Means of Reconciliation with People Who Have Caused Us Harm (4/4)

• A camel prostrated itself before the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was reported to have said, "An Ansari family had a camel that they used to fetch water. Once this camel became obstinate and refused to let them ride it. So these Ansar came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and said,

O Messenger of Allah, we have a camel on which we used to fetch water, and now it has become obstinate and refuses to let us ride it, so our plants and palms have become dry,' The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, 'Rise.' So they rose and he entered the garden, where the camel was standing on the side. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) walked towards it, and the Ansar said, 'O Messenger of Allah, it has become like a dog and we fear it might attack you.' He replied, 'It will not harm me.' When the camel saw the Prophet (Peace be upon him), it came towards him and collapsed in prostration before him. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) held its head and led it to work as timid as a cat,"[1]

Ash-Shibli tells us in his book titled Ahkam Al-Marjan Fi Ahkam Al-Jann that a bondmaid belonging to the ruler at the time of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah bestow mercy upon him) was possessed by a jinni and used to scream. The ruler sent for Imam Ahmad to treat her. The Imam sent a wooden slipper with one of his students, and this student said to the jinni who had seized the bondmaid, "Imam Ahmad orders you to come out of her, or else I will beat you seventy limes (with the wooden slipper)." The jinni said, "All obedience to Imam Ahmad, and even if he orders us to leave the whole of Iraq we would leave." So [he jinni came out of her and the bondmaid recovered and was healed of the affliction. The ruler then married her and they had children. When Imam Ahmad died, the jinni came back to her, so the ruler sent for that student of Imam Ahmad. The student said to the jinni, "Come out of her, or else I will beat you seventy times with this wooden slipper." But the jinni said to the student, "As for you, I will not obey you." And refused to leave her.

Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya's bouk Al-Faraj Ba’d Ash-Shiddah we find a story about some people wbo were imprisoned and sentenced to death by Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Ath-Thaqafi. One of these people was a righteous man and he prayed all night long. His fellow inmates asked him, "What use is it all when the sentence will surely be executed tomorrow?" When dawn broke, Al-Hajjaj ordered him to be acquitted, so he said, "If you obey Allah, He will never fail you."

Such were the lives of everyone who complied with the system set forth by Almighty Allah and dedicated his mind, heart, and body, to seeking acceptance from Almighty Allah. They lived in harmony with the universe, hearing nothing from it but good words, praise, and testimony to Allah's Oneness. Such people were at peace with their Lord and in peace with the universe. The ways to achieve peace are numerous, as we are told by Almighty Allah, “Wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace, and He brings them out of darkness by His Will unto light and guides them to a Straight Way.”[2]

All of creation praises Allah, uttering the words, "La ilaha illa Allah (There is no god but Allah)." An excellent model of human behavior adapted to the universe is found in the rituals of pilgrimage. No tree is cut down, no insect is killed, and no hunting is allowed. All creatures are in a state of conformity and harmony. Some astronauts saw from outer space a beam of light emitted from the Ka'bah in Makkah into the depths of the universe with no limit.

On the other hand, all the corruption in this world results from the acts of people who use the blessings placed in this universe by Allah, the Exalted, for their sins and in deviating from the system set forth by Allah to meet their desires, as Almighty Allah says, “And if the Truth had been in accordance with their desires, verily, the heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein would have been, corrupted! Nay, We have brought them their reminder, but they turn away from their reminder."[3] And, “Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self. And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self.”[4] That is why the universe reacts against those who are unjust and disbeliever. The mountains said to their Lord, "O Lord, grant me leave to drop pieces on man, for he has eaten from your good sustenance and held back the gratitude that is due to you." The earth said, "Grant me leave ta swallow man, for lie has eaten from your good sustenance and held back the gratitude that is due to you," And the seas said, "Grant me leave to drown man, for he has eaten from your good sustenance and held back the gratitude that is due to you." But the Lord of the worlds said to them all, "leave my slaves to me. Had you created them you would have had mercy on them. If they repent, I will be their Love, and if they do not repent, I will be their Healer."