The taqwa of Sayyiduna Bayazid Bistami رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه

Sayyiduna Bayazid Bistami رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه was once travelling, and stopped at a place with his murids. He washed his blessed kameez, and his murids requested, “Please place your kameez over this wall in front, so it can dry.” “No!”, he declared in response, “We did not take permission from whoever owns this wall.” The murids then asked, “What about hanging it from the branch of that nearby tree?” Sayyiduna Bayazid Bistami رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه explained, “Birds sit on that tree. I will not take this away from them.” The murids again asked, “What if we were to take your blessed kameez and place it upon the pasture to dry?” Once again, the great saint said, “No! The pasture is where animals eat from. I will not hide their food from them.” In the end, Sayyiduna Bayazid Bistami رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه put his blessed kameez over his back and faced the sun, causing it to dry.^[1]

سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه! This is taqwa! Whatever we do in this world, we should think carefully over it beforehand, so we do not fall into sin or violate anybody’s rights. Let us say we wear expensive new clothes, and it begins to rain outside. Due to this rain, dirt, mud and other things which may damage our clothes begin to come upon the path. Think about how you will carefully walk upon such a path, wearing your expensive new clothes. Think about how you will fold them up carefully, making sure they do not touch anything which will leave any dirt upon them. Think about how carefully you will watch your step, so you do not fall or slip.

The same approach is what we need to take before doing anything in this world. Stop, think carefully, and consider: In what I’m about to do, is there any element of sin? Is there anything that will lead to sin? Whether you are running a shop, setting up a business, working at your job, getting married, travelling, buying or selling something; in