Ibrahim Adham narrates that: “I was traveling in the desert with a caravan. I decided to make a short expedition alone, and I separated from the caravan. Then I suddenly came across a kid that was walking. I said Subhan Allah! In a dry desert like this, a kid walking there?! Then I approached him and greeted, and the kid replied me.
I asked: “Where are you going?”
He said: “To the house of the Creator.”
I told him: “Dear kid, you are too young; going to the house of the Creator is neither obligatory or is part of the tradition (Sunnah) for you.
He said: “O, old man. Haven’t you ever seen one being smaller than me and die?”
I asked: “Where are your supply and your horse?”
He answered: “My supply is piety, my horse is my feet and my destination is my Lord.”
I said: “I don’t see any food with you.”
He said: “O, old man, is it suitable if someone invites you and you take your meal with yourself?”
I said: “No.”
He said: “The one who has called me will make me fulfilled.”
I said: “Come and get a ride to not to miss the Hajj.”
He said: “My duty is to make my try, and reaching to the destination is in His hands. Haven’t you heard And those who strive for Us, We will certainly guide them to our Paths, for verily Allah is with the righteous.”(1)
He says while I was wondering suddenly a fair faced youth appeared with a fine white garment, and embraced the kid and hailed to him. I went toward the youth and asked: “By the God who has created you so beautiful, tell me who is this kid?” He answered: “Don’t you know him? He is Ali bin Husssain bin Ali bin Abi Talib (PBUT).”
Then I left the youth to the kid and asked: “I swear to your fathers, that who is this youth?”
He said: “Don’t you know him? He is my brother Khidr (2) who visits us and hails us.”
I asked: “By the right of your fathers, don’t you tell me that how you travel in this desert without supply and ration?
He answered: “I travel with 4 supplies.
I said: “What are they?”
He said: “I regard this entire vast world the realm of the Lord and regard all the creatures his servants and their sustenance are with Him; I understand that each cause and sustenance is in His hands, and see his will performed all over the earth. (3)
I admitted: “O, Zain al-Aabedin, What a fine supply you have. With this supply you can pass from the pathways of the afterworld; and evidently you can pass the worldly ones too! (4
(The above is a selection taken from “Guiders of the Path of Light – The Life of Imam Sajjad (PBUH)” by Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Taqi al-Mudarresi)
The Roshd Website offers condolences to all Muslims, especially you dear friend, upon 25th of Muharram, the anniversary of the martyrdom of the exemplar of worshipping and the fourth Imam, Imam Ali ibn Hussain (PBUH).
Footnotes:
1. The Holy Quran, (29:69)
2. Khizr (PBUH) is one of the divine prophets and agents who was contemporary with Prophet Moses (PBUH) too; he is mentioned in the Holy Quran by the title “the righteous servant.” In a narration by Imam Reza (PBUH) it states: “Khizr (PBUH) drank from the eternal youth stream; he will live until the horn of the resurrection will blow. He visits us and hails to us. Allah has ordered him to take away the loneliness of our Qaem (Imam Mahdi (PBUH)) and turn his loneliness into company. (Kamal al-Din, vol. 2, p. 390)
3. Trust in Allah (SWT) (Tawakkul) has different stages; what has been demonstrated by Imam Sajjad (PBUH) in this instance is definitely among the most top.
4. Manaqib ibn Shahr Aashub, vol. 3, p. 280