A Pious Couple

 A pious man, by the name of Shah ibn Shuja Kirmani (Rahmatullah Alaih), abandoned his kingship and adopted the path of self-reformation. He received a proposal for his daughter from another ruler, but rejected it. Upon seeing a poor, pious young man offering Salah in a beautiful manner, he married her to him instead. When she arrived at the home of her husband, she noticed a dry piece of bread which was hidden in a water-pot and asked “What is this?”

The young man replied, “This is the left-over food from last night. I have kept it so that I may begin my fast with it.” Upon hearing this, she turned to leave.

The young man remarked, “I knew from the outset that a king’s daughter would not be happy with my poverty.”

The girl answered, “I am not displeased with your poverty, rather, that you don’t have trust in Allah. I am surprised, as my father informed me that you were a virtuous young man. How can a person, who does not place his trust in Allah, be virtuous and pious?”

The young man apologized, but she said to him, “I do not want to hear apologies. Either I or the bread remains in this house.” He immediately gave the bread out in charity and she stayed with him.

While the piety of the wife was of an exceedingly tall order, the moral of the anecdote is of key importance: marriage partners chosen only for piety and virtue, draw one closer to Allah Ta’ala, while thos chosen only for wealth, beauty or status can easily lead one astray.

Pearls from the path (Moulana Afzal Ismail)