The Humble beggar – Qal Bin Saleem story
Allah (swt) Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an Surah 2 verse 186:
“When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.”
Qal Bin Saleem who was a very handsome young man took this verse from the Holy Qur’an very seriously. He was constantly in prayers and when he finished his prayers he would sit for hours making supplications to Allah (swt). Those who did not believe in making supplication would taunt him by calling him a poor beggar. He never paid any attention to them, and he continued his supplications.
One day while he was at the Masjid the Imam named Kadeem approached him and asked him what he really asks Allah (swt) for? Qal Bin Saleem’s reply to the Imam, he was reciting Surah 25 verse 74 from the Holy Qur’an:
And those who pray, “Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous.”
“Boy you are just wasting your time making such lengthy du’a’s! Allah (swt) knows our intentions, we do not need to make du’a’s.” said Imam Kadeem.
“Do you have a special desire that you’re hoping for?” asked Qal Bin Saleem.
“Yes! I have lots of desires that I wanted since I was a child, but so far only a couple of them have come through, so I am still waiting for the main one’s to come through.”
“How long have you been waiting” asked Qal Bin Saleem?
“For about 40 long years!” replied Imam Kadeem.
“But yet you are too proud to lift your hands in humble supplication to Allah (swt) Almighty? I think you should start doing so if you really need Allah’s (swt) help.”
“I will do so when I see all your desires come through.” replied Imam Kadeem.
“Then Insha-Allah I will be your leader and you will make humble supplication.” replied Qal Bin Saleem. After this conversation Qal Bin Saleem left to go home.
On his way home he observed the most beautiful butterfly following him, as he was about to step into his yard he saw it fly on top of his neighbour’s tree. As he continued to look at the tree he saw a paper hanging off one of the branches of the tree, but the butterfly had disappeared. Qal Bin Saleem ignored the paper and proceeded into his house.
The next day as he was leaving his home to go to the Masjid, he saw the same butterfly in front of him. As he tried to catch it, it once again flew right on top of his neighbour’s tree, and disappeared. Thinking that this was very strange, Qal Bin Saleem decided to approach the tree, and retrieve the piece of paper that was still there. To his big surprise it was a page from the Holy Qur’an with Surah 2 verse 186 on it. He told himself that this is a sign from Allah (swt), but he did not know the meaning of it, so he kissed the piece of paper and kept it in a safe place.
After six months had passed Qal Bin Saleem started to wonder over the miracle of the disappearing butterfly, and the page from the Holy Qur’an. He then lifted his hands up in supplication to Allah (swt) and he recited the following verses from Al-Qur’an Surah 112, 113 and 114 and 1:
In the name of Allah (swt), the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Say: He is Allah (swt), the One and Only; 112:001
Allah (swt), the Eternal, Absolute; 112:002
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; 112:003
And there is none like unto Him. 112:004
Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn 113:001
From the mischief of created things; 113:002
From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; 113:003
From the mischief of those who practise secret arts; 113:004
And from the mischief of the envious one as he practises envy.113:005
Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind, 114:001
The King (or Ruler) of Mankind, 114:002
The God (or judge) of Mankind,- 114:003
From the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil), who withdraws (after his whisper),- 114:004
(The same) who whispers into the hearts of Mankind,- 114:005
Among Jinns and among men. 114:006
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 001:001
Praise be to Allah (swt), the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; 001:002
Most Gracious, Most Merciful; 001:003
Master of the Day of Judgment. 001:004
Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek. 001:005
Show us the straight way, 001:006
The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray. 001:007
Using these divine words for his supplication, he then thanked Allah (swt) for reminding him of his supplication, and he went to sleep. While Qal Bin Saleem slept he was blessed with a dream where he saw the same butterfly on top of a house. The house was green, and it was the most beautiful house that he had ever seen. After Qal Bin Saleem awoke he raised his hands in supplication and prayed:
“Glory be to thee O! Allah (swt) Almighty, bless all of our beloved Prophets, especially our beloved Prophet Muhammad (owbp) and all your Angels and through them all please accept all my supplications, and help me with the right guidance to solve this mystery. Ameen.
