The truthfulness of a Young Boy- Shiekh Abdul Qadir Jilani
Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani [May Allah's mercy be upon him] was an eminent Islamic scholar born in 11th Century CE, Persia.
Early stories of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani [May Allah's mercy be upon him] depict him as a young with a firm interest in learning with a pious mother who always encourages her son to acquire knowledge. The following incident is narrated in a number of biographies of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani [May Allah's mercy be upon him].
when he was 18 years old, he asked consent from his mother to go to Baghdad to seek after his schooling. Baghdad then, at that time was the center point of political, commercial, and social activities, and the focal point of world learning.
On hearing this his mother was glad to send her child off to follow the way of higher scholarship. It was for such a purpose she had saved forty gold coins for Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani [May Allah's mercy be upon him]. As she arranged supplies for his traveling she sewed the coins into the lining of his coat for keeping them safe.
Before Abdul Qadir joined the caravan to venture out to Baghdad, the mother's parting advice to her child was "Whenever you speak, speak the truth. Keep in mind that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, 'Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise...' and
the Quran tells us "O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to God, and be with the truthful." (Holy Quran 9:119)
On the way to Baghdad, the caravan was assaulted by a group of robbers. As the thugs began to gather all the valuables things from the travelers, one of the robbers began to search Abdul Qadir's belongings.
While searching, the robber asked Abdul Qadir[May Allah's mercy be upon him], "Do you have anything valuable?'
Abdul Qadir [May Allah's mercy be upon him] calmly replied, "Yes."
On hearing this the robber thoroughly searched further but couldn't find anything.
The robber took Abdul Qadir Jilani [May Allah's mercy be upon him] to their leader and said, "This boy says he has valuables but I can find nothing on him."
The leader of the robbers asked Abdul Qadir Jilani, "Are you hiding anything valuable?"
Again Abdul Qadir[May Allah's mercy be upon him] answered, "Yes."
The robber asked, "What are you hiding?"
Abdul Qadir replied, "Forty Gold Coins."
Upon searching again the robber discovered the coins which were hidden in the lining of Abdul Qadir's coat.
Among all the tumult and hysterical travelers Abdul Qadir's unfrazzled attitude and conceding the assets he was hiding was confounding to the robber.
The robber was now excited to know more about this young boy who was not getting afraid and was insisted on telling the truth.
The robber asked, "What is your name?" And "where do you come from?"
He got an answer, "My name is Abdul Qadir, and I here from the province of Jilan, Persia."
"Where are you going?"
"I am going to Baghdad."
"What are you going to Baghdad?"
"I want to study with the great scholars to get knowledge."
The leader asked, "Why did not you hide the truth and keep those gold coins safe?"
Abdul Qadir told him about the advice his mother gave him and the directive of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Holy Quran to always speak the truth.
Hearing this the robber was overcome with regret and exclaimed to his companions, "This young boy is fearless and has an unshakable faith in Allah Almighty. This boy has got the courage to stand up against people like us. Indeed his mother has taught him wisdom and he is a true model of being a Muslim."
Holding his head in shame and regret, tears began to roll down his face. He embraced Abdul Qadir Jilani and asked for his forgiveness.
Abdul Qadir Jilani responded, "what you need is to pray to Allah and ask for forgiveness and guidance. God willing you will change your ways."
On hearing this the leader of the robbers told his teammates to return everything that was robbed from the travelers. Then he cried out, "O Allah Almighty this young boy has shown us the true path. Please forgive us and give us guidance to the right way."
In this way, a simple moral value of truthfulness taught by a mother to her young boy affected a group of robbers to change their lives.
Abdul Qadir Jilani[May Allah's mercy be upon him] went on to become a great scholar and teacher of Islamic jurisprudence.
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