Islamic Exemplary Stories
Justice is better than the beauty and gift of God in the Hereafter.
Justice Is Better Than Beauty
Anu Sirwan is one of the Persian Kisra (Emperor) who is quite famous for his justice and wisdom (wisdom) to his people. He lived long before the death of the Prophet SAW, but his justice stories are quite well known and spread among the Arab community, although in fact he and his people are fire worshipers, namely the Magi.
One of the stories is when Anu Sirwan will do the construction to expand his palace. When he evicted and liberated the land of some of his people, it turned out that there was an old woman with a hut reotnya who refused to sell. Various efforts, threats and seduction, subtle to hard ways are done but the woman still survives. The woman said, “I will not sell even if I will be paid with a basket of gold. But if he (i.e., Kisra Anu Sirwan) is going to displace him, and he is able to do it, then it's up!!”
The executor of the construction of the palace expansion reported it to Anu Sirwan, and planned to displace the old woman's gubug reot, because its position was right in the middle of the palace, in the front as well. But Anu Sirwan said, “Don't do that, just leave the gubug in its place, but still carry out the expansion of development!!”
Development continues to be carried out, only there is a bend to avoid the old woman's nudge. When it was finished and the guests came to attend the invitation of Kisra Abu Sirwan in an event at the palace, a lot of comments, he said, “The beautiful steps of this palace if only there was no bending (i.e., gubug the old woman)!!”
Hearing such comments, Anu Sirwan said, “It is precisely with that crookedness that the matter becomes straight, and the beauty is even more perfect!!”
Although in appearance it is ‘less beautiful’, but that is indeed the right and straight. His situation and ‘beauty’ to be perfect because there is indeed no one party, although very weak and helpless, who feel wronged with the attitude of the ruler.
Almost the same event occurred when Egypt entered into Islamic territory after being separated from Rumawi during the caliph Umar bin Khaththab. The then governor of Egypt, Amr bin Ash intended to establish a mosque (now known as the Amr bin Ash Mosque), but a Christian Qibhti woman refused when her gubug reot would be purchased/replaced at any price. It's just that Amr bin Ash still ordered to displace the Qibhti woman's house so that the construction of the mosque was completed soon.
The Qibthian woman, who felt wronged by the governor's actions, walked to Medina to complain to the caliph. Hearing the complaint, Umar took a shard of pottery, and wrote with his sword, “We are more entitled (obliged) to do justice than Kisra Anu Sirwan!!”
Umar ordered the Qibhti woman to hand over the pottery shards to Governor Amr bin Ash. He also gave excess supplies to the woman, in order to get back to Egypt safely. When Amr bin Ash received ‘surat’ from Umar, he immediately put the pottery shards on his head, crying for forgiveness from Allah. He ordered the construction workers to rebuild the Qibhti woman's roof, and deflect the building of the mosque, so that the shape bends.
There was a man of worship (abid) who spent forty years just worshiping God without doing any worship. He never even thought of asking Allah for something with his worship, because he did it completely sincerely because of Allah. But one night, suddenly a desire arose to ask, and he immediately said in his presumption, “Yes Allah, he said, show me the angel that You have prepared (promised) for me in the Hereafter!!”
Suddenly the walls of his mihrab (place of worship) split open and a very beautiful woman appeared alluring, so beautiful that it would be a slander if this woman (who was actually an angel) appeared in the midst of the human society of this world. Suddenly the woman said, “O servant of Allah, you complain to your Lord while He has known your complaint (without you saying it). And your Lord has fulfilled your hope and has failed your trials. And God sent me to see you to tame your heart. Do you know that every day of the night you worship, I whisper to you. If only you could hear my whisper, your nights would be even more exciting!!”
The worshiper said, “O woman, who are you??”
The woman said, “I am the angel that God has prepared for you in the Hereafter!!”
The man said again, “How many wives are like you??”
“A hundred people, and each person has a hundred servers....!!”
It seemed that the worshiper was amazed, then said, “Did anyone be given more than me??”
The angel smiled and said, “O poor people, of course there are and there are so many!! This gift given to you is a gift for someone who sins a lot, then reads istighfar, and Allah forgives him. And he continued to recite every sunset until Allah ceaselessly bestowed forgiveness upon him!!”
Suddenly the angel vanished from his sight and the walls of his mihrab returned as before. The man increased his worship of Allah and he never stopped reading istighfar. Because it turns out that his once desire has been regarded as a complaint, and made himself ‘par’ with people who sin a lot and received repentance by God, even though he had not done much wrong.
