The Pearl Necklace . Inspirational Story !! Don’t Miss it !!
This is a long story, don’t miss to read !!The Pearl Necklace
This story is recorded in the book “Gems and Jewels” published by Dar-us-salam
Qazi Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Abdul Baqi
Ansari is an illustrious personality of Islamic History. He was the most
pious person of his time. Even after the lapse of nine centuries, his
exemplary life is a source of guidance to Muslims. His biographers tell a
number of tales of his honesty and reliability but the one that
affected his whole life is full of strange and unique events. He has
narrated this story in his own words and it adorns the pages of history
books.
“In the middle of the 5th century Hijri,
I was a student of the Holy Quran and Hadith in Makkah. During that
period, I once became jobless and my means of income came to an end. I
managed, somehow, to subsist for a few days but soon it became hard to
obtain even two square meals. My studies were discontinued and I had to
sell a few of my books to support myself. I was at the edge of
starvation but my feelings of self-respect did not allow me to borrow or
beg from anybody.
One day, I was hungry, as usual. I went
to the Holy Ka’bah to pray to Almighty Allah to save me from my sad
plight. On my way back, I saw a velvet cloth pouch lying near the road
edge. I picked it up. It was nicely sewn and neatly tied with a silk
cord. I looked around to find its owner but the road was deserted and
nobody was in sight. I carried the pouch to my house.
I was curious to know the contents of
the small bag. As I untied the cord, a very precious necklace of pearls
slipped into my hand. The luster of the spotless pearls almost lit my
room. The pearls of different sizes were nicely put together in a string
of crimson colored silk. It was a radiant beauty and I was thrilled to
hold the valuable ornament. For a moment, I altogether forgot the hungry
and pitiable state in which I was. My thoughts went to the unfortunate
owner who had lost the precious jewelry. He must be unhappy and very
worried due to his great loss. The course of action which I instantly
decided on was to look for the owner and give him back his necklace to
relieve him of this mental suffering. It never came to my mind to keep
it wrongfully in my possession. So I set out to search for him. Leaving
the bag behind, I went straight to the place were it was found.
A group of excited men were standing
there and were busy in anxious conversation. I went close to them. Their
topic of discussion was the missing pouch of pearls. An old man whose
nobility and magnanimity was evident from his imposing personality, was
standing amidst them. He was explaining the loss of his pearls to the
attentive audience and was announcing a reward of five hundred gold
coins to the person who could help him in recovering the lost necklace.
I listened to his account of the loss
very carefully. When I was sure of his ownership, I held his hand gently
and requested him to come along with me. He looked at me very hopefully
and without asking any questions, he followed me. On the way back to my
house, I was delightfully thinking that a handsome amount of five
hundred dinars would be mind after a short while. The very thought of
getting a reward of that much money was very pleasing. I was wondering
whether my miseries would be over. I would no longer be a hungry or poor
person. With such happy ideas in my mind, I entered my house and also
invited the old man to come in.
When we sat down, I asked my perplexed
guest about some marks of identification of his lost bad, so that his
ownership could be established beyond doubt. He readily explained the
shape and color of the pouch. He told me about its contents and gave an
exact count of the pearls. He even described the tying cord. It
convincingly proved that he was the rightful owner of the bad and the
necklace of pearls. I silently rose and brought out the necklace pouch.
As he saw it, his gloomy expression at once changed. His shining eyes
beamed with joy and he looked at me with sincere gratefulness. His
pleasant glance of thanks impressed me, and my own mode of thinking
suddenly changed.
A little earlier, I was enjoying the
idea of getting a good reward but now my mind was reasoning as to what I
had actually done to deserve it. It was by sheer chance that the bag
had came into my possession. I had exerted no efforts to obtain it.
Therefore, why did I expect to get a reward for returning it to its
rightful owner? But I was actually in dire need of money. My poverty and
the grim realities of life were looking me in the face. Why shouldn’t I
accept the reward? It was absolutely legitimate and surely there was no
harm in taking it. A painful conflict of indecision was going on within
me and I was in an uneasy state of double mindedness.
The noble old man was looking at the necklace again and again as to assure himself of its recovery. He then looked at me and said, “O dear me, you are a virtuous person and I thank you from the core of my heart. I am unable to express fully my feelings o fgratittude for your act of praiseworthy conduct. Nevertheless, I offer you a purse of five hundred dinars as a humble present and request you to kindly accept it.”
The noble old man was looking at the necklace again and again as to assure himself of its recovery. He then looked at me and said, “O dear me, you are a virtuous person and I thank you from the core of my heart. I am unable to express fully my feelings o fgratittude for your act of praiseworthy conduct. Nevertheless, I offer you a purse of five hundred dinars as a humble present and request you to kindly accept it.”
He then placed in front of me a purse
full of gold coins. A conflicting struggle of ideas was still going on
in my mind. The sight of money which was within my easy reach was very
tempting but I checked myself and said, “Sir, I thank you for offering
me a substantial amount as a reward but it is impossible for me to
accept it.”
“Why not?” asked my noble guest, “You
justly deserve the reward because I am giving it entirely of my own free
will. I gladly give it to you as a humble token of my gratitude. Please
do not dishearten me by refusing it.” I replied, “Sir, I cannot even
think of being rude to decline your kind offer, but iti is certainly
improper for me to take it without doing anything to earn it. The
necklace is yours and I happened to find it only by chance. Its
restoration to you does not entitle me to take anything in return.
Please do not insist on me to accept what is not morally due to me.”
He was rather surprised by my firm
refusal. Normally people yearn for money but I was adamantly declining
it. He said, “My son! It is a virtue to be an honest person but the
money is which is being offered to you is not disallowed by our faith.
It is not prohibited to offer or accept such presents. Therefore, I
request you to reconsider your unrealistic stand and keep that purse for
the sake of my pleasure if not for anything else.”
I said, “Sir, I do not at all intend to
displease you, but the pleasure of Almighty Allah is more important to
be reckoned with than your or my pleasure. If there is any good in my
action, I will prefer to leave the matter to His Grace for compensation,
which I do not wan tot risk for all the riches of this world. Kindly do
not insist because I am determined not to accept any undue reward.” My
guest collected his pouch and purse and stood much dejectedly to leave.
He patted me on the back and left without a word.
After a week or so, I got back my
previous job. My days of deprivation and hunger were over. I rejoined my
classes and forgot all about the incident I my busy schedule of daily
routine. I exerted all of my energy to acquire knowledge of the Holy
Qur’an and Hadith. My main subject of interest was Islamic
Jurisprudence. I completed my studies with a distinction.
On the recommendation of my tutor, I was
offered an appointment as Qazi of Qurtaba, (Cordova) the capital city
of Haspaniyah (presently known as Spain). I readily accepted the post
and started to prepare myself very happily for the long journey. I took
leave of my colleagues and went to the port of Jeddah to embark on the
ship for my destination. I boarded a merchant ship to carry me to the
land of my future hopes.
For the first few days, the voyage was
smooth and very enjoyable. Then suddenly a violent storm of severe
intensity overtook us and the ship was engulfed by stormy waves. The
mountain high waves tossed the ship around like a tiny toy. The masts
were broken and the sails torn. A mighty wave crushed the ship and
wrecked it completely. A few screams were heard and it was all over. I
saw some floating boards and a few victims of the crash swimming around
trying to save their lives. They were the only survivors of the hapless
ship who were drifting over the ocean surface. When I recovered from the
shock, I found myself clinging to a plan and moving with it at the
mercy of the waves.
After drifting for two days, in a
semi-conscious state, the waves tossed me upon the shore. I thanked
Almighty Allah for saving me from the jaws of death. I was so weak that I
couldn’t move. I helplessly lay there exposed to the scorching heat of
the burning rays of the sun. I crawled to the dim shadows of a thorny
bush. I lost track of time and was in a state between dizziness and
heavy slumber.
