“On their landing, Zara Bibi got up. One of them was carrying something similar to a register which they handed over to her. After writing something in the register, she returned it to them and laid back. The creatures then flew back in the skies.”
On an eve of 1948, an ancestor of the Holy Prophet (Syed Zaadi) expired in the neighborhood of my maternal grandmother. Name of the deceased was Zara Bibi. Two of my uncles used to learn recitation of Holy Quran from her. Zara Bibi lived all alone and had settled in Bannu (Khyber Pakhtunkwa) probably after migration from India. She was extremely pious and a modest lady. In Bannu she married a blind gentleman and left no fraction to take care of him. She used to stitch clothes to earn her living. In addition, she also taught recitation of Holy Quran to children. She would silently accept stuff sent by their parents voluntarily but never demanded anything from themby herself. Her husband expired shortly after their marriage and after which she spent her entire life as a widow.
Prior her death, she called an unknown person through one of her students. She talked to him from behind the door and told him: ‘I know you are a shroud thief. Here is some amount which is more than the cost of a shroud. I have saved this money from my earningsfrom stitching clothes. Keep it but do not steal my shroud after my death.’ The man was astonished as to how this woman knows about him since nobody knew his secret. Anyways, he left with the money she gave him. After sometime she died.
Since she had no relatives, therefore my grandmother and some other ladies from the neighborhood went to her place and performed the funeral services. After giving her bath and dressing her in the shroud, they continued with prayers and recitation. Suddenly my grandmother observed that time has stopped. Every woman in the room froze. While she was still trying to gather as to what was happening, strange beings landed from the skies who had feathers. On their landing, Zara Bibi got up. One of them was carrying something similar to a register which they handed over to her. After writing something in the register, she returned it to them and laid back. The creatures then flew back in the skies. Immediately after this strange phenomenon, the time started again. The room was again filled with the sound of Holy Quran’s recitation by the ladies and everybody continued with respective prayers and recitation as they were doing prior this happening. Nobody other than my grandmother came to know that time had stopped a while ago. She did not mention it to any women.
The same night, a man from Dera Ismail Khan was blessed with Basharat of the Holy Prophet (May peace be upon him) in his dream. He saw the Holy Prophet (May peace be upon him) riding a horse and accompanied with several of his companions (SahabaêKaramRizwanUllahAlaihemAjmaeen). The man drew rein of the horse of the Holy Prophet (May peace be upon him) and submitted: ‘My lord, it was my ultimate desire to meet your honour. I request you to bless me with conversation.’ The Holy Prophet (May peace be upon him) replied: ‘My daughter has expired in Bannutoday. I am proceeding to offer her funeral prayers and thus am not free at the moment.’ The man woke up. He was soaked in his sweat. He immediately took his horse and rushed for Bannu. Traveling the entire night, he reached the place which the Holy Prophet (May peace be upon him) had indicated. After seeking directions from people he managed to find the neighborhood where a lady had expired. He enquired as to whom she was, he was told that she was an ancestor (Syed Zaadi) of the Holy Prophet (May peace be upon him). She was an extremely pious, religious and honorable lady who loved the Holy Quran. She was always reciting the Quran.The man narrated his dream to the people after which there was an ocean of people whoflocked for her funeral.
When the shroud thief came to know about the demise of the pious lady, he went to the graveyard the next evening to steal her shroud. He started to dig her grave. When he entered the grave, there was some other scene he witnessed. Instead of a corpse in the grave, there was a beautiful garden in which was a throne, one that cannot even be visualized in imagination. Zara Bibiwas sitting on the throne reciting the Holy Quran. Seeing all this, the thief tried to run away. Although Zara Bibi’s back was on his side, she called him and said:‘I told you not to steal my shroud. However you did not obey. But since you are here, take this with you.’ She had a basket full of apples with her which she gave to the thief. The sweet smell of the apples was so intense that the entire graveyard was filled with their aroma. The thief renounced from his evil deeds and then earned his living legitimatelyever after.
