Month: September 2020

Story No. 72 – The clever boy

Moral Stories

A man with his donkey carrying two sacks of wheat was on his way to

the market. After a little while he was tired and they rested under a tree.

When he woke up from his nap he could not see the donkey and started

searching for the donkey everywhere. On the way he met a boy, he

asked the boy, “Have you seen my donkey?” The boy asked, “Is the

donkey’s left eye blind, his right foot lame and is he carrying a load of

wheat?” The man was happy and said, “Yes, exactly! Where have you

seen it?” the boy answered “I haven’t seen it.” This made the man very

angry and he took the boy to the village chief for punishment.

The judge asked, “Dear boy, if you had not seen at the donkey, how

could you describe it?” The boy answered, “I saw the tracks of a donkey

and the right and left tracks were different from this I understood that

the donkey that passed there was limping. And the grass on the right

side of the road was eaten but the grass on the left was not. From that I

understood that his left eye was blind. There were wheat seeds scattered

on the ground and I understood that he must have been carrying a load of wheat. The judge

understood the boy’s cleverness and told the man to forgive the boy.

This story teaches us that we should not be quick to judge the people.

Story No. 71 – The three wise men

Islamic Stories

One day some wise men, who were going about the country trying to find answers to some of the

great questions of their time, came to Nasreddin’s district and asked to see the wisest man in the

place. Nasreddin was brought forward, and a big crowd gathered to listen.

The first wise man began by asking,

“Where is the exact center of the world?”

“It is under my right heel,” answered Nasreddin.

“How can you prove that?” asked the first wise man.

“If you don’t believe me,” answered Nasreddin,

“measure and see.”

The first wise man had nothing to answer to that,

so the second wise man asked his question.

“How many stars are there in the sky?” he said.

“As many as there are hairs on my donkey,”

answered Nasreddin.

“What proof have you got of that?”

asked the second wise man.

“If you don’t believe me,” answered Nasreddin, “count the hairs on my donkey and you will see.”

“That’s foolish talk,” said the other. “How can one count the hairs on a donkey?”

“Well,” answered Nasreddin, “How can one count the stars in the sky? If one is foolish talk,

so is the other.” The second wise man was silent.

The third wise man was becoming annoyed with Nasreddin and his answers, so he said, “You seem

to know a lot about your donkey, so can you tell me how many hairs there are in its tail?”

“Yes,” answered Nasreddin. “There are exactly as many hairs in its tail as there are in your beard.”

“How can you prove that?” said the other.

“I can prove it very easily,” answered Nasreddin. “You can pull one hair out of my donkey’s tail for

every one I pull out of your beard. If the hairs on my donkey’s tail do not come to an end at exactly

the same time as the hairs in your beard, I will admit that I was wrong.”

Of course, the third wise man was not willing to do this, so the crowd declared Nasreddin

the winner of the day’s arguments.

OLD GRAVE

One day, the Nasreddin said to his friends: “If I die, bury me in an old grave.” “Why”, asked his

friends. “Because”, he explained, “if the angels come, I’ll tell them that I died years before and have

already been questioned and then they will return the way they came.”

Story No. 70 – The cage bird’s escape

Moral Stories

Once upon a time, there was a bird in a cage who sang for her merchant owner. He

took delight in her song day and night, and was so fond of her that he served her

water in a golden dish. Before he left for a business trip, he asked the bird if she had

a wish: “I will go through the forest where you were born, past the birds of your old

neighborhood. What message should I take for them?”

The bird said, “Tell them I sit full of sorrow in a cage singing my captive song. Day

and night, my heart is full of grief. I hope it will not be long before I see my friends

again and fly freely through the trees. Bring me a message from the lovely forest,

which will set my heart at ease. Oh, I yearn for my Beloved, to fly with him, and

spread my wings. Until then there is no joy for me, and I am cut off from all of life’s

sweet things.”

The merchant traveled on his donkey through the dense forest. He listened to the melodies of

many birds. When the merchant reached the forest where his bird came from, he stopped, pushed

his hood back, and said, “O you birds! Greetings to you all from my pretty bird locked in her cage.

She sends tidings of her love to you and wants to tell of her plight. She asks for a reply that will

ease her heart. My love for her keeps her captive with bars all around her. She wants to join her

Beloved and sing her songs through the air with a free heart, but I would miss her beautiful songs

and cannot let her go.”

All the birds listened to the merchant’s words. Suddenly one bird shrieked and fell from a tree

brunch to the ground. The merchant froze to the spot where he stood. Nothing could astound him

more than this did. One bird had fallen down dead!

The merchant continued on to the city and traded his goods. At last he returned to his home.

He did not know what to tell his bird when she asked what message he had brought. He stood

before her cage and said, “Oh, nothing to speak of no, no.” The bird cried, “I must know at once.”

I do not know what happened, said the merchant. “I told them your message. Then, one of them

fell down dead.” Suddenly the merchant’s bird let out a terrible shriek and fell on her head to the

bottom of the cage. The merchant was horrified. He wept in despair, “Oh, what have I done?”