About five days later when Qal Bin Saleem was at the Masjid and after prayers someone was flipping through the pages of a newspaper, to Qal Bin Saleem’s surprise he caught sight of the very same house in the newspaper that was in his dream. He asked the brother to see the newspaper and took it to Imam Kadeem, and asked him whose house it was. The Imam told him that the house belonged to a very rich and famous man, who loved Islam very much. Qal Bin Saleem decided to go and pay a visit to this house, even though it was in the city, and would take him two long days to get there.
Before he started his journey he took the page of the Qur’an that he found in the tree. He then made supplication once again, reciting Surah 17 verse 80.
“O my Lord! Let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour, and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honour; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me).” 017:080
After two days of traveling Qal Bin Saleem arrived at his destination, as he approached the house, he asked the guard at the gate if he could see the owner of the house. The guard left and when he returned he asked Qal Bin Saleem what the purpose of his visit is?
“It is a very long story and I am too tired to talk, but you can take this paper to the owner, and maybe this might answer your questions. So the guard took the page of Al-Qur’an to the owner of the house (whose name was Fantasir), the guard returned and told Qal Bin Saleem to come inside.
Before he even stepped foot in the yard Qal Bin Saleem saw a man rushing to him and gave him a hug and a very warm welcome, as if the man knew him. Qal Bin Saleem was shocked; he could not even speak until after the man took him inside and gave him something to eat. He then told Qal Bin Saleem to go and get some rest. After all this occurred Qal Bin Saleem went and sat down with the man, and they began to get acquainted with each other. The man said that he is the owner of the house and that his name is Fantasir, and he wanted to know everything about how Qal Bin Saleem got hold of this page from the Al-Qur’an. So Qal Bin Saleem began to relate the miraculous story to Fantasir. He explained how Allah (swt) guided him to the page of the Al-Qur’an and to this house, all through the humble supplications which he always makes after every Farz prayer. I sit for hours pleading and crying to Allah (swt) to help the poor and needy and to bring peace and unity to all Muslims in the world and for more important things which included myself, my parents and the believing men and women. I even prayed for the animals and all of Allah’s (swt) creation. I would also pray for the people to see the importance of making supplication to Allah (swt). On hearing the explanation Fantasir began to weep very bitterly. Fantasir then raised his hands in supplication to Allah (swt): “Glory be to Allah (swt), I was indeed wrong, please forgive me for my arrogance and for being so blind. O! Allah (swt); Glory and Praises be to You. There is no deity, no power, no mighty but You O! Allah (swt) and I bear witness that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (owbp), is your servant and Apostle.”
After his du’a he told Qal Bin Saleem that he is the head of all the Masjids in the city and he never made supplication to Allah (swt), and he also stopped the people from doing so, since he didn’t find it necessary. Being so wealthy, all the people looked up to him; they listened to what he had to say. He also felt that Allah (swt) knows everyone’s intentions and that he would fulfill everyone’s needs. Fantasir explained that one day he was reciting his special Qur’an outside in his backyard which he received as a gift from his Shaykh.
It was very old and there was none like it in the city. As he was reciting his Qur’an a storm suddenly came down and blew the page right out of his hands. Fantasir said he was very distraught by this, because of the special nature of this particular Qur’an. When my guard brought the page of the Qur’an to me, I recognize it immediately and was extremely happy. After this mystery was solved Fantasir went and brought his wife along with his seven daughters to meet Qal Bin Saleem, and he related the amazing stories to them. Qal Bin Saleem said to Fantasir “Well now you have realized the importance of making supplications, you have to try and convince all the Imams from the Masjids to make supplication, since you stopped them from doing so.”