After some time, I slightly opened my
eyes and saw a few strange faces staring at me. They poured a few drops
of water into my mouth and I came out of my oblivion but was still
unable to speak. They made up a stretcher and carried me to a nearby
town. When we approached near it, the first man-made thing which caught
my eye was a towering minaret of a Masjid. I thanked Allah for being
among my own brethren of faith.
They took me to a house belonging to one
of them and laid me on a comfortable bed. With proper care, feeding,
and treatment, I soon regained my lost energy. I told my kind host all
about myself and the mishap of the ship wreck. My host, whose name was
Faleh Hasan, informed me that I was in Hodeida, a coastal town of Yemen.
The tract where I was luckily found was a desolate region and was a
less treaded part of the coast. Faleh Hasan and his friends noticed a
few vultures circling over the area, so they went to investigate and
found me there in an unconscious state. He introduced me to his friends
and I expressed my heartful thanks for saving my life. Due to their
loving concern, I was soon normal, both mentally and physically.
I began to attend Masjid to offer my
regular prayers and there I came to know many persons of nobility and of
high-ranking positions. They all knew my unhappy episode through my
host and treated me with understanding and respect. One of them was the
aged and pious Sheikh Ahmad bin Suhail who usually led the prayers. He
always greeted me with fatherly affection which touched me to the heart.
One day, he was a little late to arrive
to the Masjid, so the people requested me to lead the prayers. My
hesitation and excuses proved to be useless before their sincere
appeals. That day I performed the duties of Imam. I did my best to
recite clearly the Verses of the Holy Qur’an during the prayer and
afterwards delivered a brief sermon on Islamic Law. Everyone seemed to
be highly impressed. Sheikh Ahmad bin Suhail came forward and
congratulated me on my excellent performance. I thanked him for his
appreciation and encouragement. I came back to the house of my host
filled with delight and self-confidence.
But later, I had sometimes thought that I
had overstayed my welcome. So after the evening prayers, I stated my
intention of leaving, but my host disagreed with me. He wanted me to
stay for a few more days to recoup my health fully. At night, when I was
going to bed, Sheikh Ahmad bin Suhail came with a few respectable
people of the town. The friends of Faleh Hasan, who were my saviors,
were also with them. When the preliminary formalities of greeting each
other were over and all were comfortably seated, Sheikh Ahmad turned his
eyes towards me and said, “Dear Abu Bakr, I have been honored by these
gentlemen to speak to you, on behalf of them, about their commendable
wish. I expect, you will please assent to it.”
I was perplexed by that kind of address.
So I said nervously, “Sir, you are very helpful and kind to me. I
cannot disregard any of your commands or wishes. You can order me to do
anything and it will be an honor for me to obey it.”
He said, “Dear son, we all earnestly
desire you to stay here with us forever. The regular Imam of our Masjid
had died last year. We still mourn his death and perhaps will do so
forever. His respect is deeply rooted in our hearts. He had enlightened
our lives with the torch of knowledge. We wish you to take his place and
consent to be our Imam. We may not be able to offer you a better paid
position than that of the Qazi in Qurtaba, but we will surely give you
our love, affection, and respect.”
“But Sir,” I protested, “I am a fresh,
inexperienced student and feel small to carry out the sacred duties of
the high office of Imam.” The Sheikh said, “My son, do not underestimate
yourself. We all have heard your recitiation and sermon, and are fully
convinced of your ability to fulfill those responsibilities.”
Before I could think of any evasive
answer, my host, Faleh Hasan, and his friends vehemently backed up the
proposal. I was left with no other alternative but to nod in
affirmative. Everybody was pleased with my decision, especially Sheikh
Ahmad who thanked me and kissed my forehead. They all rose to leave and
thanking me individually, departed very happy.
They left me thinking how the secret
hands of fate change the course of destiny in a secret manner.
Circumstances secretly take such a turn that they altogether change the
plans made up by man. I had cherished the hope of being a Qazi of
Qurtaba and had taken steps to attain that goal, but preordained events
made me an Imam of the Masjid in Hodeida.
So a new phase in my life began. I took
charge of the imposed position and shifted to the assigned house of the
Imam. I restarted the primary school that had closed due to the sad
demise of the former Imam. I also commenced evening classes to impart
lessons to explain the meaning of the Holy Qur’an.
