| The town of Medina was burning
under the exhalation of the heat of the sun of Hejaz and was thawing
like the benumbed sleepers under the fire of the sky. The branches
of the palms were not oscillating under any breeze and the trees
were as weary men sleep-strucken while standing. The camels were
sheltering themselves under some shade of the palm branches,
exceeding the wall of gardens and were ruminating silently and
motionlessly. In the town every being was crawling under a shade and
nobody was seen in the palm gardens of the round about, except a
rather nice man having a slightly corpulent body which was leaning
on the shoulders of a young man, (perhaps his son), who was visiting
his farm. He was perspiring from the heat.
His eyes, which were half-closed because of the violent shining
of the sun, were so attractive that they recalled the looking of the
most beautiful gazelle. His nice feature was adorned with a pretty
beard and mustache. But this handsome face was turning to purple
under the sun and the drops of perspiration were pouring from his
cheeks, like the drops of dew from a wild tulip. They were running
from his face and dropping into his chest.
At this moment another man was seen on the plain, which was
advancing towards this point. His name was Mohammad Ibn Monkader. He
was supposing himself to be a pious and anchorite, a hermit man far
from Mormonism. He had a bowed down stature and a weary face. When
he reached the fat man who was perspiring under the glow of the sun,
busy to supervise his farm, he wondered and said to himself: "See
how the greed of the mammon blinds the eyes of wisdom. This man is
melting like a candle under the sun. And he is not ready to stop to
hurt himself for his avidity. It is better to go to him and to
advise him. Perhaps he will be guided."
When he came near, he knew the man and said: "Oh it's strange.
This man is Mohammad Ibn Ali, Imam Bagher, and the leader of the
Shia faith. Why this man is trying for worldly wealth?"
He goes then nearer, stood and greeted the Imam. Imam Mohammad
Bagher (Peace Be Upon Him), was busy with his work and was
perspiring and panting. He replied to his greeting. The man halted a
while and said: "Is it worthy for a great and pious man like you to
come out of home in this hour of the day, to seek worldly wealth?
And with this rather fat body you have to bear, of course, more
pain."
"If in this moment, (God forbids), your death comes, in what
situation are you going to meet God? No, it is not worthy for you,
with this heat and this natural disposition, to be so concerned with
mammon."
The Imam cleaned the perspiration off his forehead with the back
of his hand, stopped the work and looked at him.
"If my death in this very moment", said the Imam, "I will meet
God in a state of worship." You think that the worship is only to
pray and to do religious ceremonies? I am living in the world and I
have to earn my livelihood. If I do not work I will need the help of
some men like you and I have to stretch my hands for begging. I
should fear the coming of my death when I am sinning and disobeying
my God. At this moment, when I am, working under the order of God, I
am trying not to be a weight on the shoulders of my fellow-beings.
Ibn Monkader, struck with shame, said nothing and continued his
way, while he was humming with himself: "Wonderful. I was thinking
that I can advise him, but this was myself to earn an advice."
Moral: You should always try hard to do something by
yourself and only when you have tried and can not do it you should
ask for help. |
