Never Harm Anyone

I once came across a person in a marketplace with only one arm who said that if people heard his story they would never harm anyone ever again. When I asked him what happened, he told me the following story:

“I was a government employee, a police official to be precise. One day I saw a fisherman carrying a big fish. I approached him and said, ‘Give this fish to me.’ He said he had no objection to giving me the fish, but I had to pay the price he wanted. ‘I have nothing to eat at home and my children are waiting for me to bring them something to eat. I put a lot of effort into catching this fish,’ he said. My immediate reaction was to start beating him; and I then snatched the fish from his hands. But as I headed home, the fish suddenly jerked and bit my thumb. I felt a severe pain, which worsened when I
got home. It was at night and I thought I would go to the doctor the next day. I did not sleep that entire night because of the intense pain.”

“Early the next morning I went to a doctor and showed him the injured thumb. He said that the thumb had turned gangrenous and I had to have it amputated for my own health. He warned that even a minor delay would cost me my whole hand. I immediately asked him to go ahead with the amputation. He then cut off my thumb. When I got back home, I still felt severe pain in my hand. I was in agony that entire night. The following morning I again went to the doctor who advised me to have the hand amputated. So my hand was cut off. I thought my ordeal was over, but the pain only worsened. I started screaming in pain and crying out for help. When the doctor examined me, he said
the amputation of the entire arm was the only solution because the infection could spread to my entire body.”

“The people in my locality soon heard what had happened. One religious person approached me asking, ‘What caused your injury?’ When I told him the story of the fish, he said, ‘You should’ve gone to the fisherman the moment the fish bit you and begged his pardon. Only one part of your body has been amputated. You still have time; search for the fisherman and somehow bring him round.’ I immediately started searching for the fisherman, but he had left our city. I eventually found him in another city. The moment I saw him, I fell at his feet and said weeping: “Forgive me for the sake of
Allah, forgive me for the sake of Allah (subhan wa tala)!”

“The fisherman asked me who I was. I told him I was the person who had stolen his fish, and showed him that my hand had been amputated. When the fisherman saw this, he burst into tears. Then he said, ‘O my brother, after seeing you in this distress, my heart goes out to you. Indeed, I forgive you for the sake of Allah (subhan wa tala).’ Then I said, “Please tell me if you put a curse on me when I beat you and took the fish from you.”
‘Dear brother! Please tell me if you had put a curse on me when I beat you and took the fish from you.’”
“The fisherman said he had cursed me by saying:

‘O Allah (subhan wa tala)! I’m weak; he is strong who has taken away my sustenance forcefully and wrongfully. O my Sustainer, plunge this man into trouble and distress and show me Your Power and Providence.’”
“I said, ‘O my brother! Allah (subhan wa tala) has shown you His Power and Providence. I seek forgiveness from Allah Almighty for my sins.’”

Note: This story is taken from a Book called ” Golden Stories of Accepted Prayers“ By Abdul Malik Mujahid.