Was he a magician or Allah’s Bounty? (Naseer Ahmed, Abbotabad)

We used to learn from our family members and relatives that there lived a magician in a certain village and whatever you ask him, he would make it happen very soon. He lived in a hilly area quite far from our place. We turned very keen to learn about his miracles but then we thought that both the magician and the person whoask him to invoke the magic would go to hell. So that changed our mind. His name was Abdul Majeed. He was also amongst our far relatives and I thought quite often to meet him but couldn’t do so for some reasons.

A sudden meeting with the magician:

I got a job after finishing my study and after 5-6 years when I was in my office that someone turned up and said he wanted to see me. My peon brought him in and I welcomed him pleasantly. I offered him to be seated and tried to recognise him but in vain. He seemed to be quite healthy and possessing a strong physique and had a piece of cloth tied around his head like a haji.

 I was about to ask him when he asked me if I could recognise him. On my refusal, he introduced himself as AbdulMajeed and he belonged to the etc. village. I still refused to identify him. He was quite surprised and said how I can’t recognise him while he was so popular and well known that even a child knows him. Upon my refusal, he said,’’ Haven’t you heard about the famous magician in that village. I am the one whom people recognise by his profession more than his name. I jumped with joy to learn that and asked him if he just claimed to be a magician or was he really so. He reiterated his claim and told me that he could get anything happen provided I fulfil some of his tasks. They were about registering 4-5 arms licenses in the post office which had already expired so it was a bit difficult. But when I went to post office myself and asked the clerk to do that, he did it in no time and I brought back the licenses to the magician. Now it was his turn so he asked me how he could help me. I insisted him that I would not let him go and would like to guest him for a night or so. Upon my strong insistence, he accepted my invitation and I brought him to my home.

What a strange type of magician!

When we reached home, the food was ready. After the meal we drank qahwa and then the magician asked me to arrange some water for ablution and prayer-mat to offer salat. I was quite surprised on that and asked him if he is religious or just doing it as a show-off. I told him that it is quite surprising to find a magician who offers salat as most of the magicians have to shun it as a prerequisite of their evil magical practices. He smiled at this and said,’’ they are all fake but I amthe genuine one;I do offer my salat and also recite Holy Quran daily. Then he told me that he would chat further after the salat to which I agreed. He performed the ablution and offered prayer very nicely and comfortably and then performed some Dhikr followed with his dua. I was very surprised to find a magician who not only offers salat but also does Dhikr as well. Upon my surprise, he asked me if I had met some such magician which I replied in negative.

I told him that I had heard a lot about the magicians that they are filthy people and indulge themselves into evil practices but he claimed to be a magician while he was a practicing Muslim. On my continued insisting, he told me how he had learned his magic.

Tale of a magician in his own words:

He said,“My parents died when I was only 5. I had a younger brother who was taken care of by my auntie. One of my relatives brought me to the city and lefty me in an orphanage.  I used to study and would beg the people for food. There were a number of boys there but I was the strongest among them. We used to recite different things and asked for the food. Sometimes we were given very tasty vegetables which we would eat on the spot. After sometime, the people started recognising me. There was a rich family who would not only gave us food but also gave a loaf of bread and asked us to eat there as well. The food was very tasty and delicious. They used to send a girl carrying the food who served us the food. I started liking her and she wasalso having kind feelings for us. She stayed with us while we were eating and asked if we would need more food and water etc. Sometimes she would also offer us some fruit... They also served us in their dining room rather than at their doorstep or outside in the street. We had never seen any other family member nor heard any other voice. Once she asked us where do we have our dinner in the evening? I replied that we have to visit another place in the evening for food. Upon that she said that we didn’t need to go anywhere else and we could have our dinner there as well. We liked the proposal and we had felt that it was also our own wish.

Marriage of a moon with a stone

I used to come alone in the evening and had some chat with her. One day she said that she liked my gentle nature and she was interested in me. So she proposed me and asked to send my parents to her parents to demand for her hand. I told her that I was an orphan and my parents had died when I was quite young in my childhood. I also told her that I was surprised at her offer as she was so rich and beautiful while I was never a match for her. I also mentioned that I had neither work nor family and it is just impossible. We used to have a discussion about that almost every day and my reply was always in negative. I told her that if her family members had learnt it they might even kill both of us but she would say that she loved me so much that she could even scarify her life for that. One night we decided to flee and I brought her to my village. No one could recognise me. I found my home in a terrible condition with a fallen roof. There was just one cot in it and it was also buried under the debris of the fallen roof. I asked my neighbours for some food. Next day, they also helped me in repairing my roof and we were married formally through a simple Nikah ceremony. I used to ask my wife why she had accepted a miserable life instead of a comfortable and luxurious life in the city. She was an educated lady and always asked me to trust in Allah Almighty who is the Ultimate Sustainer and Nourisher. He would never deprive us of His blessings and Bounty. I got a labour job after one month and started working as a stone carrier on a road construction project.

