Chapter VIII: Music and Ecstasy
Two friends Abdullah and Abu Ali Rabati once started on a journey. Abdullah said to Rabati : You are my leader Rabati said to Abdullah : You are my leader. Then Abdullah was made leader of the two. Thereafter he carried his own luggage and the luggage of Rabati upon his back. One night, there fell profuse rain. Abdullah held a blanket over his companion for the whole night. Whenever Rabati said : 'Don't do it' Abdullah said : Have you not selected me as your leader ? So don't order me and don't do other than what I order you to do . Rabati then said : I wished then that I should have been dead and that I should not have said to him : You are my leader. This should be the duty of a leader in journey or in administration. The Prophet said : It is better to have four companions in journey. There is surely some good in what the Prophet said : There are two duties of a traveller to protect the luggages, and to go for taking necessary things. These can well be done if there are four persons in a company in journey.
(3) Take leave of relatives and friends. At the time of starting, recite the following : I entrust to God your religion, your trust and the results of your action. The Prophet used to recite it.
The Prophet said : When anyone of you wishes to take journey, he should pray for his friends, because God gives good to them on account of his prayer. The Prophet said : When you take leave of any man, say : May God give provision of God-fear, forgive your sins and give you good wherever you go. He who stays at home should say this to the traveler. Hazart Musa-b-Ward said: One day I intended to go an a journey and came to Abu Hurairah to take leave of him. He said : O cousin, shall I not teach you what the Prophet had taught me at the time of fare well ? I said : Yes ?
He said : I entrust you to God who does not break His trust. One day a man came to the Prophet and said : I intend to go on a journey. Give me advance. The Prophet said to him : In the protection and upkeep of God. My God give you provision of God-fear . pardon your sins and direct you to good wherever you
158 The Book of Wordly Usages • Vol-II