Fantasir said, “They always listen to me, but that would be too easy, I want them to see the importance of calling upon Allah (swt).” So he and Qal Bin Saleem came up with a plan, they sent out special invitations to all the Imams and the executives from different Masjids to come to Fantasir’s home for a special program, to which they all accepted. When they arrived at the gate they found it locked and guarded, the guard was looking at the big group of people, and the people were looking at the guard hoping that he would open the gate for them, but he didn’t. After a while one of the Imam’s then asked him to open the gate which he did. After everyone made their way into the house they were very upset, and they complained to Fantasir that they were disregarded by his guard. He didn’t open the gate until Imam Moneeb asked him to do so. “Why is this?” they asked Fantasir.
“What if Allah (swt) disregarded all of you on Judgment day?” They replied, “We would surely burn in hell. Fantasir smiled, and they asked him what was so funny. “I am pleased with your answer, because the answer is very right and it makes my job easier,” Replied Fantasir. “What is your job?” asked the people.
“Well I called you all here to tell you an amazing story to convince all of you the importance of making supplication to Allah (swt) and my example was not to make the guard open the gate until you asked him to do so, just to show you all how important it is to seek Allah’s (swt) help, guidance, and forgiveness. Indeed Allah (swt) is fully aware of our needs, but we still have to call upon Him. So I am sure from the small experiment that you just had through the demonstration with my guard that you all will be convinced of the truth.”
They replied, “Yes, indeed we are convinced and we are also thankful to you and to Allah (swt).” After this everyone lifted their hands in supplication to Allah (swt) crying and pleading for His humble forgiveness. They then were all introduced to Qal Bin Saleem and they were told of the amazing story that brought him to Fantasir’s house. This miraculous story went out to all the Muslims in the city and it touched many hearts. The people in the city started to pay heed and respect for Surah 2 verse 186 of the Holy Qur’an, Alhamdu-Lillah. Qal Bin Saleem felt his mission was over and it was time for him to return home. Fantasir offered one of his daughter’s hands in marriage to Qal Bin Saleem which he happily accepted, and then he was also offered a huge amount of wealth. So Qal Bin Saleem happily returned to his village with his beautiful wife and newfound wealth. Everyone in the village was so astonished and started to question Qal Bin Saleem about the new changes in his life. He invited them all to the Masjid and related the miraculous events that took place between him and his father-in-law. Fantasir was also present and he confirmed the story.
After seeing and hearing all of this the people in the village started to respect Qal Bin Saleem and followed his teachings. They made him the leader for the Masjid, for Imam Kadeem decided to step down. He said to Qal Bin Saleem, “You are indeed a sincere servant of Allah (swt), I do not feel fit to be your Imam, indeed your supplication and prayers were more valuable to Allah (swt) than mine. We all will raise our hands in humble supplication. May Allah (swt) bless, guide and forgive us for our mistakes, and may He grant us the wisdom and understanding so that we may tread the right path. Ameen.”
Notable Points
Qal Bin Saleem was blessed with everything which he asked Allah (swt) for.
Qal Bin Saleem did not get the inspiration to the answer of the sign of the butterfly until he lifted his hands in supplication.
A beggar does not have the privilege to ask people for things according to his needs, but Allah (swt) has given that privilege to all mankind, therefore we all become independent beggars through supplication.
Fantasir guests were too proud to ask the guard to open the gate is an example of those people who obey Allah (swt) by worshipping Him in prayers, but do not lift their hands in supplication. Sometimes those inside the Masjid will ask people for donations, rather than lifting their hands in supplication to ask Allah (swt) for His donation.
Closing comments
I do hope for our own benefits we take the time to make humble supplication to Allah (swt). It will make us humble, merciful, kind, and just. These are the virtues and more that we will be able to receive when we humble ourselves to Allah (swt). Sometimes it may seem like Allah (swt) takes forever to answer our prayers, but what seems long for us is not long to Allah (swt) since this teaches us how to exercise patience. For Allah says in Al-Qur’an Sura 2 verse 153 “…He is with those people who patiently persevere.” Ameen
Comments are closed.