He cried, “What Have I done? Now my life means nothing. My moon has gone and so has my sun.

Now my own bird is dead.”

He opened the cage door, reached in, and took her into his hands gently and carefully. “I will have

to bury her now,” he said; “poor thing is dead.”

Suddenly, the moment he had lifted the bird out of the cage, she swooped up, flew out of the

window and landed on the nearest roof slope. She turned to him and said, gratefully, “Thank you,

merchant master, for delivering my message. That bird’s reply instructed me how to win my

freedom. All I had to do was to be dead. I gained my freedom when I chose to die.”

“So now I fly to my Beloved who waits for me. Good-bye, good-bye, my master no longer.” “My bird

was wise; she taught me secret,” the merchant reflected.

If you want to be with the ones you love, you must be ready to give up everything,

even life itself. And then, by Allah, you will win your heart’s desire.

Story No. 69 – The one-eyed doe

Moral Stories

A Doe had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes, and could not see any one

approaching her on that side. So to avoid any danger she always used to feed on

a high cliff near the sea, with her sound eye looking towards the land. By this

means she could see whenever the hunters approached her on land, and often

escaped by this means. But the hunters found out that she was blind of one eye,

and hiring a boat rowed under the cliff where she used to feed and shot her from

the sea. “Ah,” cried she with her dying voice. “You cannot escape your fate.”

Story No. 68 – You’re far more precious than diamonds and pearls

Islamic Stories

“If memory serves me correctly, I was wearing a little white tank top and a

short black skirt. I had been raised Orthodox Muslim, so I had never before

worn such revealing clothing while in my father’s presence. When we finally

arrived, the chauffer escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my

father’s suite.

As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged

many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day. My father took a

good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I

will never forget.

He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Hana, everything that God

made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find

diamonds? Deep down in the ground covered and protected. Where do you

find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean covered up and protected in a beautiful shell.

Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock.

You’ve got to work hard to get to them.”

He looked at me with serious eyes. “Your body is sacred. You’re far more precious than diamonds

and pearls, and you should be covered too.”

Source: More Than A Hero: Muhammad Ali’s Life Lessons Through His Daughter’s Eyes.

Story No. 67 – Words and actions should be the same

Moral Stories

There once was a boy who loved eating sweets. He always asked for sweets from his father. His

father was a poor man. He could not always afford sweets for his son. But the little boy did not

understand this, and demanded sweets all the time.

The boy’s father thought hard about how to stop the child asking for so many sweets. There was a

very holy man living nearby at that time. The boy’s father had an idea. He decided to take the boy

to the great man who might be able to persuade the child to stop asking for sweets all the time.

The boy and his father went along to the great man. The father said to him, “O great saint, could

you ask my son to stop asking for sweets which I cannot afford?” The great man was in difficulty,

because he liked sweets himself. How could he ask the boy to give up asking for sweets? The holy

man told the father to bring his son back after one month.

During that month, the holy man gave up eating sweets, and when the boy and his father returned

after a month, the holy man said to the boy “My dear child, will you stop asking for sweets which

your father cannot afford to give you?”

From then on, the boy stopped asking for sweets.

The boy’s father asked the saint, “Why did you not ask

my son to give up asking for sweets when we came to

you a month ago?” The saint replied, “How could I ask a

boy to give up sweets when I loved sweets myself. In the

last month I gave up eating sweets.” A person’s example

is much more powerful than just his words. When we ask

someone to do something, we must do it ourselves also. We should not ask others to do what we do

not do ourselves.

Always make sure that your actions and your words are same.

Story No. 66 – A boy with strong belief

Islamic Stories

Shaykh Fath al-Mowsily relates, once I saw a young boy walking through the jungle. It appeared as

if he was uttering some words. I greeted him with Salaam and he replied accordingly. I inquired,

“Where are you going?” He retorted, “To the house of Allah

(Makkah).” I further asked, “What are you reciting?”

“The Qur’an” he replied. I remarked, “You are at a tender

age, it is not an obligation that you are required to fulfill.”

He said, “I have witnessed death approach people younger

than me and therefore would like to prepare if death was to

knock on my door.” I astoundingly commented, “Your steps

are small and your destination far.” He responded, “My duty

is to take the step and it remains the responsibility of Allah

to take me to my destination.” I continued to ask, “Where is

your provision and conveyance (means of transport).”

He replied, “My Yaqeen (belief) is my provision and

my feet’s are my conveyance.” I explained, “I am asking you regarding bread and water.”

He replied! “Oh Shaykh if someone invited you to his house, would it be appropriate to take your

own food?” I exclaimed, “No!” “Similarly, My Lord has invited His servant to His house, it is only

the weakness of your Yaqeen that makes us carry provisions. Despite this, do you think Allah will

let me go to waste?” “Never” I replied. He then left. Sometime later I saw him in Makkah. He

approached me and inquired, “Oh Shaykh are you still of weak belief?”

Source: Stories of the Pious by Shaikh Ahmad Ali.

AVERYPOWERFULSTORY

He remembered his grandmother’s warning about praying on time: “My son, you shouldn’t leave

prayer to this late time.” His grandmother’s age was 70 but whenever she heard the Adhan, she got

up like an arrow and performed Salah/Namaz/prayer. He, however could never win over his ego to

get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salah was always the last to be offered and he prayed it

quickly to get it in on time. Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15 minutes

left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making

Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed. His

grandmother prayed with such tranquility and peace. He began making Dua and went down to

make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while.

He had been at school all day and was tired, so tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and

shouting. He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every direction he

looked in was filled with people. Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and

right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting. Pure fear and

apprehension filled him as he realized where he was.

His heart was about to burst. It was the Day of Judgment. When he was alive, he had heard many

things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be

something his mind made up? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imag-

ined this. The interrogation was still going on. He began moving frantically from people to people

to ask if his name had been called. No one could answer him. All of a sudden his name was called

and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him. Two people grabbed his arms and led

him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the

center and left him there. His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his

eyes like a movie. He opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping oth-

ers. He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of

Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was

being cleared.

He pleaded his case; “I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah.

I performed my Salah. I fasted in the month of Ramadan. Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did.

Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.” He began to cry and think about how much he loved

Allah. He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his

only protector was Allah. He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes were

fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision was made. The two angels with

sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd. His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He

closed his eyes as they began to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam/Hell.

His name was read first. He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn’t be, “How could I go to

Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others.” His eyes had become

blurry and he was shaking with sweat. The two angels took him by the arms. As his feet dragged,

they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam. He was yelling

and wondered if there was any person who was going to help him. He was yelling of all the good

deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Qur’an that he read, he was

asking if none of them would help him. The Jahannam angels continued to drag him. They had got-

ten closer to the Hellfire. He looked back and these were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah [saw]

said, “How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so too does the Salah

performed five times cleanse someone of their sins?” He began yelling, “My prayers? My prayers?

My prayers?”

The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam. The flames of the

fire were burning his face. He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had

nothing left in him. One of the angels pushed him in.

He found himself in the air and falling towards the

flames. He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand

grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. He lifted

his head and saw an old man with a long white beard.

He wiped some dust off himself and asked him,

“Who are you?” The old man replied, “I am your prayers.”

“Why are you so late! I was almost in the Fire! You

rescued me at the last minute before I fell in.”

The old man smiled and shook his head. “You always

performed me at the last minute, and did you forget?”

At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from

Sajdah. He was in a sweat. He listened to the voices

coming from outside. He heard the adhan for Salat-ul

Isha. He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.

“Say Your Prayers Before Prayers For You Are Said.”

“Namaz Parh Is Se Pehle Ke Teri Namaz Parhi Jaye.”

Story No. 65 – God exists

Islamic Stories

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair and his beard cut

as always. He started to have a good conversation with the

barber who attended him. They talked about so many things on

various subjects.

Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said:

“Look man, I don’t believe that God exists as you say so.”

“Why do you say that?”

Asked the client. Well, it’s so easy; you just have to go out in

the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God

existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be

abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither

suffering nor pain. “I can’t think of a God who permits all of

these things.” The client stopped for a moment thinking but he

didn’t want to respond so as to prevent an argument.

The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems

that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy). Then the client again

entered the barbershop and he said to the barber: “know what? Barbers do not exist.”

“How come they don’t exist?” asked the barber. “Well I am here and I am a barber.” “No!” – the

client exclaimed. “They don’t exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and

beard like that man who walks in the street.”

“Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to us.” “Exactly!” – Affirmed the

client. “That’s the point. God does exist, what happens is people don’t go to Him and do not look

for Him that’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”

Story No. 64 – The cracked pot

Moral Stories

Once upon a time there was a water-bearer in India

who had two large pots, each hung on each end of a

pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots

had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect

and always delivered a full portion of water at the end

of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house,

the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer

delivering only one and a half pot full of water in his

master’s house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its

accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was

made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own

imperfection, and miserable that it was able to

accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water-bearer one day by

the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer.

“What are you ashamed of ?”

“I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my

side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have

to do all of this work and you don’t get full value from your efforts, the pot said. The water-bearer

felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s

house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful

wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it

apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path,

but not on the other pot’s side?

That’s because have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower

seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered

them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table.

Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that

make our lives together so very interesting and warding. You’ve just got to take each

person for what they are and look for the good in them.

Story No. 63 – Determination

Moral Stories

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular

bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the

world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not

be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the

time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with

someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington,

an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be

accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration,

and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their

dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site

took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain

damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

“We told them so.”

“Crazy men and their crazy dreams.”

“It’s foolish to chase wild visions.”

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the

Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap

Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his

mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted

by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the

windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and

the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could

do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly

developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the

engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do.

It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the

bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a

tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by

circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man

who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and

devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told

the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible

physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face.

The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are. Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

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