protecting ourselves from greed and desire. In this lies safety, and in this lies our true success.

The Commander’s Arrogance was Shattered

There was a tyrannical ruler named Ḥajjāj b. Yūsuf. In his army there was a commander called Muhallib. One day, Muhallib was wearing silk garments and walking with pride.

When Sayyidunā Muṭarrif b. ꜤAbdullāh رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه saw him walking arrogantly, he felt the need to invite him to righteousness. He approached Muhallib and said: “O servant of Allah! This manner of walking belongs to those whom Allah dislikes, and the enemies of the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.”

Muhallib was a commander of the army, and he was intoxicated by his rank and authority. When he saw someone advising him, he frowned and said boastfully: “Do you know who I am?”

Sayyidunā Muṭarrif b. ꜤAbdullāh رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, being a man of great wisdom, replied calmly: “Yes, I know who you are. أَوَّلُكَ نُطْفَةٌ مَذِرَةٌ -Your beginning was a despised drop of fluid; وَآخِرُكَ جِيفَةٌ قَذِرَةٌ - your end will be a foul corpse; وَأَنْتَ تَحْمِلُ الْعَذِرَةَ- and in between these two states, you carry filth in your stomach.”

Upon this, Muhallib came to his senses, abandoned his arrogant way of walking, and moved on.^[1]

Dear Islamic brothers! In the beginning we were nothing, and in the end, we will become a lifeless body that will merge into the Earth. The time in between, this life, should be spent in a righteous manner. Pride, arrogance, boasting and rebelling does not befit us beings made of clay. We have come to this world with a purpose; so, let us fulfil it and not become attached to the world.

A Unique Reason for Not Building a House

Once, Prophet ꜤῙsā عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام passed by a mountain and saw an elderly man