The greatest wish of a wealthy man

There was once an extremely wealthy man, who contracted an illness that effected his eyelids and left him unable to blink when he wanted. Blinking itself is an automatic system granted by Allah to a person’s eyes. This prevents any foreign objects from entering the eye and protects them.

This wealthy person’s eyelids stopped working automatically, which left him unable to blink when he needed or wanted to. As he was very well-off, he spent a great amount of money on treatment, but he did not find a cure for his issue. One day, someone asked him, “What do you want most?” The wealthy man sighed, “I wish I could open and close my eyes whenever I wanted.” Now think to yourself; how huge a bounty is the ability to blink, which we were given completely for free. Our problem is we focus on what we don’t have and ignore what Allah has granted us.

The wisdom-filled speech of RābiꜤah Baṣriyyah

The saint RābiꜤah Baṣriyyah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْها is renowned for her piety and great acts of worship. Muhammad bin ꜤAmr رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه stated about her:

RābiꜤah Baṣriyyah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْها had six things in her home: A mat, a clay pot, a bowl, a thick woollen cloth she prayed and slept on, and a bamboo peg around 2 yards long, with her funeral shroud hung upon it.

The Tābiʿī Sufyān Thawrī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه saw her financial condition, and implored, “O Umm ꜤAmr! I am greatly affected by seeing the state you live in. If you go to that neighbour of yours, they will not let you live like this (they would consider helping you financially to be an honour for themselves).”

The great saint, RābiꜤah Baṣriyyah رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْها responded with these amazing words: