Stone to Gold

Size: 14”x21” // Medium : Watercolours

The ornate gold shaheedana on the qabr mubarak of Syedi Fakhruddin Al Shaheed ^RA in Taherabad, cloaked in a velvet ghilaf with embroidered edges, depicts ghina, wealth. The marble below represents the opposite of wealth — stone. Syedi Fakhruddin Al Shaheed ^RA is known to have the ability to melt iron, just like it was made possible for Dawood Nabi ^AS. The painting depicts the transformation of stone/iron (hardship) melting and turning to gold (happiness and contentment).

An extract from the second wa’z, sermon, of Ashara Mubaraka 1443 H depicts how Awliyaullah ^AS are the catalysts through which we realise the path to contentment and happiness.

Imam Ali bin Abi Talib ^SA states:

طلبت الغنى فوجدته في الرضى بالقليل

I sought wealth and found it in being content with little.

Being happy and content with even a little of what Allah ^TA has blessed one with is the greatest wealth.

Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin ^TUS further elaborated upon the above kalam by relating an incident:

“Abizer al-Ghifaari ^RA visited his Moula Amirul Mumineen ^AS in a state of anxiety. Imam Ali ^AS asked about his anxious state. Abizer explained he was anxious that he couldn’t repay a debt for he did not possess even a single silver coin. Amirul Mumineen ^AS picked up a stone from his courtyard and instructed Abizer to use it to repay his debt and to vanquish his sorrow. Abizer enquired as to who would accept the stone and how would such a stone pay off his debt. Amirul Mumineen ^AS taught him a prayer using ism-Allah-il- A’zam, the loftiest name of Allah, by which that stone would turn to gold. Abizer obeyed the instructions and the stone turned to pure gold. Imam Ali ^AS specified to Abizer that he should only use that much gold that would pay off his debt and to leave the rest. So Abizer asked how he should seek that specific amount of gold from the whole without the use of iron? Imam Ali ^AS asked him to have faith in his prayer with ism-Allah-il- A’zam as that would soften the gold just as iron was softened for Nabi Dawood ^AS. As per the Imam’s instructions, Abizer prayed with ism-Allah-il-A’zam and the gold became malleable enough for him to obtain the required amount and he left the remaining gold as it was. He was then asked to pray with ism-Allah-il- A’zam and the remaining gold turned back to stone. When the gold was measured it was neither more nor less in proportion to the debt and he paid off his debt with that gold.”

The lesson here is that when one receives from Allah and His Awliya, what may look like a valueless stone, if happily accepted has the potential to open the treasures of barakaat, abundance.

“Khaak ne lidi toh dinar thai!”

I have met people who tell me how a currency coin bestowed by Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin ^RA or Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin ^TUS has opened up floodgates to their livelihoods.