Aslam

(1) Once Hazrat Omar was late in performing Asr prayer in congregation. For that he inflicted punishment on himself by a gift of his property worth two lac dirhams. (2) Hazrat Jbn Omar used to pass sleepless night if he could not join in any congregational prayer. Once he was so late in praying Magrib prayer that there appeared two stars in the horizon. For that, he gave manumission of two of his salves. (3) Once Ibn Obai could not join Fajr prayer in congregation. For that, he set free a slave. (4) A certain pious man fasted for a year for some minor defect, made pilgrimage on foot and made a gift ofhis entire property.

(5) A group of people went to see Caliph Omar b Abdul Aziz in his illness. There was a young man among them who was very lean and thin. Caliph Omar asked him: What has happened to you? He said: O Commander of the Faithful, I have got-a disease. The Caliph asked him: I ask you in the name of Allah: Speak the truth. He said: O Commander of the faithful, after enjoying the world, it has become distasteful to me. I am as if seeing the Throne of God and see the people being led either to Paradise or to Hell. For that I am passing nights without sleep and my taste of life has gone.

(6) The sage Abu Nayeem said: The great saint Daud Tai used to take wheat dissolving it in water and not used to take prepared bread. When asked about it, he said: In the time taken for eating bread fifty Quranic verses can be read. Once a man came to him and said: The beams of your roof have broken. He

348 THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES Vol-IV

said: O cousin! for the last 30 years I did not look towards my roof. They used to consider even look without purpose as vain talk.

(7) Muhammad-b-Abdul Aziz said: We were seated before the saint Ibn Razin. He used not to turn his look towards right or left from morning to afternoon. When asked about it he said: God Almighty created these two eyes to see his glory and gifts. Whoso turns his look without the purpose of getting lesson, one sin is written for him.

(8) The wife of the saint Masruq stated that Masruq used to stand so long in prayer that his two thighs got swollen. She said: By God, my eyes shed tears owing to compassion on him.

(9) The great saint Abu Daud said: I could not have lived even for one day without these three things:- (1) to pass a long time without food and drink for the sake of Allah, (2) to lie down in prostration for Allah at mid-night and (3) to keep company with those who are pure in all ways and whose whole body is filled up with wisdom.

(10) It is reported of the great saint Aswad that he took excessive trouble in his divine service. He used to keep fast in summer so much so that as a- result his body assumed a yellow- colour. Alqamah-b-Qais used to tell him: Why do you inflict so strict punishment on yourself? He used to say: I seek His honour. He used to pray so much that he sometimes fell down. Once *