Ibrahim Ibnu Adam, may God have mercy on him, was a prophet of God. He spent his whole life in search of Allah and following Allah's decrees. Once his follower Ibrahim Ibn Basha asked him how he started this journey of seeking God. Then Ibrahim said:
'My father was the king of Balkh kingdom. We loved to hunt. One day I went out on horseback to hunt. I also had a hunting dog. On the way a fox attacked my horse. Then I heard a sound behind me. someone says--
"You were not created for this purpose; And hunting you was not even ordered as a joke."
I looked in front of me, looked left and right, but saw no one. I cursed the devil and moved on. Then again my horse began to move and I heard a similar noise. I looked around again, seeing no one. I curse the devil again and move forward. But my horse had not ceased to neigh, when I heard the same noise from below me. Now someone is calling my name,
"O Ibrahim! You were not created for this purpose; and you were not ordered to hunt as a joke."
I pause, realizing now that a warner from Allah has come to me to wake me up from all this playfulness. I swear on that day that I will never disobey Allah's orders again. Later I returned to the family.
I went to one of my father's shepherds, and took his long thick coat and a blanket and gave him my clothes. Then I got out. I cross the mountain. I reached Iraq after a long walk. In Iraq I did a job for a few days, but I quit because I had doubts about his earnings. I asked a scholar about this, he told me
Said to go to Syria. I made my way to Syria, reaching a city there known as al-Mansurah. Started doing a job, but even here I doubted the sanctity of earning. Another scholar advised me to go to Tarsus. He said, there can be a system of pure earning. When I went there, a man hired me to oversee his orchard. Care and maintenance of the garden was my responsibility.
For a long time I was working there entirely as a village gardener, when one day a man came to the garden with his friends, and 'That gardener!' He shouted and called me. I go to her, she asks me to bring some big and sweet pomegranates. I find a big pomegranate from the garden and take it. He cuts it and tastes the pomegranate, and realizes that the pomegranate is very sour. Then he shouted to me, 'Gardener! You have been in this orchard of ours for a long time, eating my fruits, but still you do not know the difference between sweet and sour pomegranates. Don't even know which tree pomegranate is better.' I told him, I have not eaten the fruit of your garden since I took over. The man said to his companions, 'Have you heard of him? Had Ibrahim Ibnu Adham been here, he would have said the same. He goes to the mosque and talks about me in the mosque. One recognized me there, they returned to the orchard, bringing many people with them. I saw it and hid behind a tree. I ran away as soon as I got a chance. This was the beginning of the search for God. Then I left Tarsus and took the desert road. 47
Source:
Kitabut Taybin Minal Mubuk Was Salatin: 29.
What did I learn?
Hey my dear readers, how did you feel about this incident and what advice did you get? Don't forget to comment it. Let us return to our Lord and obey all the restrictions given by the Lord and attain paradise of eternal happiness. May Allah Almighty grant us Tawfeek to take the right decision, Ameen.
