What about اَللّهُ ?

[Khalid Saifullah]

Once, Abdullah bin Umar ( رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ) )was travelling with his students.When they stopped for meals, a shepherd passed by with a herd of goats & greeted them, "As salaam mu alaikum"

Ibnu Umar ( رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ) invited him to join them, but he said that he was fasting.

Ibnu Umar ( رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ) then said to him, as a test: “We want to buy a goat; name a price & we shall pay it. We shall then slaughter the goat & give u some of its meat for breaking ur fast.”

The shepherd said: “These goats are not mine. I am only a slave & the goats belong to my master.”

Ibnu Umar said: “How will ur master know? U can tell him that a wolf devoured a goat.”
At this, the shepherd turned away saying: “What about اللّـه Who is watching us at all times? How could I deceive Him & say that a wolf had devoured a goat?”

Ibnu ‘Umar (رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ) was delighted with these words from the shepherd & he began to say to himself, again & again (in an ecstasy of joy): “A simple shepherd says: ‘What about اللّـه Who is watching us at all times?’”

When Ibnu ‘Umar (رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ) came back to Madinah Munawwara , he bought the slave from the master with the herd of goats, freed him & gave the herd to him as a gift.

(Shu‘abul Imaan #4908)

Lesson:

When we are all alone in the privacy of our rooms or in a ‘joint’ where nobody knows us, & the urge to look at the filthiest of scenes, or to take the worst of substances or to do the most shameless of acts haunts us, the only way to put a stop to it is to repeatedly ask ourselves, “What about اللّـه Who is watching me all the time? How am I going to hide from Him? I can make up a story to fool my parents/spouse but no story will work in His court on that terrifying day when my mouth will be sealed shut & my limbs & hands will testify”

The more we bring this realization into our hearts & minds the easier it will become for us to stay away from every type of sin & transgression. In sha اللّـ