Confession of the Venerable Toad

Dr Swan struck the gavel once, "O my brothers and sisters! You should know, may Allah grant you success, that the stages of life are five,

• The first stage, starts from birth until puberty and that is fifteen years;
• The second stage, starts from puberty until the end of youth, which is until one reaches thirty five years of age. This is deemed as the stage of youthfulness;
• The third stage, starts from thirty five years of age until fifty years of age, and that is the stage of maturity;
• The fourth stage, starts from fifty years of age until seventy years of age, and that is the stage of old age;
• The fifth stage, starts from seventy years of age until death, and that is the stage of decrepitude;

The start and end of these stages may fluctuate from person to person, nonetheless their stages are five. There are differences between the words 'age' and 'maturity.' As verbs, the difference is that, age is to cause to grow old; to impart the characteristics of age to; while mature, is to become mature; to ripen. As a noun, age is the whole duration of a being, whether animal, vegetable, or other kind; duration of life. As an adjective, mature is fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behavior or thinking; ripe. The Arabic ''umr' means remaining time of life. 

All praise to the One Who made the different stages of life. During these stages, there are those who submit to Allah’s orders and thereby advance. Others, who are a wasteful of this time and thereby struck with loss and regret. Indeed, life has been designated so that people, use to reach the sought, and to remove all that which causes loss and defect. Whoever lives his life appropriately as per Allah’s commands, his life will be a trade generating for him, abundantly multiplied profits, whereas the corrupt one, who does not act accordingly, will find his soul ruined. A good deed is written as ten full deeds to seven hundred and more, and a sin makes the upright return to the state of disturbance he was at before.

Observe this embellished apologue,

Three hundred years ago or more, on the tongue of men, when in the days of yore, in the age of Cadmus, there lived a toad, retired within a shady grot, who was dull, sleepy, or mellow, passing years away, in lonely state. Something miraculous happened to the toad. Every little things she did, would turn to be a gold. When she moved forward, backwards, sideways, even if she was snoring, would produce gold.

When she awoke, it seemed that, beside a petrifying stream, which she even didn't yet realized, gold-stones enclosed her, so tightly fitted to her shape. She could not stretch, nor even gape. If only she had known, prior to her repose, how many years she had forty winks, no doubt, she would have settled all her wordly matters, great and small; nor left her own cummunity, fighting battles about their miserable life. Three thousand years she had to pass, imbedded in the solid mass of gold.

Not a year ago, as some workmen were digging marble in a mountain, they came upon a Toad of enormous size, in the midst of a solid gold, when it was sawn into two. They were in great surprised at so uncommon an appearance, the drowsy reptile met their eyes, and the more they considered the circumstances of it, the more their wonder increased. It was hard to conceive, by what means this venerable toad, had preserved life, and received nourishment, in so narrow a prison, and still more difficult to account, for her birth and existence, in a place so totally inaccessible to all her species. They could come to no other conclusion but, that this remnant of antiquity, was formed together with the rock in which she had been bred, and was coeval with the mountain itself.

The crowds drew near from far to see this antiquity creature, who fully conscious of the fact, what exactly their utmost homage. In a morning show, while the host was pursuing these speculations, the Toad sat, swelling and bloating as like the usual toad, till he was ready to burst, to which at last she thus confessed, “Yes,” said she, “You behold in me a specimen of the antediluvian race of animals. I was begotten before the Flood; and who is there among the present upstart race of mortals, that shall dare to contend with me in nobility of birth or dignity of character?”

A mayfly, sprung that morning from the river, as she was flying about from place to place, chanced to be present, and observed all that passed with great attention and curiosity. “It was rather odd,” said she, “What foundation hast thou for pride, either in thy descent, merely because it is ancient, or thy life, because it has been long? What good qualities hast thou received from thy ancestors? Insignificant even to thyself, as well as useless to others, thou art almost as insensible as the gold-block in which thou wast bred. "And so," said she, "I find its true, this world's but twice as old as you. But a poor ephemeron am I, this day was born, this day must die, yet I maintain, say what you will, my life has been the longest still."

