Download PDF: [S] A Saint serves a Traveller (Islamic Story)

Hadrat Sayyiduna Mas’ab bin Ahmed – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates that, “Once, the famous Saint, Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Mohammed Abdullah Rabbaati – may Allah be pleased with him, arrived in Baghdad Shareef. At the same time, it was also my wish and intention to travel with this great Saint to Mecca Shareef. However, I was not given this opportunity in the first year and neither in the second year. On the third year, I approached him and mentioned that I wished to travel with him to Mecca Shareef. He gave me permission but also mentioned, “I will give you permission to travel with me on one condition. Between the both of us, there will have to be a leader and it would be necessary to obey that leader on our travel.’

 

“I gladly accepted this condition and said to him that I would gladly accept him as my leader. However, he said, ‘No, you will have to be the leader between us.’

 

“However, I said, ‘Hadrat, you are much more senior and without doubt, you will have to be leader’.

 

“Finally, he said, ‘Ok, one condition, you will travel with me under my leadership and also promise not to disobey my orders.’

 

“I replied that I will certainly never disobey him on our journey. We then began our travel to the Haram Shareef. When the time came to eating, he made me sit on one side and prepared the food himself. I then wanted to serve him, but it turned completely opposite. I tried my level best to serve and be humble towards him but on every occasion he said to me, ‘Did you not make the promise that you will never disobey me.’

 

“In this manner, he continued to serve me the entire journey. As a matter of fact, he even carried my goods and I began to regret this entire episode.

 

“Once, during the journey, it started to rain and we saw a small shelter in the distance which looked like a small dome. He then placed me inside this dome because there was place for only one person. He stood outside holding a sheet so that I did not get wet. His entire body was wet in this cold. He also continued to remind me that I had promised never to disobey his command and therefore, I had to remain silent. In this manner, this great and eminent Saint continued to serve me and be of service to me until we reached Mecca Shareef.” (Uyunul Hikaayah)