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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 4
a close Companion of Prophet Muhammad
praise and peace be upon him
by
Khadijah Stephens Darwish
Ahban was a shepherd and one day as he sat peacefully looking after his sheep he didn't notice there was a wolf hiding nearby. The wolf waited patiently and then his luck changed when a sheep wandered away from the fold and he pounced upon it. The shepherd ran shouting at the wolf and caught up with it and managed to rescue the sheep from the wolf.
Much to the shepherd's surprise, the wolf did not run away. It just sat there, lifted its head and said, "Don't you fear Allah! You have stopped me from having the food Allah had sent me." Well, you can guess just how surprised the shepherd was – a wolf speaking to him but more importantly asking if he feared Allah! The shepherd exclaimed, "Fancy that, how very strange, a wolf that speaks!" The wolf replied, "Hum, what is even more surprising is that you are sitting here with your sheep and abandoning the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. Do you know, Allah values him much more than any of the previous prophets? And, the Gates of the Garden of Paradise have been opened for him and its inhabitants look down at his Companions to see what they are doing. Do you realize he is just over the hill, go and join him."
The shepherd was curious and wanted to go but said to the wolf, "How can I go when there is no one to guard my sheep?" The wolf replied, "Don't worry I will look, after your sheep for you until you return." So strange as it may seem, the shepherd left the wolf to guard his flock and went to see if what he had been told was true.
The shepherd climbed the hill and as he looked down he saw a crowd of people just as the wolf had described and thought to himself, "What the wolf said must be true, I must hurry down and see what is going on." He ran quickly down the hill, and soon caught sight of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. He knew immediately that this was no ordinary man and listened intently and loved what he said. After the Prophet finished speaking, he went up to him and told about the wolf but the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was not surprised and said, "Return to your sheep you will find them all there."
The shepherd had no hesitation in becoming a Muslim and was sad to leave the company of the Prophet, but promised himself that he would see and hear him as often as he could. As he climbed back over the hill, he kept thinking of all the wonderful things that had happened to him that day, and was thankful that Allah had sent a wolf to guide him to the
praise and peace be upon him
by
Khadijah Stephens Darwish
Ahban was a shepherd and one day as he sat peacefully looking after his sheep he didn't notice there was a wolf hiding nearby. The wolf waited patiently and then his luck changed when a sheep wandered away from the fold and he pounced upon it. The shepherd ran shouting at the wolf and caught up with it and managed to rescue the sheep from the wolf.
Much to the shepherd's surprise, the wolf did not run away. It just sat there, lifted its head and said, "Don't you fear Allah! You have stopped me from having the food Allah had sent me." Well, you can guess just how surprised the shepherd was – a wolf speaking to him but more importantly asking if he feared Allah! The shepherd exclaimed, "Fancy that, how very strange, a wolf that speaks!" The wolf replied, "Hum, what is even more surprising is that you are sitting here with your sheep and abandoning the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. Do you know, Allah values him much more than any of the previous prophets? And, the Gates of the Garden of Paradise have been opened for him and its inhabitants look down at his Companions to see what they are doing. Do you realize he is just over the hill, go and join him."
The shepherd was curious and wanted to go but said to the wolf, "How can I go when there is no one to guard my sheep?" The wolf replied, "Don't worry I will look, after your sheep for you until you return." So strange as it may seem, the shepherd left the wolf to guard his flock and went to see if what he had been told was true.
The shepherd climbed the hill and as he looked down he saw a crowd of people just as the wolf had described and thought to himself, "What the wolf said must be true, I must hurry down and see what is going on." He ran quickly down the hill, and soon caught sight of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. He knew immediately that this was no ordinary man and listened intently and loved what he said. After the Prophet finished speaking, he went up to him and told about the wolf but the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was not surprised and said, "Return to your sheep you will find them all there."
The shepherd had no hesitation in becoming a Muslim and was sad to leave the company of the Prophet, but promised himself that he would see and hear him as often as he could. As he climbed back over the hill, he kept thinking of all the wonderful things that had happened to him that day, and was thankful that Allah had sent a wolf to guide him to the