Milk Is The Drink Of Paradise “The Sunnah Story”
Drink milk is very beneficial and this is a drink of paradise. It is told in the form of a story by Muhammad Fahim Alam.
Burning wooden sticks in the fireplace had made the room warm to a great extent. The atmosphere of the room was entirely different from the outside. Puffs of icy winds that had been blowing since evening made the cold more violent and coolness was being increased. When puffs of icy wind stroke the body, the cool waves seemed to descend into the bones.
During their winter holidays, Waqas, Hammad, and little Aisha happened to come to the village where their maternal uncle lived. Three of them were all happy to be in the village because they were fast friends of their cousins Tabish, Asad, and Aman. The three of them enjoyed very much the atmosphere of the village. Tabish took them around more than half of the village within a day.
After going around the village the whole day, they became very tired. The mother had arranged their beds already in a single room but a separate room was chosen for Aisha. Now they were warming themselves sitting before the fireplace and enjoying simultaneously from peanuts and acorns which were brought by Ashraf Baba, the domestic servant of uncle.
“Asad! I do not understand why winter happens?” Hamad enquired.
“Look, this is not to understand!…now you will say why the summer happens,” Waqas uttered quickly with a bad tone before Asad could answer.
“No….! I shall not say the same, because I love summer, there are more enjoyments in summer…mango, blackberry (Jaman), watermelon, and melon are special gifts of summer, and……Falooda…aha!…how is delicious. The nasty winter robs our loved Falooda also from us.” Hammad said shivering with cold.
“I think you forgot the gifts of winter!” Waqas said irritably because he loved the winter very much.
“Yes, really my brother Hammad! In fact, winter is very enjoyable because it brings peanuts, acorns for us.” Tabish said pointing to the basket in which peanuts and acorns were put.
“Yes! This is the point…. but I shall say again that after all summer is better than winter.” Hammad suggested.
“So please say that everybody likes things according to his taste,” Asad replied without any pause.
“Yes! This..is………” Suddenly uncle Ashraf entered the room with a dining trolley and Aman could not complete his sentence.
“Children, take and drink milk. I have prepared this milk especially for my urban friends by mixing almonds, pistachio, four nuts, and other ingredients.” As soon as uncle Ashraf entered the room, he announced. The steam full of fragrance coming from hot milk was informing about the delicious taste of the milk.
“Very well….uncle Ashraf, thank you very much!” Waqas exclaimed.
“No, really not! there is nothing anything to be grateful. Now, be practical, take your cups and drink the milk.” Uncle Ashraf handed over each of them a cup. As soon as uncle Ashraf went, they began to drink milk.
“No doubt the milk was very delicious because the milk was pure, moreover, almonds, pistachios, and four nuts increased the taste further.
“Oh, Brother Hammad! If it did not winter, we could not get so delicious milk.? Tabis taunted as opportunity suited him.
“OK, although all these suggestions are correct I……!” Hammad did not complete his sentence, for all the children looked at him astonishingly. His face became pale. All the children were looking at him with wonder.
“Wh..what is the matter, Hammad?” Waqas enquired.
“Oh…my God! What blunder we made…?” They listened to the voice of Hammad which was full of sadness and sorrow.
“We are asking you the same that what blunder we made?”
“My Brother, we did not recite the prayer which is mandatory before taking milk!”
“Oh…..!” Waqas exclaimed.
“Prayer before drinking the milk?” Tabish, Aman, and Asad enquired with wonder.
“Yes, really yes! Prayer before drinking milk….! Do not you know that there is a prayer which is recited before drinking milk which was used to be recited by our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUM). So recitation of the prayer before drinking milk is as an act of Sunnah.” Waqas told knowledgeably.
“No, we do not know about the prayer which is mandatory before taking milk, we drink the milk anyway,” Tabish replied.
“Oh…this is very bad that you all drink milk and not recite the prayer which is mandatory according to Sunnah. Well, in the beginning, we do recite …………. i.e. we must recite ……………………………………………. because when we do not recite before eating or drinking, the meal or drink becomes void of Barkat(blessings) and the devil also joins us in eating or drinking.”(…..).
