Shaykh Ibn Zhafar Al Makki (in his book Anba' Nujaba' al-Abna) said, "Abu Yazid Thaifur ibn Isa al-Basthami r.a. read the verse, "O you the enwrapped one! (Muhammad). Get up (to pray) at night, except for a few (of them)." (QZ al-Muzzammil, 1-2). He asked his father, "O my father, to whom did Allah say this command?" The father explained, "My son, This command is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad SAW." The son asked again, "O my father, why don't you do what the Messenger of Allah did?" The father replied, "O my son, Qiyamul Lail is reserved and obligatory on the Messenger of Allah and is not obligated to his people. So the child was silent. When he read the word of Allah, "Verily your Lord knows that you stand (praying) less than two-thirds of the night or one-half of the night or one-third of it and (as well as) a group of those who are with you." ( al-Muzzammil, 20). He asked his father, "O my father, I have heard that a group of people used to pray at night. Who is the group?" The father replied, "My son, they are friends." The son kept asking, "O my father, what good do we get by leaving something that was done by the Prophet SAW and his companions?" The father said. " You are right, my son."

Since then, the father has been doing the night prayers. One night, Abu Yazid woke up from his sleep. He saw his father doing the night prayer, then he said, "O my father, teach me how to purify myself so that I can pray with you!" The father reproached, "O my son, you are still small." The child did not accept, "O my father, if later on the day people come out of their graves in various conditions, so that they are shown (reply) their work, then I said to my Lord, "I once asked my father how to purify myself so that I can pray with him. But then he refused to answer my question, instead, he said, "Go to sleep, you are still a child!" If I say it all in front of Allah SWT, do you like if I do that?"

The father said, "No, really by Allah, my son, I don't want that." Then the father taught him and the son joined the prayer with his father.

Translated from "101 Kisah Teladan" written by Muhammad Amin al-Jundi, Indonesian translation by Safrudin Edi Wibowo, Lc