Cleaning the Heart
“NuꜤmān! You should have asked me before tearing a page from my notebook,” said Usayd Razā, holding his notebook in his hand.
NuꜤmān replied, “Oh come on! It’s just one page, not the entire notebook! You’re acting as if I’ve taken the whole thing away.”
Usayd was about to respond, and the argument would likely have continued, when suddenly Mr. Bilal appeared near the door. MuꜤāwiyah was the first to notice him and immediately gestured for both of them to stop, turning their attention towards the teacher.
Mr. Bilal greeted everyone with salam, walked to his chair, recited Ṣalāt, and instructed all the students to take their seats. Then, turning to MuꜤāwiyah, he said, “What’s going on here so early in the morning? Have you turned the classroom into a fish market?”
MuꜤāwiyah responded, “No, Sir! NuꜤmān and Usayd were arguing with each other.”
Mr. Bilal said, “NuꜤmān, my son, what’s the matter? Both of you are among the most sensible students in our class.”
NuꜤmān explained, “Sir, we have a maths test today and I forgot to bring my paper sheet, so I tore one from Usayd’s notebook. But he started scolding me the moment he saw it. He shouldn’t be so stingy. It’s only one page; what difference does it make? I’ll bring him ten pieces of paper tomorrow!”
Mr. Bilal turned to Usayd and asked, “Yes, Usayd, what do you have to say?”
Standing up, he respectfully replied, “Sir, I didn’t start the argument. I only stopped him because tearing pages loosens the notebook. If he had just asked me, I would have given him the extra sheets I have.”
Mr. Bilal listened to both boys quietly without interrupting—as he believed that letting both sides speak openly helps resolve matters more effectively. Then he began speaking: “NuꜤmān, my son, I think Usayd is right. You should have asked for permission first. Even if the notebook wasn’t damaged, taking something without asking is not the right way at all. And after doing wrong, you even called him stingy! That’s wrongdoing followed by cheekiness!”
The class burst into laughter.
“I’m not calling you a thief.” Mr. Bilal said, smiling gently. “But remember! You must never use anyone’s belongings without permission because it concerns the rights of others. Allah Almighty will hold people strictly accountable for these rights on the Day of Judgement. Our pious predecessors were extremely cautious in such matters. Let me share an incident with you.”
“There was a famous TābiꜤī saint, whom I’m sure you’ve all heard of—the master of the jurists, Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. You know who the TābiꜤīn are, right?”
NuꜤmān eagerly replied, “Yes, Sir! You told us that they are the Muslims who met a Companion of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم during their lifetime and passed away as Muslims.”
“Excellent, my son!” said Mr. Bilal. “That means you remember my lessons. Well, Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was not only a great scholar but also a businessman, which is why people would sometimes borrow money from him. Once, he went to collect a debt from a Magian (a fire-worshipper). As he approached the man’s house, some mud got stuck to his shoe. When he shook his shoe to remove it, some mud splashed onto the wall of the Magian’s house. Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه became anxious—if he cleaned it, the plaster might come off; if he didn’t, the wall would remain dirty. In this hesitant state, he knocked on the Magian’s door.
“When the Magian came out and saw Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, he was worried, thinking the Imam had come to collect the debt, and began to apologise. But Imam Abū Ḥanīfah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, preoccupied with his concern, ignored that and said, ‘I accidentally splashed mud on your wall and wanted to ask how I can clean it.’ Witnessing such fear of Allah Almighty and noble character, the Magian was deeply moved and embraced Islam, saying, ‘O Imam! Before cleaning the wall of my house, please cleanse my heart of the filth of disbelief.’”[1]
As soon as Mr. Bilal finished speaking, NuꜤmān quickly stood up, joined his hands and said, “Usayd, I’m sorry! I will never use your things without permission again. And I also called you stingy—please forgive me from your heart.”
Usayd smiled, gently lowering NuꜤmān’s hands. “Oh, NuꜤmān! Don’t plead—I’ve already forgiven you from my heart.”
Mr. Bilal smiled warmly, and the whole class joined in with cheerful smiles.
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