distance, so it returned to its place. Once the fox had eaten and left, only then did the lion come and eat a little from it.

I was observing all of this from a distance, when all of a sudden, the lion turned towards me and said in an eloquent voice, ‘Ahmad! Sacrificing one morsel is the work of dogs; men of truth even sacrifice their lives.’ Thus, being inspired by this unique incident, I repented of all my sins, and turning away from the world, I attached myself to the mercy of Allah Almighty.”^[1]

Dear Islamic brothers, you have just heard that the hungry lion sacrificed its own food for the other animals and established an excellent example of enduring hunger. Then, through the bestowal of Allah Almighty, it gave the following advice, “Sacrificing a morsel is the way of dogs; a man should be ready to sacrifice his life.” The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Whosoever desires something but puts an end to his desire and prefers another over himself, Allah Almighty forgives him.”^[2]

A way to earn the reward of sacrifice for free

If only we would also be blessed with the passion of sacrificing for others. If we do not feel like spending anything, we can still take benefit of many occasions of sacrifice. For example, if we are invited to a meal and food is served, we should allow other brothers to pick up the best parts of the meat instead. If it is warm and other Islamic brothers wish to sleep in the room or in a certain place in the masjid during a Madani qafilah, instead of taking over the space under the fan, we can let other Islamic brothers do so and earn the reward of sacrificing.

Likewise, if we are travelling on a bus or train when it is busy, we can give up our seat for other Islamic brothers and stand ourselves; if we have the opportunity to travel in a car, we can sacrifice this for other