A prophetic miracle
The luminous wood
Arshad Aslam Attari
‘Ah! Brother, you turned off the light and the fan!’ said Suhayb whilst removing the quilt from his face.
‘I didn’t do anything. Go to sleep’, replied Khubayb.
Suhayb asked: ‘Well, who turned off the light and fan then?’
‘There might be a problem’, replied Khubayb.
Meanwhile, their grandpa entered the room using the torchlight from his phone, as did Umm Habibah. ‘Grandpa, what happened to the lights in the house?’ asked Suhayb.
‘There is no lighting in the whole area due to load-shedding’, replied grandpa.
In a state of worry, Umm Habibah proclaimed: ‘Grandpa, the light had to go now didn’t it!’
Even before grandpa could reply, Khubayb asked, ‘Grandpa, why does load-shedding take place?’
Responding to him, grandpa stated: ‘Son, a lot of electricity is used in our country, but not much is produced. Therefore, load-shedding occurs. If Allah Almighty wills, then one day there will be no more load-shedding in our country. Nonetheless, we should pay a lot of attention to how we use electricity.’
‘Grandpa, can you please tell us what we should be mindful of?’ asked Khubayb.
His grandpa answered by saying:
1. ‘If one light is enough, then do not switch on other lights. Instead of sitting in separate rooms when there is no need to, sit in one room.
2. When leaving the room, make sure to turn off the light and fan.
3. Be mindful of continuously opening the fridge door, as this reduces it coolness and uses up more electricity.
4. If using a fan suffices, then avoid using AC.’
Whilst lying down, Suhayb requested: ‘Brother, I am feeling thirsty. Can you please bring me water?’
‘O the darkness!’ said Khubayb in a state of fear.
Grandpa said: ’Take my mobile and bring a bottle and cups so that everyone can drink. Then, I will tell you about a Prophetic miracle.’ Hearing the words ‘Prophetic miracle’ made Suhayb’s sleep disappear. Hence, he sat up straight.
Once everyone was free, grandpa spoke: ‘A companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ offered ‘Isha prayer along with our beloved Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and then went home with him. After a while, the weather slowly started to worsen with black clouds filling the sky. This added to the darkness. The companion needed to go home, and it was very dark. What could he possibly do, as don’t forget, there was no electricity in those days.
When the companion رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ was about to head home, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم gave him a piece of wood and said: “Go home without any fear. This wood will light up in your hand, such that 10 people in front of you and behind you will be able to walk in its light. When you reach home, you will see something black. Kill it and remove it from your home.”’
Suhayb asked: ‘Did the piece of wood actually become luminous?’
Grandpa replied: ‘Whatever our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said about something is what actually happened. You also heard about the Prophetic miracles related to the sun and moon and how they obeyed him. But hey, listen to what happened next. When the companion left the home of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, the piece of wood lit up by itself like a tube light. Things happened just as the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had said, as enough light was produced that 10 people could walk from in front and behind it. Using the light emanating from the wood, the companion easily reached home. Also, just as the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had told him, there was indeed something black inside the house. The companion killed it and removed it from his home.’ (Musnad Ahmad, vol. 4, p. 131, Hadees. 11624)
‘How did our beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم know that there would be something black inside the home?’ asked Khubayb.
Grandpa smiled and said: ‘Khubayb, son, Allah Almighty has told the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم about everything until the Day of Judgement. This is why the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم informed of things from the past and future. Khubayb, this is nothing, because our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم would also know of things that are hidden in the heart.’
‘Well, grandpa, there is no light. So, you might as well tell us about an incident regarding the past or future’, stated Umm Habibah.
Just as grandpa was thinking, the light came back on. Therefore, he said: ‘Children, you guys should sleep now. If Allah Almighty wills, I will tell you about this later.’
Saying this, grandpa went back to his room.
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