The Islamic Bulletin Volume I No. 1 Page 6 ram to deliver lectures. One of those present on the occasion was Dada Dharm Adhikari. He posed an intriguing question: “Swamiji, you have studied many religions of the world. Which one do you find the best for man?” I replied: “Islam.” “But”, he said, “Islam is a very much tied up religion.” I replied: “The very one that is considered free, ties down man to continual slavery. Man is in need of a religion that has remained ‘tied-up’, a religion that keeps man under restraints in this world life, but sets him free in the world hereafter. In my opinion, it is Islam alone that qualifies to be the best religion.” Q: As a soldier of Islam, what message would you like to convey to the Muslims of the world? A: It is my solemn request to the Muslim world that they should constantly keep in view and fulfill the conditions laid down by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) for walking across the river of this world so as to reach safely its other side. If they make the slightest deviation, they are bound to drown themselves in the river, never to be rescued. There is still time for the Muslims to concentrate their vision on the right point. If they act so, they shall, Almighty willing, be crowned with success in all that they do. Stories of the sahabah The Martyrdom of Sahabah Anas bin Nadhr (R.A.A.) Anas bin Nadhr (raa) was one of the Sahabahs who had missed the great campaign of Badr. He very much regretted to have missed the honor of participating in the first and the most illustrious battle for Islam. He longed for a chance wherein he could make amends for Badr. He did not have to wait for long. The battle of Uhud came about in the following year. He joined the army with the most determined zeal. Despite heavy odds, the Muslims were gaining the upper hand, when some people made a blunder and the Muslims had to suffer a reverse. The Prophet (pbuh) had posted a band of fifty archers to guard a pass in the rear against the enemy cavalry. They had definite instructions not to move from their positions until further orders from him. But when the Archers saw the Muslims gaining victory and the enemy in full flight, they left their positions believing that the battle was over and it was time to join in the pursuit and get on to the booty. The leader of the band tried his utmost to check them by reminding them of the Prophet’s command and he also tried to solicit them to stay on, but no more than ten archers listened to him, while the others argued that the orders were given by the Prophet (pbuh) only for the duration of the actual fight. The enemy cavalry then noticed the unguarded pass in the rear, made a flank movement and forced a passage through it. The Muslims who were pre-occupied with the booty were caught unguarded. In such a state of affairs Anas (raa) saw Sa’ad bin Ma’az (raa) passing in front of him. He shouted to him: “O, Sa’ad! Where are you going? By Alllah! I smell the fragrance of Paradise coming from Mount Uhud.” Saying this, he threw himself into the very thick of the enemy and fought till he met his martyrdom. After the battle, it was found that his body had been mauled and mutilated to such an extent that only his sister could identify him and that barely from the finger tips. No less than eighty wounds of arrows and swords were counted on his body. Those who strive in the Path of The Almighty with sincerity and devotion taste the pleasure of Paradise even in this world. This tradition has a number of advantages. Among these, one is to seek Allah’s mercy and help during trials and tribulations and to make one’s good and pious deed as an agent for securing the same; another point is the high merit of service to parents. The importance and virtues of chastity, fulfillment of pledge, return of trust and fair consideration in dealings are also among good deeds of great merit according to this tradition. Finally, the sincerity and honesty are of equal importance. In short, according to Islamic incentive for all good work should only be the compliance of Allah’s Orders without the anticipation for any worldly gains, in term of ostentation, publicity or monetary gains.
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