Ibn Hazm relates that a young, handsome man had a very close friend, and they trusted each other so much that all barriers of caution were removed from between them.
The young man one day intended to spend the night at his friends house, in the middle of the night, the host had an important errand to run outside of the house, and when he did not return, it was understood that he would probably return the following day.
His young guest, however was still in the house and so was the beautiful wife of the host, who was approximately the same age as the young man.
When she knew that it was not possible for her husband to return on that night, her heart yearned for the young man that was staying as a guest. She appeared before him in his room and invited him to take her.
At first, he intended to do as she asked, and then his wits returned to him, and he did something strange indeed: he put his finger in the lamp, covered his finger with fire, and all the while he was saying to himself, "taste this, and how can this be compared to the fire of Hell?"
The woman was terrified to witness that scene, but ever so quickly she invited him again to herself and again his desire returned.
But he did the same as before, and by the time that the morning came, one could have witnesses that the fire of the lamp had completely destroyed his finger.
The World is three days: As for yesterday, it has vanished, along with all that was in it. As for tomorrow, you may never see it. As for today, it is yours, so work in it.
- Hassan al-Basri
Thanks for sharing.
I think like that sometimes; except I don't actually take action, I just think to myself "Remember that time where you burnt yourself? For 1 second, with a little fire? Imagine HELL."
What - this is called making a real effort to think of the Akhira!
my efforts seem tiny in comparison- when i started wearing the hijaab in the summer in the scorching temperatures in Pakistan - 1 really wanted to take it off but what stopped me was the the thought of the hell-fire being hotter than the sun on my hijabbed head
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