“Oh my God! It means that the devil also joined us in drinking the milk.” Aman uttered with great fear.
“Correct! So let us recite ……….. immediately.” Hammad suggested.
“Please tell us about the prayer?”
“This is the prayer which is recited before drinking milk according to the Sunnah. Please all of you should join me and recite the prayer. ….Translation: Oh God, please bring your blessings in it and grant us in abundance. (…………………………..)
“My dear Waqas, who told you about this prayer? It is known to us the first time that there is a prayer which should be recited before drinking milk.”
“My mother told me about this prayer and said that through the recitation of the prayer, Almighty Allah Grants us His blessings and Barkat because this prayer contains the plea to grant Barkat and blessings,” Waqas informed all the children.
“Dear Brother! You said earlier that the prayer which lies under the category of Sunnah means that prayer which Hazrat Muhammad(PBUM) used to recite before drinking milk. Did the Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) use to drink the milk?” Aman enquired so innocently that all smiled.
“Yes, of course, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) used to drink milk. Look, in this context, I relate to you a Hadith of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), narrated by Hazrat Abdullah Bin Abbas (RA), who says:
“Once upon a time, I and Hazrat Khalid Bin Waleed (RA) was sitting beside the Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The mother of believers, Hazrat Maimona (RA) brought milk in a bowl. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) drank milk from this bowl. At that time I was on the right side of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and Hazrat Khalid Bin Waleed was on the left side. Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) then said to me:
“Now it is your turn and right because you are on My (PBUH) right side and the drinking routine from the bowl should begin from the right side” (i.e. the server should begin from the right side) and said: “but you can give your turn to another with your consent (i.e. you give him before your turn).” Then I stated respectfully: “I cannot prefer sipped milk by Yourself (PBUM) to anybody (i.e. I like very much the milk sipped by Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)”.(……………………………….)
According to this Hadith, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) demonstrated the method (according to Sunnah) to serve the milk that it should begin from the right side.” Waqas kept telling.
“My dear Brother! I am thinking about such a thing that my mother once told me regarding milk. I can tell the same if you allow me?” Hammad looked at Waqas for his permission.
“Yes, of course…!”
“It is narrated in Hadith Mubarak that Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) once said: “There is no anything except which is used for eating as well as drinking.”(……………………………………….)
“Hammad! you told a very good saying. In fact, milk is really an eternal gift. I read somewhere about the advantages of the milk that the people who use it regularly, their body remains energized due to full nutrition. Milk is a source of every kind of energy and nutrition. This is not only delicious and sweet-colored with regard to nutrition but also used as medicine because the ingredients of milk are a source of instant energy. Anybody who uses the milk does not suffer from allergy because milk eliminates the sensitivity of the body, moreover, the use of milk comforts the mental tension also.
“Subhan Allah!……” Hearing the advantages of milk all the children uttered loudly but the voice saying Subhan Allah, who made them startle, was Uncle’s voice who was hearing their talks standing outside for unknown pieces of time. They were all so submerged that they did not notice his arrival.
“Uncle! You… are….. here………..” Waqas shied.
“Very well, very good….dear Waqas!” Uncle exclaimed happily “ extremely good, you talk about so many good things.”
Uncle was a doctor. Everybody was convinced of his politeness. He just came from his clinic.
“Dear Waqas, who told you all these good pieces of advice?” Uncle enquired from Waqas.
“Dear Uncle! My mother told me all this. She relates to an Islamic event or lesson giving story every night.” Waqas said.
“Very well, this is a very good thing”. But my mother does not tell me anything.” Tabish looked at his father with eyes full of complaints.
“My dear son Tabish, By the Grace of God, Now I shall relate to you the same stories daily. I heard all that Waqas told.” Mother of Tabish uttered from behind the curtain.
“Aha….! Then we will enjoy very much,” Asad exclaimed with joy.
“But we should not listen to these stories only for enjoyment and we must act upon these also.
“My dear son, Asad, Hammad is extremely correct.”
“Dear Children, now drink the milk, it is getting cool. It is very enjoyable drinking milk in winter.” Mother of Tabish said and all the children began to sip the hot milk.