"Pardon?" said the toad, with her surprise. "What do you mean by such a speech as this?"

"O Signora," said the mayfly, with ready breath, "Sleep is another kind of death. Your days, though more than I can number, you've spent in long continued slumber.

Even I, that had my birth only from the scum of the neighbouring river, at the rising of this day’s sun, and who shall die at its setting, have more reason to applaud my condition than thou hast to be proud of thine. I have enjoyed the warmth of the sun, the light of day, and the purity of the air: I have flown from stream to stream, from tree to tree, and from the plain to the mountain. I have provided for posterity, and I shall leave behind me a numerous offspring to people the next age of tomorrow; in short, I have fulfilled all the ends of my being, and I have been happy. My whole life, ’tis true, is but of twelve hours, but even one hour of it, is to be preferred to a thousand years of mere existence which have been spent, like thine, passiveness, heedlessness and ignorance.

I'd like to add further add, in the sense to fix. Lie not till nine, but rise at five. The longer you can keep awake, the longer your life will make.  Do not sing a lullaby, plzz!”

The crowd cheered, slowly disbursed, as they left the show, chanting,

Every little thing she does is magic

Everything she do just turns me on

Even though my life before was tragic

Now I know my love for her goes on *)

Dr Swan struck the gavel trice, "O my brothers and sisters! In the eternal life and the never-ending immortality which is like the immortality of the All-Merciful, can be obtained by investing this short life appropriately, as whoever wastes his life is indeed a loser. Therefore a sensible person should know the value of his life and should reflect on his state, so that he captures what cannot be restored, if it is missed and because of which he might be ruined for wasting. And Allah knows best!"

Citations & References:
- Ibn Al-Jawzi, Awaking From the Sleep of Heedlessness, Dar As-Sunnah
- Jefferys Taylor, Aesop in Rhyme with Some Originals, Baldwin and Cradock

*) "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" written by Sting

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When He Knows I Am So Poor ...

Dr Swan desribed, "O my brothers and sisters! Providing for people's needs, helping them acquire their benefit and ensuring meaningful cooperation between them, requires truthfulness, Amanah, and prohibits lying, deceit and all the types of dealings that Allah does not permit. Allah said,

يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَخُوْنُوا اللّٰهَ وَالرَّسُوْلَ وَتَخُوْنُوْٓا اَمٰنٰتِكُمْ وَاَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُوْنَ

"O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger, or betray your trusts, while you know (the consequence)." [QS. Al-'Anfal (8):27]

Pay attention to this experience,

One Friday noon, Nasreddin Hodja was walking home after fulfilling the Friday Prayer. Something crossed his mind, that, what was the purpose behind the Friday Prayer? But in an instant, he had the answer. He soon remembered, his father's advice, "O my son! Our beloved (ﷺ) was standing on the Minbar, delivering the Khutbah on Friday when a caravan of merchandise from Syria came to Al-Madinah. It was said, that the caravan, belonged to Dihyah ibn Khalifah before he became a Muslim, and there were drums accompanying it. The caravan brought merchandise such as flour, wheat, oil and others. According to the custom, when the caravan arrived, young women came out to greet them by beating a drum, as a notification so that people came shopping to buy the merchandise they carried.

The Companions, radhiallahu 'anhum, rushed towards it until only twelve persons were left with him (ﷺ), including Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, radhiayallahu 'anhum. They rushed to the place where the caravan had arrived, in order to get the provisions before they were depleted. They were sure, they would come back within time and join the prayer. This was not wilful disobedience on the part of the Companions, moreover, it was drought and fiminine, but they were so attached to the Prophet (ﷺ), that one could not conceive of such a thing. They were in actuality, not fully aware of the importance of the Friday sermon.

