Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
One of my
uncles is an artist. Amongst his paintings, he had a picture of a rose held in
a hand. The thorn from that rose flower had injured the person’s thumb and
blood trickled down that thumb.
In 1969, when
I returned home, after 7 years in India, he asked me to choose any painting. I
chose this particular one, since it conveyed a message with deep meaning. …What
is the message?
Don’t think
that there is no danger in the rose garden. That garden may be filled with all
kinds of charming, colourful and fragrant rose flowers, but don’t go in,
thinking that there is no danger.
Beneath the
petals of those beautiful, fragrant and sweet smelling flowers are thorns.
Safeguard yourself and your garments when you walk through that garden, for
those thorns cannot be trusted. They could cause you injury.
This world is
like that beautiful garden. Smell the fragrance – i.e. make use of the things
of the world. Use and enjoy everything Halaal[1], but beware
of sins... the thorns of sins. These cannot be trusted, for these will
definitely cause harm and injury. So don’t fall for the temptation to touch,
see, hear, speak or walk towards Haraam.
The thorns of sins not
only scratch and wound our bodies, they also pierce, damage and mar our
delicate Imaan. The detrimental consequence of these thorns can even lead to
ruin in the Hereafter. How many have lost their health, to Aids and other such
diseases? How many have forsaken their religion for a beautiful or handsome
face, or some wealth, power, name – at the great cost of their salvation in the
Hereafter ?
The message
conveyed by this picture is that we need to take the walk of life, through the
garden of this world, with caution and care. This caution and care is
what is termed Taqwa (Piety).
It has been
mentioned that once Hazrat ‘Umar (Radhiyallahu 'Anhu) asked Hazrat Ubayy bin Ka’b (Radhiyallahu 'Anhu): ‘What
is Taqwa?’
He, in turn,
asked: ‘Did you have the experience of walking through thorny shrub?’
Hazrat ‘Umar
(Radhiyallahu 'Anhu) replied: ‘Yes.’
Hazrat Ubayy
bin Ka’b (Radhiyallahu 'Anhu) asked: ‘How did you walk ?’
Hazrat ‘Umar
(Radhiyallahu 'Anhu) replied: ‘I rolled up my garment and walked very carefully and
cautiously, so as not to be harmed by the thorns.’
Hazrat Ubayy
bin Ka’b (Radhiyallahu 'Anhu) responded: ‘That
is Taqwa.’
By Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahmatullahi ‘alay)
[1] Halaal :
Lawful
