Wishing To Play The Host

They say that the venerable Abraham would absolutely never sit down to a meal unless either a poor man or a guest was invited to join him at his table. He had vowed to make this his rule. Abraham, the special friend of Allah, was pleased to receive any number of guests and had made it his custom always to share his meal with at least one guest or needy person. He had even vowed not to sit at a table for up to a month, should no guests come. It once happened that over a month went by without a guest turning up at his house.
This amazed the special friend of the All- Merciful, who set off and travelled some distance from home in search of a guest. Eventually he encountered a stranger and invited him back to his house, but this noble individual told Abraham that no guest had visited his place in over three months and that he had firmly resolved not to eat a meal in the absence of a guest in his own house. He then invited the special friend of the All-Merciful to come home with him. Abraham was again amazed. He marvelled to see what blessed servants Allah had, for he had found another person whose respect for guests exceeded even his own, and who would go without a meal for as long as three months because no guest had called on him. He had wondered in his noble heart whether there might be another creature like himself, who would not eat a meal for one month in the absence of a guest. In fact, he now discovered, Allah had such special servants as this...

Repenting and feeling remorse for having had such thoughts, he accepted the blessed individual's invitation, saying that it would give him great joy to be a guest in the home of this faithful lover. They went to his house together, shared a meal and happily conversed. Then they worshipped together. When it was time to part, the host opened the door to a room and asked Abraham, on him be peace, to choose something out of it as a memento. Abraham then asked the man if he would please make a prayer of supplication, but his host told him that he had given up making such prayers. For years he had prayed for something, he explained, but this wish of his had not been granted by Allah. He therefore begged to be excused on the grounds that his mouth was not worthy to pray. The special friend of Allah asked him: "What was your wish that Allah did not grant you?" and that pure soul replied: "They say there is on earth a special friend of Allah, whom they call Abraham, Khalilullah. I really longed to see him. For years I have begged my Lord to grant me my wish. But the meeting was not allowed to come about, so my mouth cannot be worthy to offer a prayer of supplication. You make one please." Allah special friend now realised why he had been brought so mysteriously. His eyes ran with tears of joy, as he said: "O lover! O faithful servant! I am the Prophet Abraham. Because of your good character and conduct, Allah has sent me to your home."

Such are the manifestations of our Lord: He brings His special friends to those who love him. There are many lessons to be learnt from this story which I first came across in a book titled ‘Irshad, wisdom of a sufi master, Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak Al-Jerrahi.’ This story shows what divine grace is in store for those who follow good conduct.

The beloved will come, as Abraham came, to those who share their meals at home and treat their guests with honour for the sake of Allah. When we feel our sincere dream is never to come true, like the host in the story, don’t lose hope. The Mercy of Allah is very near.