had not touched the bed. He would also go without food for days together.