When you see a person bestowed with...
Submitted by Mohammed Gilani on
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَهُ وَأَبِي خَلَادٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الْعَبْدَ يُعْطي زُهْدًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَقِلَّة مَنْطِقٍ فَاقْتَرِبُوا مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ يلقى الحِكْمَة» .
رَوَاهُمَا الْبَيْهَقِي في شعب الإيمان»
It is narrated both by Abu Hurayrah (Radiyallahu anhu) and Abu Khallåd that Rasulullah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said, "When you see a slave of Allah having been bestowed with abstention and austerity in the worldly life and brevity of speech, get close to him because he has been given wisdom." (Bayhaqi in Shuabul-Imân)
'Abstention (Zuhd)' - This means that he is disinclined from the things of this world. One does not see him running after the latest fashions, brand clothing, and cell-phones. If there is a need for a cell-phone, then he purchases one according to necessity. If there is no need for internet, he does not get internet. He suffices on those things which are sufficient for him to live his worldly life, not hankering after more.
'brevity of speech' You do not see him talking and chattering all the time. Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (Rahimahullah) has mentioned the incident of a certain king, who had a son. In those times, there was no formal system of madrassahs as is found today. People would go and stay in the company of a great scholar for a couple of years, where they would learn and become alims. The king was very excited that his son had qualified. He therefore arranged a huge feast, inviting all the people, including the ulama of the time. He then requested his son to give a short lecture. However his son refused to speak. He just kept quiet. The king felt that due to stage fright and the huge crowds, he was afraid to speak. He therefore left him. However, the king was perplexed to find his son not speaking at all, hot even at home. The king thought that maybe he has some form of sickness. He spent quite a lot of money in trying to cure him, with no success. One day, he sent his son on a hunting trip with a few of the ministers. Perhaps the boy would open up in a light-hearted environment. Whilst travelling, they passed by a partridge, whose meat is very delicious. After passing by, the partridge chirped, which caused them to realize that they had missed it. They returned, managed to spot it, and hunted it down. On this occasion, the boy spoke. He remarked, "As long as you kept quiet, you were safe. The moment you spoke, you lost your life." When the ministers heard this, they were very excited. They rushed back to the king and informed him that his son had spoken, and not only spoken, but he had uttered profound words of advice. The king was extremely happy, and arranged another feast. He commanded his son to speak, who continued remaining silent. The king became infuriated and commanded the royal jallad (person appointed to punish by the king) to punish him, by inflicting him with one hundred lashes. After a hundred lashes were meted out to him, he spoke again. He remarked, "The partridge spoke once, it lost its life. I spoke once, and I was given a hundred lashes. What will be the condition on the Day of Judgement of those people who are chattering and babbling all the time?"