An Example of Noble Character

to leave. When he didn’t, they grabbed him and said, “Go on, mind your business.” As he walked away, he quietly muttered, “We came through the same path, and we’ll leave through the same path.” That one sentence cut through the room like a blade. The gathering fell silent. One by one, the people got up and quietly dispersed. Sometimes, a sentence is not just a string of words. It becomes a blade that pierces straight into the heart. It strikes more deeply than arrows or swords. But such piercing words only come from those who themselves have been pierced first—those who have felt life’s deepest wounds. LISTENING TO CRITICISM Once, the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 170–193 AH) said to his minister, “Take me to a righteous man.” The minister took him to al-Fudayl ibn Iyad (105–187 AH), a well-known ascetic. A detailed account of their meeting is preserved in historical sources. When the Caliph entered with several courtiers, they all shook hands with al-Fudayl—including the Caliph himself. As the Caliph placed his hand in al-Fudayl’s, al-Fudayl remarked: “What a soft hand this is—if it manages to escape God’s punishment tomorrow.”