But Allah showed His displeasure by informing them that, what is with Allah, is better than games, entertainment, music, dancing, and the trade in precious goods. They should, therefore, depend upon Him Alone for sustenance. It was on this occasion, that the following verse was revealed,

وَاِذَا رَاَوْا تِجَارَةً اَوْ لَهْوًا ۨانْفَضُّوْٓا اِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوْكَ قَاۤىِٕمًاۗ قُلْ مَا عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ خَيْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ التِّجَارَةِۗ وَاللّٰهُ خَيْرُ الرّٰزِقِيْنَ

"But (on one occasion) when they saw a transaction or a diversion, (O Muḥammad), they rushed to it and left you standing. Say, "What is with Allah is better than diversion and than a transaction, and Allah is the best of providers." [QS. Al-Jumuah (62):11]

Prayer is the most effective means of fostering social life, a visible expression of Allah-consciousness in man. This is the reason why, it has been made essential for Muslims, to observe obligatory prayers in congregation. Jumuah is a step forward in this respect. The purpose behind it, is to provide opportunities to a greater number of Muslims, to attend larger congregations, in the mosque in an atmosphere of religious piety. Apart from prayer, the Friday sermon, has also been made an integral part of the Jumuah Prayer. The Imaam delivers the sermon, and instructs people in their religion. He explains to them the day-to-day problems in the light of Islam. Friday, is primarily the Day of Assembly.

Note the gradations of social contact for Muslims if they followed the wise ordinances of their faith:

• Each individual remembers Allah for himself or herself, five or more times every day in the home, place of business, local mosque, or open air, as the case may be;
• Every week on Friday, there is a local meeting in the central mosque of each locality, be it in a village, a town, or a big city;
• At the two Ieds every year, there is a large local area meeting;
• At least once in a lifetime, when possible, a Muslim shares in the Makkan Pilgrimage, the largest of the all Islamic gatherings in this world."

Now he realized, how important it is to attend Friday Prayers on time as the Prophet (ﷺ) sugested, without saying a word, to listen to the Imam of the Mosque delivering the sermon. Previously, he thought, that only performing Friday prayers, would be sufficient. In fact, both prayer and khutbah, were one unit. 

Nasreddin went on, and while walking towards his house, he passed by a garden, and happened to hear a little talk of a mother to her daughter, sitting on a bench, under a tree, "Honey, it’s no problem to consider about what would you do, with the money you don’t have it yet. Whether the money is coming from a tax refund, an inheritance, a bonus or raise, or some other source, don’t get too excited and don’t count on it. Don’t spend it, or make any promises about what you’ll do with it, unless the money is really in your hands. When you've got the money, spend it wisely, especially for obedience to Allah. 

Listen to this,

"Dolly, the Milkmaid, having been a good girl for a long time, and careful in her work, her mistress gave her a pail of new milk for herself. With the pail on her head, she was tripping gaily along to the house of the doctor, who was going to give a large party, and wanted the milk for a junket.

"For this milk, I shall get much dinars," said Dolly, "And with that dinars, I shall buy twenty of the eggs laid by our neighbour's fine fowls. These eggs, I shall put under mistress's old hen, and if only half of the chicks grow up, and thrive before the next fair time comes round, I shall be able to sell them for a good guinea. Then I shall buy that jacket I saw in the village the other day, and a hat and ribbons too, and when I go to the fair, how smart I shall be! Lakshmi, who often underestimate me, will be there, for certain, and she will come up and offer to be friends again. I won't come round so easily, though ; I shall just toss up my head and ..." Here, Dolly gave her head the toss she was thinking about. Down came the Pail, and the Milk ran out on the ground ! Good-bye now to eggs, chicken, jacket, hat, ribbons, and all!"

Hearing this, Nasreddin nodded, remembering something. Indeed, he also remembered the Imam's sermon at the mosque earlier, 

"O my brothers, I heard that someone has stated, "... there will be no Islamic preeminence without first achieving economic preeminence. Further, there can be no economic preeminence without establishing financial institutions, which cannot operate without relying on Interest or Riba.”

The response to this statement, that 'the statement is false.' Certainly, the Muslim Ummah, is obliged to establish their economies on strong foundations, relying on and using the permissible means that Allah has allowed for them. Economic strength, will help the Ummah perform what Allah ordained for them, abandon what He, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, prohibited for them and be aware regarding their enemies' plots against them.

