It was said to Abū Uthmān An-Naysabūrī: What from your
actions is most valuable to you?
He said: I was in my youth and my family was striving hard
to convince me to marry but I refused. A woman came to me and said: ‘O Abū Uthmān,
indeed I am infatuated with you. I ask you, by Allāh, to marry me.’ So I went
to her father, who was poor, and he married her to me and he was very happy
with that. When she entered upon me I saw her she was cross-eyed, cripple, and
deformed.
Due to her love for me she would prevent me from going out
so I would sit with her to soothe her heart and I didn’t display to her any
aversion, yet it was as if I was burning due to the aversion which I had for
her. I remained like this for fifteen years until she passed away.
There is none of my actions that I hope to preserve more
than my (action of) preservation of her heart.
Sayd Al-Khātir pg. 132
Translated by Raha ibn Donald Batts (hafidhahullaah)
masjidashshura.org
masjidashshura.org
