This is an incident that occurred in the country of Bahrain, where a lot of Shias used to stay. Once a group amongst Shias decided inviting each other to their houses in turn for dinner. From time to time each one from among the group would invite others on a fixed day and would prepare best food to serve his friends.
This good custom made each a guest of the other. In their group, there was a poor man. As the days passed and most of the friends had invited soon it was the turn of this poor man. He had not revealed to his friends that he was poor.
Since most of his friends had arranged for a really good dinner, this man was worried for he did not have means to arrange the similar dinner. He thought over it a lot for ways to acquire it but was unable to meet success. He left his house in deep thought, and began walking. He was so engrossed in his thoughts, that he did not realise that he had left his city far behind, and was now in a desert. He continued walking asking himself 'what will I do, where will I make arrangement from? What will I tell my friends?'
While he was in these thoughts, he met a man. The man began talking to him with a smile on his face. He said to this poor man, "Go to the city, and so and so trader, that the Nazr which he did on behalf of Mohammad bin Hasan should be given to you."
The depressed man could not believe that his difficulty was being solved so easily. He thought for a while that can all this be true?
Then he decided to give it a try. He hurriedly returned to the city and straight to the market and again wondered whether there existed a trader?
He went as per instructed and inquired to a nearby shop whether he knew any trader by this name. The shopkeeper said 'Yes' and pointed out to the trader's shop. The poor man went to the direction and said 'salaam' to the trader on reaching his place. The trader replied to his salaam and very politely asked 'what can I do for you? O good man.'
The poor man was afraid that the trader would laugh at if he told him what he was instructed by that man in the desert. But since he had no option, he gathered his courage and said very softly, 'Mohammad bin Hasan has sent me. He has said that the Nazr which you did for him, should be given to me.'
When the trader heard this, his condition changed completely. He asked the poor man with surprise, 'What did you say? What did you say?'
The poor man could not understand why this trader's condition had changed and why he was behaving strangely. He thought that it was his fault.
Suddenly the trader caught his arm and said, 'could you repeat what you said?'
The poor man repeated again what he had said earlier.
The trader asked, 'Did he himself say this to you?' The man said 'yes'.
The trader asked, 'Do you know him?' The man replied 'no'.
With tears in his eyes the trader said, ‘Don't you know who he was? He was Hazrat Wali-e-Asr, Imam Mahdi (a.s.) (may our lives be sacrificed for him).'
This time the poor man shouted, 'What are you saying? Was he Imame Zamana (a.s.)? How do you know it was Imam?'
The trader said, sometime back I had a wish (Haajat). I did nazr, if Allah fulfils my wish, I would give 12 gold coins in the name of Hazrat Mahdi ( a.s.) and I have not told anyone about this nazr. Now it has been some time since Allah fulfilled my Haajat.
Tears started rolling down from the eyes of the trader. He looked up to the poor man and said, 'Welcome, Welcome you are a special guest.'
Then the poor man thought to himself that if I had paid more attention at that place (desert) I would have understood the whole matter. He had never seen that gentleman before. He had not spoken to anyone about his difficulty. Then how did this gentleman recognize him and how he was aware of his difficulties? The poor man scolded himself and said, 'If only I would have recognized him, in the desert? If only I would have thrown myself at his feet? If only I would have not separated myself from him? If only I would have not made so much haste?'
Then the trader brought 12 gold coins and gave it to the poor man and said, "If you permit me since this my Nazr was accepted due to Imam-e-Zamaana ( a.s.), I would like to keep 6 gold coins with me as Tabarruk. Instead, I will give money equal to that." The poor man agreed. He took the money said Khuda Hafiz to the trader and came back to his house.
Throughout the time in which he was preparing the food for his guest, he remembered the statement which Imam-e-Zamaana (a.t.f.s.) had said,
‘We are not negligent of your affairs nor are we forgetful of your remembrance.'
The guests arrived on the appointed day and all of them knew that they were the guests of Imam-e-Zamaana (a.t.f.s.).
This good custom made each a guest of the other. In their group, there was a poor man. As the days passed and most of the friends had invited soon it was the turn of this poor man. He had not revealed to his friends that he was poor.
Since most of his friends had arranged for a really good dinner, this man was worried for he did not have means to arrange the similar dinner. He thought over it a lot for ways to acquire it but was unable to meet success. He left his house in deep thought, and began walking. He was so engrossed in his thoughts, that he did not realise that he had left his city far behind, and was now in a desert. He continued walking asking himself 'what will I do, where will I make arrangement from? What will I tell my friends?'
While he was in these thoughts, he met a man. The man began talking to him with a smile on his face. He said to this poor man, "Go to the city, and so and so trader, that the Nazr which he did on behalf of Mohammad bin Hasan should be given to you."
The depressed man could not believe that his difficulty was being solved so easily. He thought for a while that can all this be true?
Then he decided to give it a try. He hurriedly returned to the city and straight to the market and again wondered whether there existed a trader?
He went as per instructed and inquired to a nearby shop whether he knew any trader by this name. The shopkeeper said 'Yes' and pointed out to the trader's shop. The poor man went to the direction and said 'salaam' to the trader on reaching his place. The trader replied to his salaam and very politely asked 'what can I do for you? O good man.'
The poor man was afraid that the trader would laugh at if he told him what he was instructed by that man in the desert. But since he had no option, he gathered his courage and said very softly, 'Mohammad bin Hasan has sent me. He has said that the Nazr which you did for him, should be given to me.'
When the trader heard this, his condition changed completely. He asked the poor man with surprise, 'What did you say? What did you say?'
The poor man could not understand why this trader's condition had changed and why he was behaving strangely. He thought that it was his fault.
Suddenly the trader caught his arm and said, 'could you repeat what you said?'
The poor man repeated again what he had said earlier.
The trader asked, 'Did he himself say this to you?' The man said 'yes'.
The trader asked, 'Do you know him?' The man replied 'no'.
With tears in his eyes the trader said, ‘Don't you know who he was? He was Hazrat Wali-e-Asr, Imam Mahdi (a.s.) (may our lives be sacrificed for him).'
This time the poor man shouted, 'What are you saying? Was he Imame Zamana (a.s.)? How do you know it was Imam?'
The trader said, sometime back I had a wish (Haajat). I did nazr, if Allah fulfils my wish, I would give 12 gold coins in the name of Hazrat Mahdi ( a.s.) and I have not told anyone about this nazr. Now it has been some time since Allah fulfilled my Haajat.
Tears started rolling down from the eyes of the trader. He looked up to the poor man and said, 'Welcome, Welcome you are a special guest.'
Then the poor man thought to himself that if I had paid more attention at that place (desert) I would have understood the whole matter. He had never seen that gentleman before. He had not spoken to anyone about his difficulty. Then how did this gentleman recognize him and how he was aware of his difficulties? The poor man scolded himself and said, 'If only I would have recognized him, in the desert? If only I would have thrown myself at his feet? If only I would have not separated myself from him? If only I would have not made so much haste?'
Then the trader brought 12 gold coins and gave it to the poor man and said, "If you permit me since this my Nazr was accepted due to Imam-e-Zamaana ( a.s.), I would like to keep 6 gold coins with me as Tabarruk. Instead, I will give money equal to that." The poor man agreed. He took the money said Khuda Hafiz to the trader and came back to his house.
Throughout the time in which he was preparing the food for his guest, he remembered the statement which Imam-e-Zamaana (a.t.f.s.) had said,
‘We are not negligent of your affairs nor are we forgetful of your remembrance.'
The guests arrived on the appointed day and all of them knew that they were the guests of Imam-e-Zamaana (a.t.f.s.).
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