Thursday, December 20, 2007

Its (Not) Your Prayers


A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food.

The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.

The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food.

The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.

He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of My blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice,

"What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

11 comments:

dew embun said...

*guilt-stricken*
Would I but be a thing forgotten...

Rudy Djoharnaen said...

My goodness dear Hoopoe,

We are all living on a prayer.

I pray that whatever you pray be answered.

dew embun said...

Really, truly, how selfless can we all actually be in this 'god-forsaken' world?

Time to realign our niats.

blue said...

May Allah's mercies and blessings be upon all muslim brothers and sisters in Islam, and may Allah swt keep us away from heedlessness and selfishness. amin.

TheHoopoe said...

dew embun,

In the eyes of all creation, we are all but a thing forgotten in time. That's perspective, for all of us.

But, in the eyes of the One Who Creates, we are His trusted vicegerent on earth, and we are luxuriously recognised and rewarded for carrying out that responsibility well as His vicegerent, partially in our living years, but definitely in full recompense in the Hereafter.

Allahu Akbar!

TheHoopoe said...

rudy,

There is a teaching of the Beloved Prophet that what we wish for others, we get them too.

So, in the case of this story, so was the man (who seemed to be a loser) was rewarded.

And, as you wished others well, in faith, I am convinced that you will get yours answered by the One Who Answers Prayers.

So, let us all be careful what we wish ... The best way, despite what others do to us, is to always pray well for them.

Allah, is indeed, the turner of the hearts of men - not men.

Amin...

TheHoopoe said...

blue,

May Allah reward and benefit you all the well-wishes and prayers you have made of others.

Amin

Anonymous said...

Dear Hoopoe,

you are right. and as we pray for goodness of others, we never know who is/are praying for us.

Alhamdulillah.

Anonymous said...

Dear Hoopoe,

you are right. and as we pray for goodness of others, we never know who is/are praying for us.

Alhamdulillah.

Lampu said...

Wah. I wonder what would have inspired the second man to that? The other perspective to this is...... when your prayers are answered.....it doesn't mean that you are worthy of HIS blessings. Interesting. :-)

ghoose said...

there is no love but Love

i think....if one realizes the Reality... then he does not need anything else....

possessing the knowledge of the infinite wisdom he confide with the One Who Answers Prayers not of selflessness becoz the self already gone but out of love.

the 2nd man is indeed living in the Reality of Love.

the Prophet(pbuh) once said: "By God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer; by God, he is not a believer, with whom his neighbors are not secure." This hadith shows how much he loved and cared for all human beings. One of the lessons he taught was that we should live among others like flowers, and not like thorns, without giving trouble to anybody.

.....the 1st man aplenty.... the 2nd.... is a rare gem...most often misunderstood... but the heart beats for no one but the Love....

i remind myself to love....if u see me please remind me to love at least wit a smile... then
we all can slowly try to be that gem.... if not we'll die trying..... Insyaallah.