Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
This hadith that the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in the chapter on patience contains a strange story. It is that a man among the kings, from those who came before, had a sorcerer. This sorcerer was taken by the king as a confidant so that he could use him for his interests, even at the expense of religion, because this king cared only about what was in his interest. He was a tyrannical king who enslaved the people for himself, as will come, if Allah wills, at the end of the hadith. When this sorcerer grew old, he said to the king: "I have grown old, so send me a boy to teach him sorcery." He chose a boy because a boy is more receptive to learning, and because learning for a young boy is what remains and is not forgotten. Therefore, learning in youth is much better than learning in old age in every good. But learning in youth has two great benefits: The first benefit is that the young person is generally faster in memorization than the old person, because the young person is free of mind and does not have problems that cause distraction. And secondly, what the young person memorizes remains, and what the old person memorizes is forgotten. Therefore, it was a common wisdom among people: "Knowledge in youth is like engraving on stone", it does not disappear.
And in it is a third benefit: which is that if the young person acquires knowledge from the beginning, the knowledge becomes like a habit and nature for him, and it becomes as if it is an instinct he grew up with, so he grows old with it. So this sorcerer was a great sorcerer who had advanced in age and experienced life, and knew things, so he asked the king to choose for him a young boy to teach him sorcery. So he sent him a boy and taught him what he taught him. But Allah the Exalted intended good for this boy. One day, this boy passed by a monk, and he heard from him, and he was pleased with his words. His words impressed him because this monk, meaning the worshipper, worships Allah the Mighty and Majestic and does not speak except good. He may have been a learned monk, but worship predominated over him, so he was named by what predominated in him, which is monasticism. The important thing is that he was pleased with him. So whenever this boy came out from his family, he would sit with the monk and be delayed with the sorcerer. So the sorcerer would beat him, asking why he was delayed? The boy complained to the monk of what he found from the sorcerer of beating when he was delayed. So the monk taught him a way to get out of it. He said: "If you go to the monk and fear that you will be punished, say: 'My family detained me,' meaning he was delayed with his family. And if you come to your family, say: 'The sorcerer delayed me,' so that you may escape from this and that. And it seems, and Allah knows best, that the monk ordered him to do so although it was a lie: perhaps he saw that the benefit in this outweighs the harm of lying, although it could be interpreted. So he did it. So the boy would come to the monk and listen to him, then go to the sorcerer. If he wanted to punish him for his delay, he would say: 'My family delayed me.' And if he returned to his family and was delayed with the monk, he would say: 'The sorcerer delayed me.' So one day he passed by a great beast, and the hadith did not specify what this beast was. It had blocked the people from passing; they could not pass it. So this boy wanted to test: is the monk better for him or the sorcerer? So he took a stone and called upon Allah the Exalted and Sublime: "If the matter of the monk is better, let this stone kill this beast." He threw the stone and killed the beast, so the people walked. The boy knew that the matter of the monk was better than the matter of the sorcerer. And this is a matter in which there is no doubt, because the sorcerer is either an aggressor and oppressor, or a disbeliever and polytheist. If he seeks help for his sorcery with the devils, drawing near to them and worshipping them and calling upon them for aid, then he is a disbeliever and polytheist. And if he does not do this but aggresses against people with medicines containing sorcery, then he is an oppressor and aggressor. As for the monk, if he worships Allah with insight, then he is guided. And if he has some ignorance and misguidance, then his intention is good, even if his deed is bad.
The important thing is that this boy informed the monk of what happened. So the monk said to him: "You are today better than me." And that is because this boy called upon Allah and Allah responded to him. And this is from the grace of Allah upon the servant. That when a person doubts a matter and then asks Allah for a sign that clarifies the state of this matter, and Allah clarifies it for him, then this is from the grace of Allah upon him.
And therefore, istikharah (the prayer for guidance in a decision) was legislated for a person when he intends a matter and it is difficult for him to know whether in his proceeding or in his refraining there is good. So he seeks istikharah from Allah. And if he seeks istikharah from Allah with sincerity and faith, then Allah the Exalted gives him by which he can infer that the good is in proceeding or in refraining. Either by something He casts into his heart that opens his chest for this or that, or by a vision he sees in a dream, or by the consultation of one of the people, or by something else.
The important thing is that this boy also had among his karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person) that he would cure the blind and the leper, meaning that he would supplicate for them and they would be cured. And this is from the karamah of Allah for him. It is not like the story of 'Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) who would touch the one with a defect and he would be cured. Rather, this one supplicates to Allah and Allah the Exalted responds to his supplication, so he cures the blind and the leper by his supplication. And the monk informed this boy that he would be tested, meaning that he would have a trial and test. And he asked him not to inform about him if he was tested with something. And the rest of the hadith will come, if Allah wills.
The reader: "Sahih Muslim 3005 " .
