Aslam

A certain sage of yore saw a mosque in a town and said: I saw the mosque being constructed by branches of dried palm leave and then by earth and then by bricks. There were some men who, at the time of going for pilgrimage or for joining Jihad, broke their houses and gifted them to their neighbours. When they came back, they used to construct their houses anew. Their houses were made of grass or hide and their height was equal to that of a man. Hazrat Hasan Basari said : When we entered the hut of the Prophet, we could touch its roof. Amr-bin-Dinar said :
, When a man makes his roof higher than six cubits, an angel proclaims : O sinner, where are you going ? The saint Sufiyan Saori prohibited looking at lofty buildings. He said : If the people did not cast their lock, they would not have constructed lofty buildings. If one looks at them, it helps that. Thesage Fazil said :
He who crests a building for habitation and then dies is not a greater wonder to me than one who sees it and does not take care.
Hazrat Ibn Masud said : A party of men will appear who will erect earth above, keep their religion low and use unchaste women. They will pray towards your Qibla but they will die on a religion other than yours.

(4) Another necessary thing — Furnitures of Household. The highest sage of renunciation regarding this is that of Jesus Christ.
He used to keep only one comb and one pot with him. One day he saw a man combing his beard with his fingers and he at once threw off his comb. He saw another man drinking water of the river with his hand and so he threw off his pot also. Such is the rule with regard to everything as a thing is used for some ' purpose. When that thing is not required, it returns, to him as a sort of punishment both in this world and the world next. What is absolutely necessary for him is kept within the lowest limit just as the earthen pot. The middle stage is that everything is lawful according to needs but that is kept by one piece which serves many purposes. If there is only one cup, he eats therein and drinks therefrom. The early sages used the same thing for different purposes. If things are kept in large numbers and are also valuable, the man goes out of the limit of renunciation.

Prophet's renunciation. Hazrat Ayesha said : The bed on which the Prophet used to sleep contained a pillow full of refuges of drifted dried grapes within skin. Fazil said: His bed was prepared of the sheet which he put on when it was folded twice and his

Vol-IV POVERTY AND RENUNCIATION 189 I