He said...

He said: ‘The egg, which was taken out of that nest of the bird, has been placed back there and your fist is empty. Imam -asws opened his hand and there was nothing in it. Amir-ul-Momineen -asws : ‘If now I ask a question from you will you give me an honest reply? Fortune-teller: ‘Yes, I promise you. Amir-ul-Momineen -asws : How did you get this knowledge? Fortune-teller: I would not have replied to this question but I will, since I have given you my words.

This excellence is due to my hard work, which is based on the principle that whatever my heart tells me, I always act against it. Amir-ul-Momineen -asws : What does your heart says about you becoming Muslim? Fortune-teller: My heart dislikes it. Amir-ul-Momineen -asws : Why don’t you then act against it? The fortune-teller was surprised to hear this and embraced Islam. Amir-ul-Momineen -asws : Tell me now what is in my fist?

After deep thinking and struggling, he admitted he could not guess and said: ‘I have lost my excellence after embracing Islam. Amir-ul-Momineen -asws : Instead of saying, I have lost my excellence; say I have benefited from Islam. Your quality of denying desires and acting against attractions which had given you worldly benefits, will now benefit your Hereafter, and raise your Heavenly status, which I guarantee for you’.

[28] One can, after exerting some efforts (performing a ‘Chillah’ (40 days) can attain some charismatic qualities, such as, to earn some fake respect by impressing some simple-minded people, to achieve a large followership and to accumulate enormous wealth but are these of any use for the Hereafter? Certainly not as per the above Hadith and will end up spoiling one’s Hereafter as well as of all those who have followed him.