Chapter II: Patience and Gratefulness
Wise sayings:- Hazrat Ali said: God is more honorable than exposing the sins in the next world which He kept secret in the world. God is more just on a servant who suffers for a sin in the world than inflicting on him another punishment. A certain sage said: When a believer commits a sin, God keeps it secret from the angels, so that they may not see it and bear witness therefor.
Hazrat Hasan Basari said: If a believer did not commit any sin, he could fly in the sky but God humbled him on account of his sins.
There is in Hadis that two men of Banu Israil made friendship for the sake of God. One of them oppressed much on his soul and another was religious. The latter advised his friend and warned him. His friend used to reply: Leave me to God. He has not appointed you as guard over me. One day the religious man saw his friend committing a great sin and being greatly dissatisfied said to him. God will not forgive you. He said: God will say to the sinner: Is there anybody to snatch My mercy on My servant? Go, I have forgiven him. He will say to the religious man: Hell is fixed for you. He will say: By One in whose hand, there is my life; you have uttered such a word by which you have destroyed your world and the next world.
The sage Mosruq reported that a certain prophet fell in prostration when a sinner gave such a forceful strike on his neck by his foot that the stone on which he was prostrating shifted away. The Prophet flew into rage and said: Go God will not forgive you. God then revealed to the Prophet: you have taken oath over Me regarding My servant. I have forgiven him. Once the Prophet grew into rage on the polytheists and cursed them.
At once revelation came down: You have got no hand in the matter. Thereafter he gave up cursing.
A certain sage said: Two religious men were equal in divine services and they entered paradise. One of them got much higher rank therein. Another man said: O Lord, this man did not do divine service more than myself, but you have raised him to the
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highest of paradise. God said: He has prayed to Me higher rank but you have prayed only salvation from Hell fire. So I rewarded him according to the prayer of each man. This shows that it is better to do divine service being hopeful of higher and higher rank, as he who loves with hope is better than one who loves with fear. For this reason, the Prophet said: Pray for high rank to God, as you pray to God, the Most Compassionate. The Prophet also said: When you pray to God, pray for Ferdous paradise with great hope, as there is nothing greater to the Almighty than it.