Islamic Exemplary Stories

Patience in the way of God

In the days of the previous prophets, before the death of Prophet Muhammad SAW, there was a monk who spent his time just to worship Allah in his monastery. So incessantly worshipped that he reached the high levels of faith, some angels were allowed by God to visit him morning and evening, to ask for his needs. But there was nothing he asked for, except food and drink to keep him strong. So God grew a vine in his monastery, whose fruit he could pick whenever he needed it. If he feels thirsty, he simply put his hands into the air, it will pour water from the air for his drink.

But there is no real faith, except to have to undergo testing. Allah has said in the Qur’an Surat Al Ankabut verses 2 and 3, “Does the man think that they were left (only) saying: ‘We have believed’, while they are not tested again? Verily, We (God) have tested those who were before them, then surely Allah knows the truthful and He knows the liars

The same happened to the monk. One night came a very beautiful woman, exclaiming in front of her monastery, “O priest, I beg you for help. By the Lord whom you worship, give me a place to spend the night because my house is far away.!!”

As someone of noble character, immediately the monk said, “Aliklah, please spend the night in this place!!”

The woman entered the monastery. Maybe it was desired by God to be ‘ stones of the test’ for the monk, suddenly he felt love and love for the monk who looked very simple but calming, it was, the feeling of passion that was tempestuous seemed unbearable. In order to attract attention and arouse the monk's lust, the woman took off all her clothes, then took a saddle in front of him.

The monk immediately closed his eyes with both hands, and said, “Get your clothes back, don't be naked!!” 

The woman said, “I really want to have fun with you tonight!!” 

However, the monk was still a normal man. His interpretation is awakened when at first glance see the beauty of the body and hear the desire of the woman, because it is a debate in her, between her common sense (calbu) and her lust. And by the will of God, the woman can ‘listen’ to the debate.

His common sense says, “Bertaqwalah to Allah!!”

The lust said, “This is a golden opportunity, when else can you have fun with a woman this beautiful!!”

His common sense says, “Then you, you will take away my worship, and will feel for me the asphalt clothes of hell. I fear for you the torment of hellfire that will never be extinguished, the torment that never stops, even heavier than all that, I fear the wrath of God, and lose His pleasure.!!”

But the lust continued to seduce him to want to serve the desire of the beautiful woman. He continued to whine like a child who asked to be bought ice by his mother. His sense of well-being was almost no longer able to prevent the whining of the lust. So the monk, his common sense, said to his lust, “You are getting stronger now, alright then!! I will try you with a small fire, if you are strong enough to hold it, I will fulfill your desire to satisfy you with this beautiful woman!!”

Then the monk put oil on his lamp, and raised his flame. Meanwhile the beautiful woman, who can ‘follow’ the conversation in the monk looks worried and worried. Sure enough to worry, the monk put his fingers into the fire. First his thumb burned, then his index finger, followed then his other finger. Seeing the terrible scene, the woman could not help but feel her feelings. Between heartlessness and perhaps fear of the torment of hell as described by the monk's common sense, he screamed so loudly, so loudly that his heart stopped beating and he died instantly.

The next day, the demon who became one of the villagers spread the news that the monk had committed adultery and killed the woman he had committed adultery with. The news reached the ears of the king, who immediately came to the monk and his bodyguards and soldiers. Arriving at the monastery, the king said, “O monk, where is Fulana bint Fulan (that beautiful woman) ??”

The monk said, “He is in the monastery!!”

The king said, “Have it out!!”

The monk said, “He is dead!!”

The king said angrily, “This once-civilized you, it is not enough for you to fornicate it, even you killed it after that!!”

So the king ordered his guards to arrest and bind the monk, without listening to his reasons and further explanations. Perhaps the slander spread by the devil who was a resident of the village was so great that the king no longer wanted to hear the explanation of the event from the side of the monk. They took him to the square where the usual punishment was carried out, the woman's body was taken as if as a witness to a crime committed against him.

With his legs, hands and neck tied, the executioner placed a saw on his head. When the saw began to split his head, the monk complained slowly. At that moment God commanded the Angel Gabriel to come down to earth, saying, “Tell the monk, do not complain a second time, for I see all of it. Tell him also that his patience (since he was seduced by the beautiful woman until then), has made the inhabitants of the sky cry, as well as the hamalatul arsy (angel supporting arsy). By My glory and greatness, if you complain once more, I will surely destroy the heavens and I will avalanche the earth!!”

Gabriel immediately came down and delivered the word of God, so the monk refrained himself from complaining, no matter how much he felt. He did not want to be the cause of God's wrath, so the universe was destroyed. His mouth continued to say dzikr and istighfar until finally the angel of death picked him up.

After the monk died, and so many people insulted him, God was pleased to restore the woman's spirit for a moment. At that moment the woman woke up, which made the people around her, including the king and his guards and his soldiers shocked and frightened. The woman said, “By Allah, the monk was persecuted, he did not commit adultery with me nor did he kill me.

Then the woman recounted in full the incident, and she closed her words with the sentence, “....if you do not believe, check her hands are burning!!”

After that, the woman died again. They immediately examined the monk's hand, and it was as the woman had said. They regretted being rash, the king said, “If we had known the truth, we would not have sawed you!!”

They immediately took care of the two bodies and buried them in one hole. After the ground began to cover the bodies of the two, the smell of fragrant kasturi came out of the grave. Then there was a hative sound (voice without being), “God has established the mizan (timbangan) and witnessed to His angels : I testify to you all, I testify to you all, that I had married them and also (married the monk) with the fifty angels in Paradise. Such is the reward of those who are ever vigilant and patient in My way!!”