Chapter VI: Love, Longing, Contentment
The saint Wais Qarni was regarded by his country men as a mad man as he subjected himself to strict rigours of life. They constructed for him a hut which he visited once a year or once in two or three years. He used to go out before Azan for morning prayer and returned home after Isha or night prayer. His food were the stones of dried grapes and he used to put on the torn pieces of cloth after sewing which he gathered from heaps of refuges in markets. Often the boys threw stones at him. He said to the body's : Throw small stones as my ablution might break for bleeding if large stones are thrown at me. The Prophet looked his actions with honour and said : I am feeling the breath of God from the land of Yemen. This is a hint at Wais Qarni. Hazrat Omar delivered this sermon to the people after taking charge of Khilafat : O people, let the inhabitants of Iraq stand up and let others sit down. A party of men stood up. Then he said : Let the inhabitants of Kufa stand up and let others sit down. When it was done he said : Let the people of Murad clan remain standing and let others down. He said afterwards : Let the inhabitants of Qarn remain standing and let others sit down. Except one man, all others sat down. Then Omar said to him : Do you know Wais-b-Amr Qarni ? He said : I know, O Commander of the
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Faithful, why do you ask about him? By God, there is nobody more insane, stupid and fool than him. Hazrat Omar began to weep and said : I heard from the Prophet that owing to his intercession a great many people like the numbers of Rabia and Modar clans will get salvation.