The boy’s wise words

Hazrat Malik bin Dinar (R.A) reports: “I once passed a boy who was playing with some clay. Sometimes the boy would smile and sometimes he would cry. I was about to offer Salaam to him, but my Nafs (conscience) prohibited me from doing so, out of arrogance (In other words, he thought it was more befitting that the younger greets the elder, rather than vice versa). Eventually, I persuaded my Nafs to offer salutations to him, remembering that the Prophet (S.A.W) would offer his greetings to the younger.

The boy replied “And peace and Allah’s blessings be upon you, O Malik bin Dinar!”.

Hazrat Malik bin Dinar (R.A) asked: How do you know my name despite the fact you have not met me before? The boy replied: Allah (S.W.T) introduced my soul to yours when we met on the Covenant of Alast.

Hazrat Malik bin Dinar (R.A) asked: Dear boy! What is the difference between Nafs and Aql? The boy replied: Nafs is that which originally prohibited you from greeting me first and Aql is that which persuaded you to do so in the end.

Hazrat Malik bin Dinar (R.A) asked: Why are you playing with mud? Boy answered: Because we were created from this, and we will eventually be buried in this. Hazrat Malik bin Dinar (R.A) asked: Why are you sometimes laughing and sometimes crying whilst playing with this mud?

Boy replied: I cry when I remember the punishment of Allah (S.W.T) and I smile when I remember His mercy. Hazrat Malik bin Dinar (R.A) asked: But you are young and immune from sins, so why are you crying? Boy replied: O Malik bin Dinar! Do not say this. For I have observed that when my mother lights a fire, she throws the small pieces of wood before throwing the larger pieces in.

Moral:

The boy displayed great intelligence and wisdom in his replies. From this
story, we learn the following point; Our meetings with fellow Muslims should begin with Asalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh. Nafs drives us towards evil whereas Aql leads us to good. Therefore, we should follow the commands of the Aql and not the Nafs.

We should remember that we were created from mud and we will return to this form. Hence, we have no legitimate reason to act arrogantly and we should constantly remember our pending death.

Many young Muslims do not perform Salah or act upon teachings of Islam because they assume they are still young and have a lifetime of opportunity in front of them for good deeds. This story aims to eradicate this wrongful thought.