Abu Huraira

From the early history of Islam to the present day, millions of Muslims have heard of Abu Huraira (radiAllahu anhu). He passed on more than one thousand six hundred hadiths.

Tufayl Bin Amr was a leader of the Daws, Abu Huraira’s tribe. Tufayl helped Abu Huraira become Muslim. The Daws Tribe lived along the Red Sea coast in southern Arabia.
After Tufayl met the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and became Muslim, he returned to his tribe and invited them to accept Islam. Abu Huraira immediately became Muslim. Most of the others were stubborn. It took them a long time to accept the new religion.

Abu Huraira went to Makkah with Tufayl to meet the noble Prophet. The blessed Prophet asked him, “What’s your name?”

“Abd al-Shams, servant of the sun” replied Abu Huraira.

“Instead, let your name be Abdal-Rahman, servant of the Merciful,” said the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).

Mahmood's Adventure

It was during the last week of January when Mahmood and his friends went out camping in the mountains by a lake.

As it was Allah's will, it happened that the friends arrived on an island at the very center of a frozen lake because the car broke down and they could do nothing but stay on the island.

A few days later, the lake showed signs of thawing and the friends hurried across the lake, taking whatever they could with them. Unfortunately, during the same time period, Mahmood was gone to explore and was far away from them at the time they escaped across the island.
When Mahmood came back, he saw most of the stuff gone and no one around. Most of the lake had now melted and Mahmood was trapped.

Ali becomes a Muslim

One day, when Ali (radiAllahu anhu) was ten years old, he came home and saw something strange. Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was standing with his head bent forward and his hands folded on his chest. His wife Khadijah (radiAllahu anha), was also standing beside him, doing the same thing.

As Ali watched them, Muhammad and Khadijah bowed towards the ground. They stayed in that position for a moment and then stood up straight again. Ali wondered what they were doing. Then he saw them go down on their knees and touch the ground with their foreheads.

"What a strange thing to do!", though Ali (radiAllahu anhu). "I have often seen people bowing down before stone idols, but there is no idol here. Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and Khadijah (radiAllahu anha) are certainly not worshipping an idol, but they are worshipping Someone."

The Idiot, The Wise Man And The Jug
An idiot may be the name given to the ordinary man, who consistently misinterprets what happens to him, what he does, or what is brought about by others. He does this so completely plausibly that - for himself and his peers - large areas of life and thought seem logical and true.
An idiot of this kind was sent one day with a pitcher to a wise man, to collect some wine.
On the way the idiot, through his own heedlessness, smashed the jar against a rock.
When he arrived at the house of the wise man, he presented him with the handle of the pitcher, and said:
"So-and-so sent you this pitcher, but a horrid stone stole it from me."
Amused and wishing to test his coherence, the wise man asked:
"Since the pitcher is stolen, why do you offer me the handle?"
"I am not such a fool as people say," the idiot told him, "and therefore I have brought the handle to prove my story."

Poem Of The End
It was early in the morning at four,
When death knocked upon a bedroom door,
Who is there? the sleeping one cried.
I'm Azrael, let me inside.
At once, the man began to shiver,
As one sweating in deadly fever,
He shouted to his sleeping wife,
Don't let him take away my life.
Please go away, O Angel of Death!
Leave me alone, I'm not ready yet.
My family on me depends,
Give me a chance, O please prepense!
The angel knocked again and again,
Friend! I'll take your life without a pain,
Tis your soul Allah requires,
I come not with my own desire.
Bewildered, the man began to cry,
O Angel I'm so afraid to die,
I'll give you gold and be your slave,
Don't send me to the unlit grave.
Let me in, O Friend! The Angel said,
Open the door, get up from your bed,
If you do not allow me in,
I will walk through it, like a jinn.
The man held a gun in his right hand,
Ready to defy the Angel's stand.
I'll point my gun, towards your head,

The story of the rose sent to the caliph Harun Rashid
There is a story that Charlemagne sent a most perfect rose as a gift to the caliph Harun Rashid.
He gave it to his gardener and told him to plant it with great care and as soon as the first rose came from it to bring it to him. The gardener carefully planted the rose in a beautiful part of the garden.
The next day a crow came and ate the rose. Trembling, the gardener told the news to Harun Rashid. He told the gardener not to worry for the punishment of the crow will be the same as that of the rose.
A few days later a snake came upon the crow and killed him. The gardener told the news to the caliph who again told him that the fate of the snake will be the same as the crow.
The next day the gardener was working in the garden when he spotted the snake. He picked up an axe and killed the snake. The caliph told him that his fate would be the same.

