"If thou bring thy gift to the alter and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the alter and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
Excerpted by :
The Upnishads (Translated by Swami Parmananda)
Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections...
khoobsurat woh tab bhi tha
jis raat woh poora tha
chaand lubhaata tab bhi tha
jis shab adhoora tha ....
A person came crying and weeping to Shaikh Shiblee Rahamatullahi alayh and said,'O Shaikh, I have destroyed myself; make du'aa for me that may Allah take me away from this world.'
People, whose relationship with Allah is strong, will never ever dream of committing suicide. Those people who enjoy the pleasures of this world; alcohol, drug, women, dubbing, etc., they are the people who will ultimately, want to commit suicide because they will get sick of this world. Those who enjoy the pleasures of this world by committing sins will be surrounded by problems from all four sides. They have brought these problems upon themselves through disobedience to Allah Ta’aalaa.
Such people begin to feel they will only find peace, if they are dead. An Urdu poet has said: Now out of fear you desire to die (But) even after death, if you do not find peace, where will you go?
Now, overpowered by calamities and problems, you desire to die and you consider death a solution to all your problems, but if, after death, you do not find peace in the grave, if you do not find peace on the Day of Qiyaamah, if you do not find peace on the Pul Siraat and you are deprived of entry in Jannah, then where will you go?
So the person said to Shaikh Shiblee, 'I have a big problem. Make du'aa that may Allah Ta’aalaa take me away from this world.’
The Shaikh said, 'Calm down, take it easy, what is the problem?' He replied, 'I had a very close friend, and I loved him very much. We were friends for a very long time. He sacrificed everything for me and I sacrificed everything for him. I had never thought that he will ever leave me but he has left me. Now my heart is empty. I cannot survive without him. I love him so much that I want him back, and if I cannot have him back, then I want to die.’
The Shaikh soothed him and asked him to calm down saying, 'Look, there is no need to lose hope. Why do you want to die when there is a solution to your problem?'
He quickly said, very happily, 'Tell me what is the solution, tell me quickly! Since he has left me I have not been eating, drinking or sleeping. There is no joy in my life. Please tell me quickly.’
The Shaikh replied, 'The only way to forget a friend who has left you is to make a new friend.’ He said, 'O Shaikh, after ten to fifteen years of loyal friendship, he has left me and I am suffering. And you are telling me to make a new friend. I fear that if the same thing happens, then what will become of me.’
Shaikh Shiblee said, 'What if I find you a friend who will never leave you. In fact, if you are disloyal to him and after years of disloyalty, you go back to him saying O my friend! Forgive me. I want to be your friend again, he will immediately accept you again as a friend.’ He said, 'O Shaikh! Show me this friend! Who is this friend that is so loyal.’
The Shaikh replied, 'Turn to Allah and make friendship with Him.'
And a youth said, 'Speak to us of Friendship.'
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the 'nay' in your own mind, nor do you withhold the 'ay.'
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.'
The Lord led the holy man to two doors.
He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man ' s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, ' You have seen Hell. '
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man ' s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here
the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, ' I don ' t understand. '
' It is simple, ' said the Lord.
'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves. '