A.I; Sanghar

“Birds are never caught in a net till the time they continue praying to Almighty until they overlook the same.”

Somebody sent a bird to Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (Rehmat ullah Elayh) as a gift which he accepted. The bird remained in a cage for a long time. One day he opened the window of the cage and freed the bird. When people saw tis they asked Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (Rehmat ullah Elayh) that he kept the bird in the cage for such a long time and looked after it. Why has he now he has freed the bird? He replied that the bird said to him today that: ‘O Junaid! You are enjoying in the company of your friends and I am in grief and sorrow for being kept captivated.’ Listening to this I freed him. But the moment that bird flew away, it said: ‘O Junaid, Birds are never caught in a net till the time they continue praying to Almighty until they overlook the same and get captivated immediately.’ Then the bird said: ‘How long would be the imprisonment of those who remain ignorant from praying to Almighty. I promise you that I will never forget to pray to Allah.’ Saying this, the bird flew away. The bird would then occasionally visit Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (Rehmat ullah Elayh) and eat something with his beak from his food. When he expired, the bird also painfully fell on earth and died. People buried him along with Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (Rehmat ullah Elayh). A few days later, one of the followers of Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (Rehmat ullah Elayh) saw them in his dream. He told the follower that Almighty has forgiven me, been very merciful. I have been told that since I was sympathetic to a bird due to its prayers, I have also been forgiven.

This above incident is an example for those who always remain aloof from remembering Allah and keep their tongues engaged in worldly discussions.

(Selection: Kitabon ki Library Mein, reference: Bastaan e Aulia)