Meeting with a Majzoobsaint:

It was the holy month of Ramadhan when once I took my sehri and left for my work.I found a person who wasn’t wearing any clothes except underwear. I looked down upon him but when he came near me, I felt myself as powerless and my hands and feet started shivering with his sublime. I thought of testing that person as he seemed to bea saint.  He kept his low gaze and walked past me. When he was having his back to me I decided to test him and started reciting Durood Shareef at his back. He turned back suddenly and said why you are testing me and then walked away. I realised that he was actually a saint (as it is a sign of true saint) and rushed after him for some prayer but he said in anger; go back to your work and we would meet after a year. I was very disappointed at that and went to my work but I spent the whole day regretting and when I told my wife about that in the evening she was also very sad at this missed opportunity. We were always worried about our past and would fear that one day the police would come after us and would arrest us for an abduction charge or my in-laws would send some people to kill us in revenge.

A knock on the door removed the spiritual blockade:

The time passed very quickly and we even had forgotten about that saint as neither had I told the saint about my address nor he had informed me about where I could see him. One night when we were sleeping, we heard someone knocking our door quite forcefully. I prepared my mind and told my wife to be prepared for any assault. We grasped knives and batons and asked my wife not to be scared of. Then we opened the door carefully and in the deep darkness we found the same saint standing outside our door. I brought him in and my wife saidsalaam to him to which he replied. Then he asked for a cloak which my wife gave him. He took it over himself and sat down in a corner and turned quiet. We both were very excited and we decided to tell him the whole story of our past and then would ask him for the prayer. We spent the whole night while waking up and planned a series of dialogues with the saint. Then there was the time of Fajr and we did ablution and performed Fajr.

Allah wouldBestow Grace:

We had just one earth pot which we used to make curry as well as tea. We had left a half corn bread in the night for the next morning’s breakfast. We made tea and my wife asked me to bring some eggs from the next door neighbour and she was yet to bake fresh bread for the saint as we thought not to offer fustybread to the saint. In the meantime the saint asked us if tea was ready. We replied positively and he asked to bring it soon as he was in a hurry. I wonder because of some reasons we were unable to utter a single word or ask him to wait for sometime so that we could arrange a nice meal for his breakfast. So we offered him the same one-night old bread with tea. He divided the loaf of bread in to two halves and gave us one half to eat while he ate the remaining himself. We ate it together. Now my wife was asking me to request for the prayer but we were lacking courage. When he finished the tea and was about to leave, we asked each other to start some conversation but none could do that. Soon the saint intended to leave and I came outside my home to bid him good bye. He ordered me to go back quickly and never chase him. He said just these four words ‘Allah would Bestow Grace’ and went away.

Allah would Bestow Grace

I returned back and started quarrelling with my wife why she couldn’t request the saint. She reciprocated in the same tome and this bitterness remained there for some time. Then we forgot about that after sometime and started living peacefully. One day, the contractor who was our boss came to supervise us and stayed with us all day. Then in the evening he called me and said that he was quite impressed by my performance as he had found me working a lot better than my co workers. So he had decided to make me theirteam leaderand my wages was increased to fourfolds what I earned earlier. Iwas very happy and thanked him for the favour. He was so pleased with me that he started giving me even double of that amount. I started improving my condition and bought the necessities of life. In few years, I became well established among the villagers and also startedafflation (Dum; Blowing after some recitation). By the Grace of Almighty, I used to cure the headaches just by reciting Surah Fateha and blow. The pain would disappear quickly. I could even cure backache with the same ease. Now I started turning very popular and people would come to me from far and wide. I didn’t know how to write a taweez. The visitors would ask me for a taweez for the marriage of their own choice or getting a favourable decision in the court etc. I just made some squares on a piece of paper and would fill some random numbers therein. For whatever purpose I wrote the Taweez, it worked and the objectives were achieved in no time. After their wishes being achieved, the visitors would bring hens, goats, wheat and rice etc. I started staying at home and started buildinga nice home for myself. The masons voluntarilyoffered their services and the wood batons were also donated by the folks. I just had to arrange for their tea and food and even that was supplied by the visitors.

The four words changed my fate:

I told my wife that we had regretted that we couldn’t utter a single word to the saint but the four words that the saint said himself Allah would Bestow Grace. These words changed my fate. As all the people got their wishes granted so they called me magician as they would think that these things are only possible by a magician but actually it was the result of that prayer by the saint. Then he said that he never shared his story with anyone before but he thought of me as a gentle and eager person so he did.

I have just a saint’s prayer:

I don’t have any spiritual knowledge or any magic. It is only due to the saint’sprayer that whatever I pray for, I get it granted. Even today I asked the Deputy Commissioner for 4-5 arms licenses and he approved them quickly. The licence clerk prepared the documents and you registered them in the post office. This is howmy magic works. Then he asked me if he could anything for me. I requested him to bless me some such amal that I could get whatever I wished for. He advised me to offer five times prayers and recite 100 times اَللہُ الصَّمَدْ after Isha Salat. He also invited me to his home.  I promised though but soon my posting was transferred to a far off place. And I could not see him. NowI have learnt that he has passed away.