One extremely cold wintery night a Buzrug came across a shivering kitten. It was clear to the Buzrug that the kitten would not survive in the extreme cold. Taking pity, he wrapped the kitten in his shawl. At home he wrapped it in a blanket. It was a deed done and forgotten. Many years thereafter the Buzrug died. After his demise, when he was ushered into the Divine Presence, he was asked: “What have you brought from the world?” The Buzrug replied: “Imaan.”
The Buzrug was shocked with fear when his Imaan was judged to be deficient. He had nothing to offer at that stage. Allah Ta’ala then said: “You shall be forgiven for a deed which had no significance for you. It is a deed which you did not dream would be the basis of your Najaat (salvation). On that cold night, you had taken pity on the kitten which was dying of the cold. That kitten had made dua for you. Its dua was accepted. Go! You are forgiven by virtue of the supplication of that kitten. You had shown mercy to one of My creatures. It is more befitting for Me to be merciful to you.”
In this episode and in many similar stories are profound lessons for those who brutally cause the deaths of billions of chickens – hanging them upside down, drowning them in electrified water, administering electrical shocks through their bodies, torturing them with haphazard neck-cutting, and plunging them alive in scalding waters. Those who halaalize such brutalities and those who support this cruel, vile industry by selling and consuming the murdered chickens, should reflect on this episode and the consequences of zulm.
Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (rahmatullah alayh) commented on this episode: “In the Hadith there are many episodes which emphasize the importance of the Mustahab acts. Many people were forgiven by Allah Ta’ala on the basis of a Mustahab act which is generally viewed with insignificance by the people.