In every community there are both
Good and Virtuous people as well as Bad and Wicked people. This was indeed a scenario
in the Banu Israel – Children of Israel. There was a group of 10 wicked people.
They gathered in a locality where immodesty, adultery and alcoholism were
rampant. They could go to any extent to create scandals and unrest. They used
various tricks and plays to harass and misbehave with women. They didn’t spare even
others. Allaah sent an inspiration of repentance in the heart of one of them
and he began to repent his bad deeds. He started weeping out of repentance and
began to reproach himself. He soiled his face with mud and burned all
belongings he got deceitfully and fraudulently. He didn’t disclose anything to
his companions and left them. He went to a desolate place in the forest and
stayed there for days and nights.
After a few days he met a group
of worshipers who came to know about the truth of this man. They took pity on
him and included him in their group. That man built a hut and engrossed himself
in the worship of God. During the day he used to fast and at dusk he broke his
fast on 21 olives. Days passed and people started talking about his devoutness
and worship in the nearby villages. People used to visit him for seeking
guidance and knowledge.
His wicked companions were in
search of him. Those 9 people came to know that this worshiper was none other
than a member of their group, so they fell behind him to defame him and take
revenge. In the village where they were indulged in adultery, they hatched a
plan against their worshipper companion. They lured a wicked woman in their
plan. They offered her 50 dirhams and convinced her to spend a night either by
hook or by crook in the hut of so and so man. They said “We all will come with
well-known people of the village in the morning”. We would enter in the hut on
the pretext to meeting the man. “The moment we enter in the hut you should come
to us exhibiting nudity” added the wicked people. Then we will ask you the
purpose of coming to the hut of the worshipper to which you will reply “I come
here daily and spend night with him and he fulfils my all desires and I am
pregnant at present will deliver his child after few days”.
The wicked woman succeeded in
entering the hut of worshipper. Initially she sat at the corner of the hut. As night
fell, she wailed “O worshipper don’t you have mercy on me”? “I am shivering of
cold and I am stomach is paining too”. Light a fire for me and give me an oil
massage on my stomach. He called the worshipper near her and put her head in
the lap of worshipper. She went on doing wicked things but the worshipper kept
himself away from the adultery.
When the dawn broke, those 9
wicked companions along with the four respected men of the village rushed to
the hut of the worshipper for whom the woman was waiting. Worshipper was
preparing chapatti for the woman. The men asked the woman “what are you doing
here?” The woman told everything she was taught. She gave false testimony
against the worshipper and accused him of adultery and fornication.
They all went to the judge of the
village. They false fully took oath and presented false witnesses and accused
the worshipper of a crime he never committed. The judge ordered the hut to be
set on fire and the worshipper to be lashed 100 times and imprison him in a
dark cell.
Allah informed the Prophet of
that time and said that the Judge be informed about the fact that the
worshipper is completely innocent; hence he should be released and his hut
should be rebuilt. If there is any fault in this, Allaah will overturn the land
and destroy the village and the entire locality. At the behest of the Prophet, the
judge gave the order to kill the 9 wicked companions. He himself burnt the
wicked woman alive. Worshipper’s hut was rebuilt. He was released from the
prison and he returned to the path of worshipping as he did before.
Then judge questioned the
Prophet, “If the worshipper was completely innocent, yet why such a calamity
befell him? Allaah revealed to the Prophet that the worshipper had a sin left;
and Allaah wanted to cleanse him from that sin, in such a way that he would
receive the punishment of all his sins in this world. On the Day of Judgement
when he would come before Allaah, he would be in such a state as if he had not
committed any crime. Swear by the Honour and Glory of Allaah, He doesn’t let
any believer pass away from this world, but in such a condition that he has
borne the punishment of all his crimes. This punishment, to a believer, comes
as trouble for him, comes as a sorrow, comes as an illness, comes as a hardship
or poverty or comes as deceitfulness of the people. For a Mu'min, every
calamity is either atonement for sins or a way to enter the reward."
Allaah says in the Qur’an – “And whatever befalls you of the misfortune is because of what you have earned your hands but Allaah pardons from much” 42:30
Quranic Verse -
“And surely We will test you with something of the fear, and the hunger, and the loss of the wealth, and the lives, and the fruits; but give good news to the patient ones” 2:155
Moral – Any adversity or calamity or trail or test in our lives is a part of great Wisdom of Allaah. We don’t know why have we suffered? What is the reason behind it? In all such instances there are 3 interpretations – our sins in the previous times; test by Allaah and the return reaction to what we did to others in the previous times. Hence it is recommended for a Mumine to keep quiet and exercise patience in all such circumstances without doubting the Divine Decree of Allaah.
Translated from the Gujarati version of Kitaab of Bani Israel Stories