“That was my favorite ring. How could I be so careless?” Samra Apa sniffed away a tear. Mama gently stroked Samra Apa’s head, which was resting in her lap. Ali looked on helplessly. Baby Hannah offered a drool-covered block to Samra Apa to cheer her up. Samra Apa had been crying over her lost golden ring for an hour now.
Mama consoled her: “Samra dear, I know how you feel. It’s not easy to part with something you love dearly. This is a test for you from Allah (swt). If you bear it with patience, you will be rewarded with more. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were destined to lose the ring.”
“But I am so careful!” protested Samra Apa.
“I know, my love. That is why be reassured that if you recite Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon, it will mean that you accept Allah’s (swt) decree and know that all His blessings are a trust, which he can take back anytime.”
“Mama, I know what will cheer up Samra Apa!” Ali offered excitedly. “What, Ali?” Mama inquired curiously. “A story I read last week of Imam Bukhari.” “Really? I’d love to hear it,” agreed Mama. Samra Apa stared quietly, while baby Hannah came joyfully drumming her block on Ali’s head. She had heard the word ‘story’ which she recognized clearly.
“Imam Bukhari was a very special man,” Ali began “his forefathers were Zoroastrian fire-worshippers. But his father was a very pious and cultured man. He was a gardener by profession. His mother was a very devout Muslimah, too.
Imam Bukhari travelled far and wide not for pleasure or sightseeing, but to attain knowledge of Ahadeeth (the Prophet’s (sa) sayings). He met and learnt from more than a thousand teachers and memorized nearly 70,000 Ahadeeth. And this he did for us, to pass on this treasure of knowledge to the later generations of the Muslim Ummah.”
Samra Apa sat up, wiping away her tears. Ali continued: “In absence of airlines, bullet trains, motorways and freeways, he travelled from Bukhara (Uzbekistan) all the way to Makkah, Syria, Egypt, Basra, Hijaz, Kufa, Baghdad, Khurasan, Ray, Marv, Balkh and Harat.
Once, Imam Bukhari was travelling by boat in pursuit of knowledge. He wanted to seek higher religious education. The Imam was carrying a bag of 1000 gold coins with him. He mentioned this to a fellow traveller, who was by the Imam’s side, serving him during this journey.
Since sea voyages took considerable time, one day after the passage of some time, this man got out of bed and started to yell. He pretended to have lost his bag of 1000 gold coins. Then he cast allegations on every passenger and demanded to search their belongings for recovering his stolen treasure.
Imam Bukhari quietly witnessed this whole racquet. He clearly understood the intent of this greedy man. The Imam slipped away and tossed his bag of gold into the ocean. When he was searched along with others, nothing was recovered. The cunning man was surprised and wondered where the bag of gold had disappeared.
When the man found a chance to speak privately with the Imam, he inquired about his gold. The Imam informed him casually that he had thrown it overboard. The wicked man was stunned. He asked the Imam why he had done so. Imam Bukhari explained that he had spent his entire life seeking knowledge of Hadeeth and collecting them. The Ummah had great confidence in him. If he would have been accused of being a thief, all his hard work would be looked on with suspicion. And that would be a great failure. Losing a few pieces of metal meant nothing. But being dishonoured and losing his status as a scholar and teacher was catastrophic.”
“That was truly wonderful! I never knew this,” marveled mom.
Samra Apa smiled and ruffled Ali’s hair: “Jazak Allah Khair for knocking sense into me. I was overcome by Shaitan.”
Ali grinned back, hugging his sister tightly: “That will be a 1000 gold coins, please. My services are not free!”
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