I completely adjusted myself to the new
environment and people generally accepted me as their religious leader. I
was very contented and never for a moment regretted my decision to
settle there. All the people, young and old alike, were happy and
respected me. The feelings of any estrangement all faded away and I
became as if I was one of them for ages.
One day, Sheikh Ahmad came to me and
after enquiring about my welfare, said, “Dear Abu Bakr, your services to
or townsmen are praiseworthy and beyond our expectations. I am glad
that you had accepted our offer of staying with us. Now have come to you
to ask one more favor.”
I said, “Sir, I am at your service. Please tell me and I will comply with your order.”
He said, “Dear son, a man is not perfect
without his partner of life. I want you to marry and take full
advantage of life. Marriage is also a sacred Sunna of our Holy Prophet.
The sweet marital responsibilities are a real blessing which have been
conferred onto man.”
I replied, “Sir, you have always advised
me in my best interest. I take you as a father to me and in this matter
also, I will follow you counsel.”
The Sheikh said, “Your predecessor, the
late Imam of this Masjid was a very close friend of mine. He had a
daughter, and when he was sure of his end, he entrusted her to my
protection and care. Since then she has been under my guardianship. She
is a lovely and adorable girl of good manners. Allah has endowed her
with physical and mental beauty. She is virtuous and is a suitable match
for you. I wish to give her in marriage to you and I feel sure that it
will be a marriage of true minds.”
I had no objection to the proposal
whatsoever. A few days later, the bonds of marriage united us. After the
festive ceremonies were over, Sheikh Ahmad escorted her to my house
that was in fact her old abode where she had lived with her late father.
I looked at her and my gaze was concentrated steadily on her. I forgot
to even say welcome to her. I was not only looking at her beautiful and
charming face, and at her downcast eyes; but my glance was riveted upon
her pretty neck, which was ornamented by precious pearls. I at once
recognized that necklace. It was the same necklace that I once found on a
deserted road of Makkah. I looked at her in silent and open-mouthed
wonder.
Sheikh Ahmad noticed my confused
condition and thought that her beauty and the luster of the pearls had
enchanted me. He politely said, “Dear Abu Bakr, that necklace and its
wearer, both are yours now and you can take all your time to behold
them. It may, perhaps, interest you to know that the necklace has a
strange story of its own. Five years ago, my friend went to Makkah for
pilgrimage and took that necklace with him to get it re-polished. There,
he lost it. But due to the goodness of an honest young man, he
recovered it intact. That commendable young man refused to sell his
honesty and declined the pressing offer of a handsome reward. He left a
lasting impression upon my friend who always remembered and talked about
him. He once confided to me that he had a mind to go to Makkah again
and ask that virtuous young man to accept the hand of his daughter, but
time did not allow him to do so. Anyhow, it was destined differently.
His daughter was to become your wife instead of his. The decreed
decisions of fate are strange and beyond the understanding of man.”
An emotional storm erupted within me.
The strange happenings of the fateful events which were unfolded by the
hidden hands of destiny agitated me and drops of tears rolled down my
cheeks; I looked towards Sheikh Ahmad through misty eyes and said, “Dear
Sir, you are very right to say that insight into the unknown mysteries
of fate is not possible. It would perhaps be a pleasant surprise to know
that I am the same person who found the necklace and restored it to
your friend. He, in return, offered me an amount of five hundred dinars.
Although I was a pauper and was suffering from the agonies of hunger in
those days, my conscience did not allow me to accept anything that was
not my due. I pinned all my hopes and expectations of Almighty Allah for
any reward. And here I am with His gracious and greatest reward of
all.”
Sheikh Ahmad was amazed and without
saying a word, he held my hand and shook it was a passion. My newly
wedded wife lifted her eyes and looked me full in the face. Her eyes
were filled with enthusiastic love that any husband ever could desire
for. Almighty Allah had bestowed upon me His favors by giving me a
considerate and loving wife and nothing in life surpasses that bliss.”