TORTURED BY A FLY

TORTURED BY A FLY

NOBODY likes flies. Everybody hates them because they are dirty and can spread all kinds of diseases. But, if you were in Mecca, be very careful.

     How much you may dislike flies or any animals for that matter, don't over react or behave excessively. Your actions could backfire because as I have already mentioned, Allah's tests come in various guises, which sometimes cannot be rationalised.

     Another interesting story which I'd like to tell this time is about a pilgrim who was tested by Allah through a fly - a small and weak creature. As a result of failing the test, the man suffered in the end and had to be operated on. All because of a mere fly.

     This unusual incident took place almost 20 years ago. At that time, there were a lot of flies in Mecca. However, the situation was not so bad that it affected the other pilgrims to the point that this man was.

     This strange incident started when the man saw flies swarmed over the food set out for the pilgrims. Grumbling, he swatted them away and expressed his anger at the same time. He complained, questioning how a city that was regarded as the most holy by Muslims could be swarming with flies. He was also angry with the authorities in Mecca, who he declared had failed in their responsibility to maintain the city's cleanliness.

     After that incident, wherever the man went, he would always be grumbling about the flies. How he hated them so!

     The strangest thing was, about a day or two after, the man found himself constantly surrounded by flies wherever he went. The one place the flies seemed very fond of was his face. This made the man very uncomfortable because they would swarm over him every time he tried to pray, do his wuquf (stand at Arafat the whole day), and so on. He became even angrier - towards the flies and Mecca.

     Allah is great and and can punish the mistakes of His servants at any time and in any manner. With Allah's will, one day a fly suddenly went into the man's nostril where it got firmly stuck at the top.

     Every time he tried to get the fly out, it flew further into his nostrils. The man tried and tried to dislodge it, but to not avail. He was in great pain. In the end, unable to withstand the pain, he was taken to the hospital.

     A friend of mine came to tell me about the incident at the time. He recounted to me what had happened and asked whether I could help the man.

     So I went to the hospital to pay him a visit. When I got there, I saw how depressed he looked. I asked him what had happened. At first he was reluctant to tell me the story but eventually relented after some coaxing.

     He said soon after he arrived in Mecca, he suddenly felt disgusted every time he saw a fly. Whenever a fly landed in his food, he would immediately push the food aside. The man told me he felt very strange as it seemed that he was the only one swarmed by flies. In fact, there was not a single fly near anybody else.

     Not long after that, the man was operated on. The operation went smoothly and the fly was successfully removed. However, according to the doctor who had operated on him, this was the first time that they had ever come across such a case. Nobody had ever had a fly stuck in their nostrils before. It was very strange.

     Later, I advised the man. I told him to learn from what had happened. Mecca was also knows as Ummul Qura. It is like our own mother. It is symbolic of one's respect towards one's own mother. Everyone should regard his mother as a symbol of imperfection, not imperfection.

     A good child that sees his mother with imperfection would never display his scorn or talk about them to others. In fact, the child would do his utmost to cover his mother's shortcomings. So, is it right that when in Mecca, we should despise the shortcomings of the city?

     I reminded him again, that in Mecca, that which he saw might not be a fly. It is Allah's test. And when faced with these tests, we must exercise patience.

     After listening to my advice, the man truly regretted his actions. I asked him to repent. That night the man went to the Holy Mosque. He performed a special prayer (salat hajat), istighfar (act of seeking forgiveness from Allah) thousand of time, cried, repented and asked Allah to save him from the flies. Alhamdulillah, the next day, not a single fly trailed after him.

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     Lying is the worst trait and Allah despises those of His servants who indulge in it. Lying can result in terrible repercussions especially when one is in a holy place such as the Al-Masjid Al-Haram.

     During the 1990 Hajj season, a friend conveyed to me about his unusual experience. According to him, the incident took place when he was about to do his Asr prayer inside the Holy Mosque.

     Before he could begin his prayer, a man who resembled and dressed like a Paskitani approached him. The man, in his sorry attire, had asked for some money.

     "My brother, we are of the same religion... I have no money at all. Please give me a little something," asked the Paskitani man.

     "I'm so sorry; I'm also as poor as you. I too have no money at all," my friend answered.

     Having listened to my friend's reply, the Pakistani man then uttered his thanks and went away. My friend had in fact not been telling the truth as he had brought as much as RM11,000 with him at the time. That money was kept in a special belt.

     After completing his prayers, my friend left immediately. It was rather crowded outside but he did not really felt stressed about it. However, in the crowd, my friend felt like someone pulling him from behind. But he never thought anything of it, dismissing it as being quite normal.

     However, upon reaching his loading, he was shocked to discover that the belt holding his money was missing.

     Strange... as far as I was concerned, a theft couldn't have taken place because it would not have been easy to steal the belt as my friend was also wearing a top and robe over it. So, how did the thief manage to steal the belt? To do so, he would have had to put his hand inside the top and robe. Furthermore, he might even have to cut my friend's attire. But that did not happen.

     This incident truly did make my friend a pauper - a situation which he had initially declared to the Paskitani man. His money had just disappeared. After that incident, he came to see me and told the unusual story and asked me to help him.

N / F : FROM "THE BEST COLLECTION OF STORIES FROM MECCA", BY MASTIKA.