Imam Ahmad is a famous Arab Muslim jurist, theologian and scholar of hadith. One day Imam Ahmad was travelling to Syria. This was at a time when people had heard a lot about Imam Ahmed but hadn’t seen him. During his journey, he got a chance to spend one night at a bakery. While lying down, he observed silently as the baker did his work. The baker at first sat down to put some ingredients together. Then he stood up, kneaded the dough, cut the dough into different shapes, carried some sacks of flour down from the shelves, scooped some measured flour into bowls and placed some flattened dough in the oven. Up and down, left and right this baker went. And during everything that the baker did, his mouth was busy doing dhikr. One could hear him whispering “سبحان الله, الحمد لله, لا اله الا الله, الله أكبر” – Subhan Allah, Alhamdullilah La Ilaha Ilallah, Allahu Akbar.This continued without a break throughout the night.
In the morning, Imam Ahmad could not help but ask the baker, “My dear brother. Tell me. How long have you been in this situation of doing dhikr during your work?”. He said, “My whole life. This is what I do. I do this every day”. Imam Ahmad was, as usual, inquisitive. “Surely all these dhikr must have made Allah pleased with you. Surely Allah must have given you something. Please tell me, brother.” “Well,” the baker answered, “I never made a duá to Allah that Allah did not fulfil. Everything I asked Allah for, Allah gave me…..Hmmm… except for one duá though.” Imam Ahmad wondered, “What is that duá that Allah has not fulfilled for you yet?”. “Well, I haven’t been given the opportunity to meet Imam Ahmad. I’ve heard a lot about him. He is a great teacher and a role model. I would love to meet him some day, انشاء الله”. Imam Ahmad was brought to tears. He was beyond amazed. He embraced the baker at once! “سبحان الله. Here, Allah has brought to you, my dear baker brother, this Ahmad!”. In this way, Allah accepted the duá of the baker in a way he hadn’t thought of.
Moral: If we remember Allah, he would remember us, fulfill our desires in this world and the hereafter. Let’s connect to Allah and make our bond stronger with him.
Easy to Answer? Let’s Find Out!
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Easy on Tongue, Heavy in Scales
قَا لَ النَّبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَلِمَتَا نِ حَبِيبَتَا نِ إلَى الرَّ حْمَنِ ، خَفِيفَتَا نِ عَلَى اللِّسَا نِ ، ثَقِيلَتَا نِ فِي ا لْمِيزَا نِ سُبحَا نَ اللَّهِ وَ بِحَمْدِ هِ ، سُبحَا نَ اللَّهِ ا لْعَظيمِ
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “(There are) two words which are dear to the Beneficent (Allah) and very light (easy) for the tongue (to say), but very heavy in weight in the balance. They are: ‘’Subhan Allahi-wa-bihamdihi’’ and ‘’Subhan Allahi Al-`Atheem”
Alhamdulillah. The story of a Zakir who does zikr all the time when he’s doing baking work is really inspiring and that Allah subhana wa ta’la accepted all his Duwas including the one to see scholar of the time Imam Ahmad so lucidly and interestingly narrated. Thanks the writer and the Aura.