Bahlool & The Caliph

Death...is the most certain aspect of life. According to statistics, 6200 people die in the world every single hour. 6200 people die in the world, every single hour. This is happening around us. We hear of it! We see it! We wash it! We shroud it! We clothe it! We perfume it! We carry it! And thus, we bury it...

Yet, it is amazing that we believe it's not going to happen to us. At least not soon! And wallahi, brothers and sisters, this is the work of satan. This is the work of the devil. This is one of his arrows that he is firing at you day after day! He wants you to procrastinate! He wants you to be forgetful! Hateful! Why? So you will not prepare yourself for that mighty day. So you will not prepare yourself for that day where you'll enter the grave.
I knew of a story of a man called Bahlool. Of a man called Bahlool. A man who was on the opposite side, what we can say, of worldly smartness. In other words, he was simple in his comprehension, in his intellect, in his understanding, it was hard for him to understand things...A khalifah by the name of Haroon Rasheed...gave Bahlool a stick. He said, "This stick, ya Bahlool...belongs to the most foolish man on the face of this world. If you find any person more deserving of this stick than yourself, pass it on to him. And Bahlool, being Bahlool, took the stick. Several years later, Haroon Rasheed, the khalifah, became extremely ill. And no medical treatment seemed to work. Bahlool came to visit Haroon to inquire about his health.

The conversation took as follows:

Haroon said to Bahlool, "No treatment seems to work! I see my journey ahead of me! At any second!" Bahlool asked, "Where are you going?" You know, he's a bit on the opposite side of worldly smartness. "Where are you going?" "Bahlool, I'm going to the other world!" "To the other world? How long are you going to go for?" When will you come back?", he asked. "Bahlool, no one ever comes back from the other world!", he said. Bahlool said, "Then you must have made special preparations for this great journey, this eternal journey! Have you sent troops, an army, to wait for your arrival? To prepare for your arrival, once you get there?" "Bahlool", he said. "No one goes with you! And no, I have not made preparations!" Bahlool said, which should be written in gold; even though he's against or opposite the worldly smarts; he said a word, a comment, that should be written in gold. He said, "Ya Ameer Al-Mu'mineen! Oh Leader of the Faithful! You used to send troops to make extensive preparations for a trip that would last one or two days. You would first send troops that would make preparations, the most extensive preparations! And now you are going to a place where you will live forever; you will never come back, it is eternal, everlasting, and you have not made preparations for it?" He goes, "Here's the stick! Now, I have found the man who is more deserving of it." Allahu akbar. Bahlool became "Smartlool". And not opposite to worldly smartness; he became the smartest with this comment, wallahi. This is our situation. Every day, every night. We do not prepare for death. This is not a story that you just hear and forget, no! It is a story that you hear and reflect! You ponder, you contemplate upon, you apply it in your life! Because Bahlool made a comment, a statement, wallahi that should be written in gold. You are going to a journey that you will never come back from, and you have not prepared for it?!

 Illustrated Video [Sheikh Feiz Muhammad]