and that he would not be deprived of it, he was extremely careful and was willing to make sacrifices for its sake.

This is why he disliked visiting royal courts. The ruler of his time, Sultan Qānṣūh al-Ghawrī, made great efforts to summon Imam al-Suyūṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه to his court. He even resorted to stern measures, but Imam al-Suyūṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه never went.

Imam Ṣāliḥ  رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه , a devoted admirer of the Imam, once asked: “Why do you not visit the Sultan?”

Imam al-Suyūṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه replied: “You have asked this today. Do not ask again.” Then he narrated an incident: “There was a Companion of the noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم   to whom angels would regularly come and offer greetings. One day, he fell ill and, due to extreme need, underwent treatment which opposed Tawakkul (trust in Allah) and was discouraged in Hadith. From that day onward, the angels stopped visiting and greeting him.”

After narrating this, Imam Al-Suyūṭī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه said: “I also fear that if I go to the Sultan’s court, I may be deprived of the blessing of beholding the beloved Prophet  صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .” ^[1]

Dear Islamic brothers! There is a lesson for us in this incident. Almost every devotee of the holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم   wishes to see him in their dream, but how much effort do we make for this wish? Yes, this is not something within our control, as the noble Messenger  صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  shows himself to whoever he wills, but do we strive for it? Glad tidings of beholding the beloved Prophet  صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم  are given to the one who recites ṣalāt abundantly; do we recite ṣalāt in abundance? The one who acts upon the Sunnah is hopeful of receiving this blessing too; do we act upon the Sunnah out of longing to see the beloved Prophet  صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ?

We work tirelessly to fulfil every worldly wish, but have we ever worked hard for this wish? The vision is granted or withheld according to his will, but our longing must be sincere. When someone invites a guest, whether the guest chooses to come or not, the host keeps his house clean and prepared, not knowing when the guest may arrive. Likewise, whether the beloved Prophet