Aslam

Sa'ad-bin-Abi Waqqas came to Mecca. At that time he was losing sight of eyes. People began to seek blessings from his in groups. He began to pray for each of them. His prayer was accepted. Abdullah-bin&ayef said: I came to him once in my boyhood and introduced myself to him. He recognized me and said: Are you Qari of the Meccans? I said: Yes. I talked further with him. Then I said: O uncle, you are praying for the people. Pray for yourself to God so that He may return your eye sight. He said with a little smile: O darling the decree of God is dearer to me than my eye-sight.

A little boy of a Sufi was _missing for three days and his whereabouts were not known. J/Ie was asked: Had you prayed for his return, it would have been better, he said: To complain against what God decreed is more trouble some to me than the missing of my son.

Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 303

One religious man said: I committed a great sin for which I have been weeping for the last sixty years. He was making good efforts in divine service, so that his repentance might be accepted for that sin. He was asked: What is your sin? He said: Once I said: If this matter had not come to pass.

A certain sage said: I consider it better to have my body cut into pieces than to say: It would have been better had it not occurred for an action which occurred according to the decree of God. Abdul Wahed was once informed: Here there is a man who is doing divine service for the last 50 years. Hearing this he went to him and said: O friend, inform me about you. Are you really satisfied with God? He said: I am not satisfied. He asked: Are you pleased with Him. He said No. He asked him: Are you displeased with him? He said: Not satisfied. He said: Have you got nothing more besides prayer and fasting? He said: Yes. He thought within himself: Had I not felt ashamed of you, I would have informed you that your divine service for the last 50 years is a failure. The meaning of this is that the door of your heart has not opened during this long time and not progressed to the rank of nearness for the actions of heart. You can merely be classed within those who are fortunate, as the service of your bodily limbs has been excessive like ordinary men.

Once a group of men met the sage Shibli in a hospital. He gathered pebbles in their presence and said: Who are you? They said: Your friends. Hearing this, he began to throw pebbles at them and as a result they began to flee away. He said: What is your condition? Had you been my real friends you would have known my difficulties with patience. Shibli said: Love for God created my intoxication. Have you seen such a lover how has got no intoxication?