An Incident regarding a Thief

Shaikh Sa’di (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) writes:

“Once, a thief silently sneaked into the house of a saint. The saint was asleep and was not aware of the thief’s entry. The thief began to search everywhere to see if he could find something valuable. However, after searching the entire dwelling, he realized that there was nothing available for him to steal, as the saint did not possess anything of the world. The only thing he saw was the saint sleeping with the blanket on his body covering him. Being overcome by a state of despondency and having lost all hope of acquiring anything, he eventually decided to leave. At that time, the saint’s eyes opened and he became aware of the intruder in his home. He thought to himself that how can I allow this person to leave empty handed, whereas he came in my home with the hope of receiving something. Hence, he placed the blanket he was using in the pathway of the thief with the intention that he takes the blanket and does not feel despondent by leaving empty handed. As the thief passed by the saint, thinking him to be asleep, he picked up the blanket and left. ”

Shaikh Sa’di (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) thereafter comments:

“I have heard that the friends of Allah Ta’ala do not cause any harm to anyone, let alone their friends, they even refrain from hurting their enemies,

O listener, how will you ever reach the ranks of the pious and friends of Allah Ta’ala, whereas you constantly engage in disputes and quarrels with your own friends.” (Jawaahir Paare)