Aslam

of self- sacrifice, he entered once into a jungle with some of his companions and took two pieces of wood for tooth stick, one straight and another crooked. He gave the straight tooth-stick to a companion who said : O Messenger of God, by God, you are more simple than me. Therefore your are more entitled to the straight tooth-stick than myself. He said : If anybody keeps company of a man for a little while of the day question will be put to him about the rights of his companionship, weather he established he established it or destroyed it.

Once the Prophet went out to a well for bath. His companion Hazrat Huzaifa covered him with a screen of cloth till he finished his bath. After his bath, the Prophet was going to cover Huzaifa with the screen when he said to the Prophet: O Messenger of God, may my parents be sacrificed to you, don't do it . The Prnph*^ heldthe screen till Huzaifa Tiiushed his bath. Then the Prophet said : If two men keep company with each other, he who is more kind to his companion is dearer to God.

It is narrated that Malek-b-Dinar and Muhammad-b-Wasi went to the house of Hazrat Hasan Basari in his absence.
Muhammad took out a cup of food which was under his bed and began to eat. Malek said. Hold out your hand till the owner comes. Suddenly Hazrat Basari came there and said : O Malek, we used first to give trouble to one another in this way,. God ordered us to treat well with our friends!. God said : Treat well with your friend. At that time, a friend handed over the key of his house to his friend who had option to spend whatever he wished . His friend, however, refrained from enjoying it for fear of God, when God revealed : Give them order to Regard brothers as friends and to give them food to their satisfaction.

(2) Second right. To help a friend before asking in times of needs. There are different stages of this help . The lowest stage is to fulfill with pleasure and Kindness the needs of a friend at the time of his asking for it. A certain wise man said : When a man requests his friend to fulfill his certain need and he does not fulfill it, let him remind him second time. If he does not fulfill it without delay, let him recite this verse : God will resurrect the dead. This means that he and the dead are equal. A sage of yore maintained the family members of his friend after his death for forty years. The Prophet said : Behold, God has got cups in the world. Those are hearts. The dearest of hearts to God is that

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Vol-II Love and Brotherhood 105

which is the most clean firm and soft, 'Clean' means clean of sins, 'firm' means firm in religion and soft means kind to friends and relatives.