This hadith that the author (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in the chapter on patience contains a strange story. It is that a man among the kings, from those who came before, had a sorcerer. This sorcerer was taken by the king as a confidant so that he could use him for his interests, even at the expense of religion, because this king cared only about what was in his interest. He was a tyrannical king who enslaved the people for himself, as will come, if Allah wills, at the end of the hadith. When this sorcerer grew old, he said to the king: "I have grown old, so send me a boy to teach him sorcery." He chose a boy because a boy is more receptive to learning, and because learning for a young boy is what remains and is not forgotten. Therefore, learning in youth is much better than learning in old age in every good. But learning in youth has two great benefits: The first benefit is that the young person is generally faster in memorization than the old person, because the young person is free of mind and does not have problems that cause distraction. And secondly, what the young person memorizes remains, and what the old person memorizes is forgotten. Therefore, it was a common wisdom among people: "Knowledge in youth is like engraving on stone", it does not disappear.
And in it is a third benefit: which is that if the young person acquires knowledge from the beginning, the knowledge becomes like a habit and nature for him, and it becomes as if it is an instinct he grew up with, so he grows old with it. So this sorcerer was a great sorcerer who had advanced in age and experienced life, and knew things, so he asked the king to choose for him a young boy to teach him sorcery. So he sent him a boy and taught him what he taught him. But Allah the Exalted intended good for this boy. One day, this boy passed by a monk, and he heard from him, and he was pleased with his words. His words impressed him because this monk, meaning the worshipper, worships Allah the Mighty and Majestic and does not speak except good. He may have been a learned monk, but worship predominated over him, so he was named by what predominated in him, which is monasticism. The important thing is that he was pleased with him. So whenever this boy came out from his family, he would sit with the monk and be delayed with the sorcerer. So the sorcerer would beat him, asking why he was delayed? The boy complained to the monk of what he found from the sorcerer of beating when he was delayed. So the monk taught him a way to get out of it. He said: "If you go to the monk and fear that you will be punished, say: 'My family detained me,' meaning he was delayed with his family. And if you come to your family, say: 'The sorcerer delayed me,' so that you may escape from this and that. And it seems, and Allah knows best, that the monk ordered him to do so although it was a lie: perhaps he saw that the benefit in this outweighs the harm of lying, although it could be interpreted. So he did it. So the boy would come to the monk and listen to him, then go to the sorcerer. If he wanted to punish him for his delay, he would say: 'My family delayed me.' And if he returned to his family and was delayed with the monk, he would say: 'The sorcerer delayed me.' So one day he passed by a great beast, and the hadith did not specify what this beast was. It had blocked the people from passing; they could not pass it. So this boy wanted to test: is the monk better for him or the sorcerer? So he took a stone and called upon Allah the Exalted and Sublime: "If the matter of the monk is better, let this stone kill this beast." He threw the stone and killed the beast, so the people walked. The boy knew that the matter of the monk was better than the matter of the sorcerer. And this is a matter in which there is no doubt, because the sorcerer is either an aggressor and oppressor, or a disbeliever and polytheist. If he seeks help for his sorcery with the devils, drawing near to them and worshipping them and calling upon them for aid, then he is a disbeliever and polytheist. And if he does not do this but aggresses against people with medicines containing sorcery, then he is an oppressor and aggressor. As for the monk, if he worships Allah with insight, then he is guided. And if he has some ignorance and misguidance, then his intention is good, even if his deed is bad.
The important thing is that this boy informed the monk of what happened. So the monk said to him: "You are today better than me." And that is because this boy called upon Allah and Allah responded to him. And this is from the grace of Allah upon the servant. That when a person doubts a matter and then asks Allah for a sign that clarifies the state of this matter, and Allah clarifies it for him, then this is from the grace of Allah upon him.
And therefore, istikharah (the prayer for guidance in a decision) was legislated for a person when he intends a matter and it is difficult for him to know whether in his proceeding or in his refraining there is good. So he seeks istikharah from Allah. And if he seeks istikharah from Allah with sincerity and faith, then Allah the Exalted gives him by which he can infer that the good is in proceeding or in refraining. Either by something He casts into his heart that opens his chest for this or that, or by a vision he sees in a dream, or by the consultation of one of the people, or by something else.
The important thing is that this boy also had among his karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person) that he would cure the blind and the leper, meaning that he would supplicate for them and they would be cured. And this is from the karamah of Allah for him. It is not like the story of 'Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) who would touch the one with a defect and he would be cured. Rather, this one supplicates to Allah and Allah the Exalted responds to his supplication, so he cures the blind and the leper by his supplication. And the monk informed this boy that he would be tested, meaning that he would have a trial and test. And he asked him not to inform about him if he was tested with something. And the rest of the hadith will come, if Allah wills.
The reader: "