A MAN presented to Hadhrat Junaid Baghdaadi (rahmatullah alayh) a wild bird which he had caught in a net. The bird remained in the cage by Hadhrat Junaid for a very long time. One day Hadhrat Junaid opened the cage and the bird flew way. Someone enquired from him the reason for having released the bird. Hadhrat Junaid (rahmatullah alayh) explained:

“Today the bird spoke to me (miraculously). It said: ‘O Junaid! You speak to friends and derive solace while I languish alone in captivity.’ Hearing the bird’s lament, I released it. As it took flight, it said: ‘O Junaid! As long as an animal is in Thikrullaah, it does not fall in the hunter’s trap. The moment it is oblivious of Allah’s remembrance, it is trapped. I was forgetful of Allah’s Thikr just once. In consequence, I was caught and spent all this time in captivity. I shudder to think of the fate of those who are oblivious of Thikrullaah for years. How long will they languish in captivity! O Junaid! I now pledge never to be forgetful of Allah’s remembrance.”

The bird then flew away. It would occasionally return and eat the crumbs on the dastarkhwaan (food cloth spread on the ground) of Hadhrat Junaid. When Hadhrat Junaid passed away, the bird arrived. Smitten with grief, it fell on his body and died. The people buried the bird together with Hadhrat Junaid. After some time, a mureed saw Hadhrat Junaid in a dream. The mureed enquired: “How did you fare by Allah?’ Hadhrat Junaid (rahmatullah alayh) said: “Allah, Rabbul Izzat forgave me, and said: ‘You had taken pity on the bird for My Sake. Mercy has therefore been shown.