Question
What is the authenticity of this incident?
Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad (rahimahullah) said:
“I learned patience from a small boy. On my way to the Masjid one day, I came across a woman beating her son at home. As he was yelling and screaming, he managed to open the door and flee. So his mother locked the door on him. When I returned from the Masjid, I found the boy after having cried and wept sleeping at the door of his home longing for his mother. So his mother’s heart softened and she opened the door for him.”
Upon witnessing that, Fudayl ibn Iyad cried until his beard became wet with tears, and then he said “Subhanallah! If only the servant was to be patient at the door of Allah, Allah would surely open it!”
Answer
I have not come across this incident in any primary source nor in any of the early sources.
Some contemporaries have cited this narration and have attributed it to Fudayl ibn Iyad (rahimahullah) without citing any reference.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.
Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala
Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar