A True Story
His spirit yearned and hankered for the hajj. However, he found it difficult to spend the money necessary to arrange this, despite his wealth and luxury! It was no wonder! For he who does not believe in the Great God, and does not believe that it is the Almighty that gives all sustenance and is the Lord of power and the Steadfast forever: for such a man, certainly, this will be his state. This man never noticed that God is the one who brings down the rain, without which the plants could never grow, and is the one who directs the sun and the moon, without which he could not eat a single morsel.
He never thought that there was a Lord who would call him to account one day, for death had never crossed his mind.
He thought that he would never die, although the fact is that each and every living being in creation will die sooner or later.
The lifetime of any creature in this world is temporary. Even the sultans, the kings, the messengers, and the prophets die; did he then think that he was different from the rest of creation and that he would not die?!
Definitely, he was quite wrong in his belief. He did not think that he would die, and that he would then be asked about his wrongdoings, because his only concern was the collection of money, whether by means licit or illicit.
How could he think of death when his spirit was entirely absorbed in collecting money?! This was his spirit’s only concern, and he was entirely focused on this, rather than feeling afraid, and turning his spirit to consideration of the signs of God so as to recognize Him, the Almighty, and to believe in Him.
Death and the ultimate call to account were completely far from his mind, for he never paid alms to the poor or needy lest he would be reduced to poverty, in spite of his extravagant opulence and his many possessions. Alas! He never came close to his Provider. He wanted to perform the hajj and to visit the holy lands in order that people would call him “hajji” and would trust him, and so that his trade would flourish and his wealth would grow as a result.
He wanted to go, but at the same time, it was too difficult for him to spend a part of his money on performing the hajj. He did not want to spend money on the cost of travel by plane and on accommodation. So, what could he do?!
“There must be a solution to such an impasse!”, he soliloquized, “there must be some way that will help me to retain my money and gain the great payment and reward of the hajj at the same time” (that is to say, at no cost). This was what crossed his mind.
“I have heard about the people of footstep, and I do believe in them, so why should I not be one of them? I need only to get permission from the famous sheikh, who I have heard is a man who claims to have supernatural powers. People call him the greatest magnate, the Godly aid, and the aid of tenure. Yes, I have got it! I know the solemn sheikh Ahmed Al-Haroon. He is a man who is famous for having knowledge of great secrets and it is believed that by using the cord around his waist that binds his robe, he can talk with whomever he wants, and whenever he wants.
“Thus I have to go to Sheikh Ahmed to get his permission after he performs the prayer”.
And so the man headed to the mosque, and when Sheikh Ahmed had finished talking with his disciples and visitors and was walking alone towards his house, the rich merchant saw his opportunity and quickly followed him. When he caught up with him he addressed him, saying, “My Sheikh! I ask you to fulfill my purpose, and he that asks you will not be frustrated. Oh sheikh! Please, push me a push”.
“A push!!” answered the sheikh in astonishment, “what do you mean?”
The merchant said, “Oh sir! Yes, a push, a light push of your hand, a blessed push”. Then he pointed in the direction of the Ka’ba with his hand, and continued speaking with a smile.
“Surely, you know what I mean, for you are the head of saints and the essence of pure men, and their sultan. You are the Godly magnate. With one push of your blessed hand, I will go to Mecca in a single step, and then with another push I will return to my place in just one step, too. You know well that this is true, sir, don’t you?”
Firmly and seriously, Sheikh Al-Haroon answered him, saying,
“Cut out this nonsense!”, and then he continued walking home having put an end to the subject.
The sheikh knew that the superstitions and drivel that are related by the devils had enticed this stingy rich man, and had entrapped him in illusions and deceptions.
But how strange it was! This rich man thought that the sheikh was just testing him, because this was a secret matter that he had to uncover. In reality, the fact was that he understood nothing of the sheikh’s answer and did not catch the meaning of his words. All that he understood from this encounter was that he should prove his trustworthiness to the sheikh, to show him and ensure him that the secret would be safe with him; that it would remain a secret and would not be passed on to anyone else. Therefore he believed that he had to ask him once again.
So it was not long before the rich man returned to wait for another opportunity which would enable him to be alone with the sheikh, so as to repeat his request to him truly, firmly, and seriously.
And indeed, the chance presented itself to him, and so he hurried to the sheikh, begging him,
“Oh sir, please! Oh magnate of our time! Oh master of the noble saints!” (Sheikh Al-Haroon was a great figure among the sheikhs). “I beg you, sir! Oh basis of Sharia! Oh banner of truth! Oh elucidator of the method’s secrets! Please, just one push! Push me only one push. I am honest in my request, and I will never disclose the secret to anyone. Oh, master of scholars of knowledge and pride!”
Yet the sheikh turned his back on him, feeling annoyed at his silliness, stupidity and foolishness, and left him alone while repeating the statement, “there is no might or power except with God”.
Then the affluent one bowed his head for a while, saying to himself, “What should I do? Is there no permission to be had? The pilgrims will stand at Arafeh after a few days. I have to find a solution quickly!”
He continued in this vein for a few minutes, and then raised his head as if he had found the solution and said, “Yes, I think the solution is to ask the sheikh for the push openly before his disciples and followers, and then he will not disappoint me and will send me without permission. Yes... yes…! I think he wants me to do that so as to make his students know that he is a man honored by God who has been granted preternatural abilities”.
Thus, he had become utterly subject to the deceptions that the devils recite to people with simple minds. They had taken hold of him completely.
So, while a group of people were gathered around Sheikh Ahmed, the voice of the rich man was heard, raised in tones of hope and humility, saying within the hearing of the sheikh’s followers and disciples,
“Oh sir! You, the greatest magnate! You, aid of tenure! Please, the pilgrims will stand at Arafah within a few days, so please, help me with a push so that I may reach Mecca, the Ka’ba, in one step! Please, I have asked your honor to do that on more than one occasion”.
This time, Sheikh Ahmed smiled, then took the merchant aside and spoke to him alone, asking, “Are you serious and truthful in your request to reach Al-Ka’ba in one step?”
“Yes, yes. By God I am,” answered the man.
The sheikh continued, “How many children have you got?”
“Ten”, came the answer.
The sheikh asked: “Do you swear by God that you will divorce your wife in a final divorce in the case that you reveal my secret or tell anybody?”
The man eagerly swore to do so if he ever uncovered the secret or told anyone about it.
His heart became overjoyed because finally it seemed that his wish would be fulfilled, and that he would achieve his aim without spending a single dirham of money.
“How great this is!” he soliloquized.
Then, the sheikh told him, “Tomorrow, a quarter of an hour before the dawn call to prayer, come to meet me at the Souleimanieh Religious Institute (Al-Teki’ya).
“It is in front of the museum and near the banks of the Barada River. You will find me waiting for you at the gate of the mosque, God willing.”
The man could not sleep. How could he sleep when he would be in Mecca in one step, circumambulating the honorific Ka’ba, or standing suppliant at Mount Arafat, and then with a reverse step, returning to his house?
At the appointed time, he came to the agreed place having wrapped himself in fur and woolen clothes due to the cold winter, and there he found that the sheikh was waiting for him. He was happy and exultant and the smile did not leave his lips.
Sheikh Ahmed asked him to stand at the edge of a big pool that was in the middle of the outer square of the mosque, and then to close his eyes.
The wealthy man hurried to apply the sheikh’s direction without hesitation, and so stood in the required position with his eyes closed, preparing for take-off at the edge of the mosque’s pond, and all the time in a state of great pleasure and happiness.
Sheikh Ahmed first reminded him of his emphatic oath, and then he put his leg behind the man and pushed him one push (according to his request) that knocked him to the bottom of the pond, sending him crashing through the layer of ice that had formed on its surface.
The sheikh went out of the mosque and left that stupid rich man sunk beneath the ice that had formed on the surface of the pond, which was about half a meter deep. He moved away guffawing to himself, having given the man a practical lesson that he would never forget.
The event was kept secret, for the wealthy man could not tell anyone about it in order to avoid divorcing his wife and making his children fatherless due to his emphatic oath.
As for Sheikh Ahmed, who was friendly and nice in his speech, he was not able to keep that joke secret, and so he told people about it, laughing and mocking those who believed in such superstitions.
Really, we feel wonder at such people! Do they think that they can break an internationally accepted law, that is effective and practical in all the courts of the world, that judicially decides the certain innocence of the accused if they can prove that they were not present at the scene of the crime?!
It is impossible for someone to be present in two places at the same time. So, what is wrong with those who believe this superstition of ‘one step’ and believe the charlatans who propagate it?! Are they brainless?!
How can they accept the contention that pilgrims could possibly see a person performing the rites of pilgrimage, while the same person’s family and friends are watching them in their own presence, still in their own country without having gone anywhere?!
Apart from that, if this ‘step’ and its supposed people had any relationship to the Islamic religion, the prophet Mohammad (cpth) would have been worthy of this ability. He (cpth) would not have had to suffer through such a long journey. He would have been able to avoid the difficulties and troubles of his migration on feet for tens of days and nights, accompanied by his best friend, in order to reach the honorable Medina.
Ergo, stories of the ‘step’ and its people are nothing other than illusive fantasies, not facts, and nor may any sane or thinking person accept them. They are just a fabrication that has been put about by magicians and their aides and servants, the aberrant abettors.
May God protect you and us from believing any of them.