The Student in the Masjid
Qari Muhammad Qayyam (may the mercy of Allah be upon him) related thata great deal of fighting and bloodshed had started prior to theIndo-Pakistan partition of 1947. He said that a very beautiful daughterof a very rich man in a certain community stepped out of her house tovisit her aunt, who lived no more than a few streets away. Suddenly ariot erupted as she had gone halfway and she found herself trapped withapparently nowhere to go. She saw a Masjid nearby and quickly wentinside, sitting in the women's section. The rioting continued late intothe night and this girl did not know what to do.
The custodian of the Masjid was a very young student there and late atnight when he walked through the masjid before locking up he noticedthis beautiful young lady. He was a respectful young man who fearedAllah and so politely asked her to leave, saying that if she was foundthere then both would be dishonored and thrown out. She pleaded withhim because of the extreme danger outside and so he agreed that shecould spend the night, and sat down to study at the opposite end of themasjid.
The girl was unable to sleep with the events of the day in her mind andso watched the young man sitting studying by candle light at theopposite end of the masjid. She kept watching him and was verysurprised at something she saw. From time to time this young man wouldextend his hand and keep it over the open flame, only withdrawing itwhen the flame obviously became unbearable. He then would resume hisstudies and continued this throughout the night until the dawn broke.
The young man called the adhan and asked the girl to leave before thecongregation started coming to pray since now everything was calmoutside. She agreed on the condition that he tell her why he wasplacing his hand on the candle flame throughout the night. The youngman said that that was his own business and so the girl refused toleave until he told her what she wanted to know. The young man gave inand said, "I am at the age of youth and strong desire. We were aloneand my desire was increasing, and although I was studying the Devil(Shaitan) would occasionally put temptation in my heart. Hence wheneverI would feel any temptation I would put my hand on the flame and myfingers would burn. I would say to myself that this flame is nothingcompared to the fire of Hell."
The girl left the masjid and reached home, calming her parents' fearsas to what had happened to her. She also confided in her mother thatshe wanted to marry the custodian of the Masjid near their house. Sherelated the night's events to her parents and said that only such a manwith true fear of Allah in his heart can be true to his wife. Only sucha man who truly fears Allah can fulfill a wife's rights properly.
Hence the poor custodian of the Masjid earned the daughter of a richhousehold in marriage. He received this honor not because of his looksbut because of his character. Everything disintegrates and turns todust but character remains strong. Honor is not bestowed because ofhandsome clothes or beautiful jewelry but because of what is in theheart. Knowledge is only beneficial when it is captured within theheart, and not merely written in books.
May Allah make us just as valuable and true to Him as that if not more.