Eight Things to Learn
One time a scholar asked one of his students, "You have spent a long time with me, what have you learned?"
He said I learned eight things:
First, I looked to the creation. Everyone has a loved one. When he goes to the grave, he leaves his loved one. Therefore, I made my loved one my good deeds; that way, they will be with me in the grave.
Second, I looked to the verse, "But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust," therefore, I struggled against my desires so I could stay obeying Allah.
Third, I saw that if anyone has something with him that is worth something, he will protect it. Then I thought about the verse,"That which you have is wasted away; and that which is with Allah remains," therefore, everything worth something with me I devoted to Him so it would be with Him for me.

The Caravan to Mecca
Around the turn of the century, Shaykh Mahboob was on his way to the pilgrimage in Mecca, on a camel caravan from Syria. He was accompanying his teacher, Shaykh Ahmed Mekki. The journey took three months and along the way, there were many difficulties, non-the least desert robbers.
On one afternoon, they came across another caravan heading east to China. They shared camp that evening exchanged stories of their lands and experiences. The leader of the caravan warned the pilgrims to be very careful in the next few days, as there were reports of the presence of an infamous thief in the area. His infamy was on the fact that he was a ruthless man, not caring whom he robbed or killed and not even sparing the caravans of pilgrims.

The Triple Filter Test
During the golden Abbasid period, one of the scholars in Baghdad, the capital of Muslim caliphate at that time, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," the scholar replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," the scholar continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say.
That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and.."
"All right," said the scholar. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.

The story of Mullah Nasruddin and his ring
Mullah Nasruddin had lost his ring, so he set out to search for it under the street light.
Others came to help him search.
Finally when asked if he was certain he had dropped it in this spot, he said,
"No, I lost it there," and pointed to his house.
The others asked incredulously:
"Then why are you looking for it here?"
Mullah Nasruddin said, while trying to look clever:
"Because it is dark where I lost it, and it is light out here!"
From Juz `Amma; Sh. Fadhlalla Haeri; Zahra Publ; 1985

The story of Abu Hanifa (radi Allahu 'anhu), and his neighbor
It is well known that Abu Hanifa (radi Allahu 'anhu), did tahajjut every night. He would spend his night reciting the Quran. He had a neighbor who was an alcoholic, and he used to drink a lot and sing love poems. This used to bother the imam.
But one day, the imam did not hear this man's revelry, so he went and asked about him. They said, "Oh, so-and-so. They took him to jail." So, the very well respected imam went to the jail. He was the most respected imam and qaadi at the time in that place. When the ruler found out the imam went to the jail, he asked for the reason and was told that the imam was concerned about his neighbor who had been arrested. So, the ruler said to release the man, and he was released.

The Shaikh And A Pigeon
A friend of mine told me this story: When I was young I had a shaikh, one of the greatest human beings I have ever known. I had met him quite by accident. He lived in a small shack in a poor neighborhood. I had to deliver some medicine for my father's pharmacy. Once inside this man's quarters I realized I was in the presence of someone quite unusual. For one thing, he possessed the relics of several great shaikhs of different orders. The day I met him he was having a conversation with two other young men about my own age. Their names were Metin and Refik. After hearing their conversation I began to lose interest in the things that had occupied me. I wanted only to attend these conversations. The three of us were learning so much that we wished that more and more people could also hear these conversations.

The Atheist Teacher
A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they're atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks. There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Zainab has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an atheist."
Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?" "I'm a Muslim." The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Zainab why she is a Muslim. "Well, I was brought up knowing and loving God. My mom is a Muslim, and my dad is a Muslim, so I am a Muslim."
The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly, "what if your mom was a moron,and your dad was a moron, - what would you be then?" She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Zainab, "I'd be an atheist."

Ibrahim ibn Adham (ra) giving advice against disobedience
A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham, may Allah be pleased with him, and said, "Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control myself. Please give me something to help me with it"
"If you accept five conditions," said Ibrahim, "and are able to put them into practice, your disobedience will not cause you any problem."
"Just tell me what they are, Abu Ishaq!" the man said. "The first is that when you want to disobey Allah you do not eat anything He provides." "Then how will I get anything to eat? Everything on the earth is from Him!" "So is it right to eat His provision and disobey Him at the same time?" replied Ibrahim.
"No, it is not. What is the second condition?" "When you want to disobey him, move off His land."
"That is even more difficult! Exclaimed the man. "In that case where will I live?"
"Is it right to eat his provision and live on His land and then to disobey Him?" asked Ibrahim. "No, it is not."

True Story....
There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad could answer his three questions...thus he made fun of Islam in public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a small boy, who`s age was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly to answer the three questions.
The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, "I will accept your challenge".
The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even more by saying, "A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you people have to offer!"
But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the man, and with Allah`s help and guidance, he would put this to an end. The man finally accepted.