(This is actually more cultural than religious, that’s why I posted it here)
The Arabian horse is the most expensive horse in the world and for a good reason. It is the most trainable, smartest, fastest, toughest and most obedient of horses. It can be trained to do almost any feat which is possibly capable for a horse to do. It is small, yet very powerful and very temperamental.
The story of the Arabian horse goes thus, that when the Holy Prophet :saw: formed his army, he told all his riders to tie their horses to trees a few meters away from a river. He then told the the horsemen to mix a tiny amount of salt to the horses’ feed. The horses had been trained to come to alert upon hearing the war bugle or the war horn. Everytime the horn was blown, the horses knew it was time to ride and wouldn’t budge until their riders sat upon them.
So the horsemen kept feeding the horses the salted feed, and kept them tied, so after a few hours, the horses became thirsty. But since they were tied, they could not get a drink of water despite being so close to the water.
This continued into the next day, and by this time the horses were deliriously parched. They kept tugging and pulling at their bits to reach for the water. Then the Holy Prophet :saw: told the horsemen to go and stand beside each of their horses and to release their reins upon his command. He then told the horn blower to be ready to blow the horn on his command.
The Holy Prophet :saw: signaled the horsemen to release their horses, and as soon as the horses, who by this time were in a frenzy with thirst, were released they made a mad dash towards the water. Just at that time the Holy Prophet :saw: commanded the horn blower to blow his horn.
I don’t remember the exact numbers, but there were many horses. And out of those multitudes of horses which were crazed with thirst, upon hearing the horn, there were only half a dozen of them that stopped in their tracks. The Arabians of today are the progeny of those horses.
We all know the story of Hazrat Ibrahim :as: and Hazrat Ismail :as: and how Allah :swt: commanded Hazrat Ibrahim (as) to sacrifice his one and only son to Him, despite the fact that Hazrat Ismail (as) was born in Hazrat Ibrahim (as)'s very old age…
But we also know that Hazrat Ibrahim (as) despite all his worries, love and adoration for his only son, was willing to do Allah (swt)'s bidding in an instant…We also know that Hazrat Ibrahim (as) made a Dua to Allah (swt) that every Prophet that ever comes after him be from his progeny, and Allah (swt) accepted his dua…
And we also know why…After passing such a fantastic trial from Allah (swt), why wouldn’t he be father of the Prophets? How can any man face what the Prophet Ibrahim (as) did? Wouldn’t we question this task? Wouldn’t we think twice? Wouldn’t we have doubts? But no. Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was a magnificent man and a magnificent Prophet. How could his blood and progeny not raise Prophets and noblemen?
It is this sacrifice that we honour, the Sunnah of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) every year on bakra Eid.
So in view of the above examples, I believe, faith and the adherence to faith, comes from the blood. It is the calling of the blood which runs in every one of us that guides us to do our every action. It is this adherence that separates the wheat from the chaff and the noble from the petty.
It is this divide between us that is guiding the Ummah today. One type of blood calls to achieve the noble and one type that calls to achieve the base.
Dr. Ali Shariati of Iran makes a remarkable observation. He states that man was made from the cheapest and basest of materials, clay, but yet, in that basest of materials was poured the highest, the grandest and the most greatest of things…The breath of Allah (swt). And according to him, man will always be torn between the two. The base material calling him to do baser things, while the noblest of things in him calling him to do the grandest of things.
I believe, we have come at a stage in our lifetimes, that Aakhira is very near. It is time to study ourselves and see where we stand. The fight in the Ummah today is of the blood and its calling. Some are being called to do what is base and some are being called to do what is great. It is time to see where our blood is calling us. It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff…
Now now, this is just what I believe. Nothing personal against anyone. And as always, you are welcome to hurl personal insults at me or whatever you wanna do…
But take stock of what you do…It will show where you stand…
