A God-conscious Merchant who praised the Lord twice— upon hearing the sinking of his ship and then knowing the ship belonged to someone else. — by Mujeeb Jaihoon
May I relate
A wonderful incident:
Lived in a town
A Him-fearing merchant
A man came running
From another town
“Your ship has suffered
A terrible drown”
The merchant thought
For a little while
And then said
“Alhamdulillah!” with a smile
After some time
There came another news
“The ship that sank
Was not yours”
The merchant thought
For a little while
And then said
“Alhamdulillah!” with a smile
The people around
Struck with surprise:
‘What was this secret’,
They could not appraise
They wondered why
His reply was the same
For tragedy and joy
Similar was his exclaim
Said the merchant,
“When I heard
The ship had submerged
I checked my heart:
If it was disturbed
When I found
It was not shaken
I praised Him
For not being forsaken
Then when I heard
The ship was not mine
I checked my heart:
Did I any joy gain
When I found
It was like before calm
I praised Him
For keeping my heart firm”
Hey Tasbih!
The believer and world
Is like ship and ocean
As long as the ship
Is above the water
It shall smoothly sail
Over the latter
But when water enters
Inside the ship
It shall be destroyed
During its trip
In this world
Lives the believer:
Not the world
Inside his heart
June 12 2004
