A man once came to the gathering of the great saint, Ma’roof Karkhi (rahimahullah) and said, “Last night I witnessed something very strange.” When Ma’roof (rahimahullah) asked him for the details, he began relating the following extraordinary incident:
The man explained that his family was desirous of eating fish. He therefore set out to the market, purchased a fish and hired a porter to help him carry the fish home. While they were walking, the azaan for Zuhr Salaah was called out. The porter asked him, “O uncle, do you not feel we should (stop and) offer salaah?” This request of the porter surprised him and woke him up from his oblivion. He thus agreed to the request of the porter and they stopped for salaah.
The porter placed his tray, in which the fish was kept, somewhere outside the masjid and then entered. This person thought to himself that this youngster is not worried about his tray being stolen, so why should he worry about his fish.
Upon entering the masjid, the porter began performing (sunnah and nafl) salaah until the (fardh of) Zuhr began. After the Zuhr Salaah, the porter performed more (sunnah and nafl) salaah. They then came out of the masjid and found the fish in exactly the same place as the porter had placed it.
Amazed by this porter, upon reaching home, the person related to his family what had transpired. They told him to invite the porter to partake of the fish with them. When the invitation was extended to the porter, he excused himself saying that he was fasting. This person then invited him to have iftaar at their house. The porter accepted the invitation and asked for directions to the masjid.
He then proceeded to the masjid and remained there until the time of Maghrib Salaah. After the Maghrib Salaah was performed, the man went to the porter and asked him to accompany him home for supper. The porter turned to the man and requested, “Can we not perform our ‘Esha Salaah (as well)?” The man was once again taken aback by the piety of the porter.
After performing the ‘Esha Salaah, they proceeded to the man’s house for supper (and subsequently the porter stayed there for the night as well). This person’s house consisted of three rooms; one room for him and his wife, a second room for his daughter who was born crippled, and the third room of the house was for the guest.
During the last portion of the night, the man heard a knock on his room door. (This surprised him as the only other people in his house were his crippled daughter and the guest.) He thus called out, “Who is knocking at the door?” To his utter surprise, he heard his daughter’s voice coming from the other side of the door explaining who she was. He was perplexed and could not understand how she managed to walk since she was bedridden for over twenty years. She reassured him that it was really her and once again asked him to open the door. The man thus opened the door and saw his daughter standing before him like normal (i.e. completely cured from her illness).
Seeing her in this condition, he asked her what had transpired. She explained that when she heard her parents speaking highly about their guest, it occurred to her that she should ask Allah Ta‘ala to cure her through the blessings of this pious person. She thus implored Allah Ta‘ala, and through His will, Allah Ta‘ala completely cured her from her disability and she could thus move around freely.
(Overjoyed by the blessings this porter had brought to his home,) the man went to the room in which the porter was sleeping, but found the room completely empty. Upon checking the door of the home, he found that it was still locked like how he had left it the night before (i.e. there was no sign that anyone had left the house).
After listening to this entire incident, Ma’roof (rahimahullah) said “Yes, among them (i.e. the pious servants of Allah Ta‘ala), are (both) young and old.”
(Sifatus Safwah vol. 1, pg. 564)
Lessons:
1. Despite working the job of a labourer, the porter made sure that he offered his salaah in the masjid. He even spent extra time in the masjid, offering nafl salaahs and engaging in ‘ibaadah. Since he understood the importance of protecting his salaah and reading it in its proper time and in a proper manner, he did not use his job as an excuse for not offering his salaah in the masjid. We too should ensure that we give due importance to our salaah, offering it on its proper time with devotion and love.
2. Inviting the pious servants of Allah Ta‘ala to eat at our home is a golden opportunity to draw the blessings and mercy of Allah Ta‘ala to our homes. This person took advantage of this opportunity, and the outcome of it was so great that his daughter was cured from an apparently incurable disability.
3. Enjoying a close relationship and friendship with Allah Ta‘ala is not something that is reserved for a certain category of people, or for a certain age group. Rather, every person has an equal opportunity to become the friend and beloved of Allah Ta‘ala. Hence, despite being young, and involved in menial work, this porter enjoyed such a special relationship with Allah Ta‘ala.