Allah ordered Muslims to help one another in piety and righteousness, including fulfilling the terms of their legal contracts and protecting their mutual rights using permissible means. He also warned them against transgressing each other’s rights and properties.

Strength, cooperation, righteous legislation and careful preparation, will allow the Islamic economy to thrive safely, as well as, help Muslims increase their wealth, and acquire their needs and legal benefits using the methods that Allah has allowed for them.

Whenever Muslims sincerely preserve Allah's Commandments and recommend one another to preserve the righteous Islamic Law, then Allah will make their conditions better and will bless their wealth and work. Allah will also help them achieve their goals and acquire safety from the invaders.

A financial institution can always function without the need for usury, just as was the case with Muslim economy in past centuries, especially during the early time of Islam. During that golden era, Muslim economy was the purest, the largest and the strongest, without ever needing to rely on Riba. Allah gave victory to His religion and raised the flag of Islam high through these early believers, bestowing on them vast provisions; truly, the riches of the earth were uncovered for them.

In response, we state that Muslims benefited from the Islamic economic system for the past fourteen centuries, long before banks ever existed. During this long period of time, the projects and industries that existed in the Muslim World, did not rely on prohibited types of dealings. Further, we state the fact that in modern times, people do not need to deal in Riba to sustain their livelihood.

We should note here that, all types of mistakes and injustices result from indulging in the prohibited types of dealings. This is especially true when the society is not fulfilling its obligations towards its members, such as being sincere, trustworthy and be honest to other people, while shunning all types of illegal dealings that entail Riba, Gharar, deceit and cheating."

When he got home, a Taxman was waiting for him, saying he had not paid the 500 dinars tax. He was asked to pay it off immediately. As usual, the Taxman explained that the tax collected would be used to pay the debt and interest of the state, which was used to build public facilities, such as freeways, flyovers, ship ports and airports. And the Taxman man said, "It was all built for the sake of ...!" suddenly, the Taxman choked and coughed, perhaps the asthma, relapsed. Nasruddin talked to himself, "For whom... his voice not clear!" Then the Taxman defined, "Therefore, if you don't want to pay today, then you must be brought to the court!" while handing over a letter.

On Monday, Nasreddin Hodja went to the court, where the Taxman and the Judge had been waiting. The Taxman said to the Judge, "This man won't pay 500 dinars unpaid tax, which are long overdue. I request your excellency, to order him to pay without further delay.”

“I do owe bills,” said Nasreddin Hodja, “And I intend to pay it. I’ll sell my cow and horse if necessary, but it’ll take time.”

“He is lying,” said the Taxman. “He doesn’t have a cow or horse or anything of value for that matter. I am told he doesn’t even have food in his house!” Calmly, the Hodja said, “When he knows I am so poor, O Judge, ask him, how he expects me to pay him immediately.” In responsed, the wise Judge give his short evaluatin, "In that case, O Mr Taxman, how do you suppose to make him pay the tax, for he has nothing?" The judge, then dismissed the case. 

At home, Hodja, asked his wife, "O dear! Have you ever crossed flyover or highways, or visited harbors and airports?" The wife gently replied, "O Hodja, we only have a donkey, how can we enjoy such kind of grandeur? Don't be fanciful!"

Dr Swan added, "O my brothers and sisters! In a faulty economic relations, that of the inability to repay the debt in its due time, everything is ethically, dysfunctional in this economic relations : breaches of promises, excuses, no room for argument. The need for money to fulfil the obligation to repay the debt leads to hanky-panky and diversion. And Allah knows best."

Citations & References :
- Aboo Ibraaheem Majeed Alee Hasan, Etiiquettes of a Muslim on Friday, Message of Islaam
- Abdul 'Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Baz, Warning Against Riba (Usury) Transactions, translated by Jalal Abu Al-Rub, Madinah Publishers and Distriburs
- J.B. Rundell, Aesop's Fables, Cassel, Peter and Galpin

- Minyatur Yayinlari, 202 Jokes of Nasreddin Hodja, Amazon

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