24/01/2020
One night, Malik ibn Dinar, the Imam of the grand mosque of Basra, was out late and on his way home. He heard a man groaning, "Allah...Allah...Allaaah." He turned the corner and found the voice coming from a drunkard in the alley, laying in a pathetic heap.
He wet his handkerchief with water and wiped the man's lips, saying, "So that the Divine Name does not come out of two lips soiled with the impurity of alcohol. O Allah guide this man's heart."
That night, Malik saw a dream. "You purified the man's lips for Our sake. We have purified his heart for your sake."
Days and weeks passed. One day at Fajr he heard a man weeping through the entire prayer. Then afterwards supplicate, "My Lord, tell me, have you accepted my repentence so that I may celebrate today, or have You rejected it, so that I may console my self."
"Who are you?" asked the Imam.
"I am the one whose lips you purified."
The Imam said, "How is your state now?"
The man said, "The One who guided has already informed you of my state while you were sleeping."
There is something to note about Malik ibn Dinar. Many people repented at his hands because he himself was a drunkard before repenting and becoming a disciple of Hasan al-Basri, and eventually, Hasan's successor. Because of this personal experience, he was confident in the power of Allah, that with ease, He could turn hearts, and purify habits.
Dr. Shadee
