The crystal ball was glittering like a colorful rainbow. Nasir carefully took it in his hand and turned it around. With surprise suddenly he heard a weak voice coming from the crystal ball. It said; "You can make a wish that your heart desires and I will fulfill it." Nasir could not believe that he had actually heard a voice. But he became so engrossed in his thoughts for he had so many wishes but he must wish for something which was impossible like the wish to be able to fly. He said to himself, if I wait till tomorrow I will remember many things. He put the crystal ball in a bag and gathered the herd, happily returned back to the village. He decided that he would not tell anyone about the crystal ball. On the following day also, Nasir could not decide what to wish for, because he really had everything he needed.

The days passed as usual, and Nasir appeared to be very cheerful that the people around him were amazed to see his cheerful disposition. One day a boy followed Nasir and his herd and hid behind a tree. Nasir as usual sat in one corner, took out the crystal ball and for a few moments looked at it. The boy waited for the moment when Nasir would go to sleep. Then he took the crystal ball and ran away. When he arrived in the village, he called all the people and showed them the crystal ball. The citizens of that village took the crystal ball in their hand and turned it around with surprise. Suddenly they heard a voice from inside the crystal ball, which says, "I can fulfill your wish." One person took the ball and screamed, "I want one bag full of gold." Another took the ball and said loudly, "I want two chest full of jewelry."

Some of them wished that they would have their own palace with grand door made from pure gold instead of their old houses. Some also wished for bags full of jewelry, but nobody asked for gardens in their palaces. All their wishes were fulfilled but still the citizen of the village were not happy. They were jealous because the person that had a palace had no gold and the person that had the gold had no palace. For this reason, the citizens of the village were angry and were not speaking to each other. There was not even one garden which existed in the village where the children could play. The patience of the children was running out and they were uncomfortable. Nasir and his family were happy and pleased. Every morning and afternoon he would play the flute.

The children could not wait anymore and decided to return the crystal ball to Nasir. The parents and neighbours went to him. The children said to Nasir; "When we had a small village we all were happy and joyful." The parent also spoke. In one way or another nobody is happy. The expensive palaces and jewelry only bring us pain. When Nasir saw that the people were really regretful, he said I have not wished till now, if you really want everything to return to its own place, then I will wish for it. Everyone happily agreed. Nasir took the crystal ball in his hand turned around and wished that the village become the same as it was before. Everyone quickly turned towards the village and saw it became the same old village with gardens full of trees and fruits. Once again the people started to live happily and the children played under the shade of trees. From the next day and everyday at sunset the sound of Nasir's flute could be heard in the village.

The Moral: This story teaches us that we should be happy and content always, with whatever we have and not to be greedy, because of the following reasons (Wise Old Sayings):

MONEY can buy bed, but not sleep;
MONEY can buy books, but not wisdom;
MONEY can buy food, but not appetite;
MONEY can buy medicine, but not health;
MONEY can buy finery, but not real beauty;
MONEY can buy paintings, but not the artistry;
MONEY can buy a house, but not a home;
MONEY can buy luxuries, but not culture;
MONEY can buy companions, but not friends;
MONEY can buy marriage, but not love;
MONEY can buy clothes, but not personality;
MONEY can buy anything, but not heaven;
MONEY can buy tombstone, but not death;
MONEY can buy almost everything, but not the dignity and respect of being who we are!

One day, they heard that a wise old man had come to town; he could solve all kinds of problems and guide people. So the couple decided to visit the wise old man and tell him their source of worry.

The wise old man told them; "Travel around the world and seek a man and a woman who are perfectly happy as a couple. When you find such a couple, ask them for a piece of cloth from the man's shirt, then keep that piece of cloth with you, and you always remain happy."

The young couple began their journey, to find the happiest couple in their world. In one place they heard that the governor and his wife were the happiest people, so they went to their palace and asked them, "Are you the happiest couple?"

The governor and his wife replied, "Yes, we are happy in every way except for one thing; we do not have any children."

Well that didn't make the governor and his wife the happiest couple. So they continued their journey. They arrived in one city where they had heard that the happiest couple lived. They went to their house and asked them, "Are you the happiest couple?"

The couple replied, "Yes, we are really happy in every way except that we have too many children which make our life a bit uncomfortable."

No, this couple did not sound to be the happiest. And, so they continued their journey. They visited many countries, cities, towns and villages asking the same question but they did not find what they were looking for.

One Day the young couple came across a shepherd in the desert. The shepherd was grazing his sheep when his wife and child came along. The shepherd greeted his wife and gently patted the child she was carrying. She laid the mat and started to eat contentedly. The young couple came to them and asked them, "Are you the happiest couple?"

The shepherd and his wife replied, "Nobody is unhappier than the king." The young couple immediately realized that they were the happiest couple and asked them for a piece of the shepherd's shirt, so that their happiness too would last throughout.

The shepherd said, "If I give you a piece of cloth from my shirt then I will be left without any clothes since I own just one shirt."

The young couple at once understood that it is very difficult to find perfect happiness anywhere in the world. The couple decided to return to their own country. They went to the wise old man and related all that had taken place. They also complained that his guidance was difficult to abide by.

The wise old man laughed and said, "Was your journey useless or did you learn something from it?"

The young man replied, "Yes, after this trip I have learnt that in this world, nobody is perfectly happy, only that person is happy who does everything to please God."

Holy Quran says: "And whosever follows My (Allah's) guidance, on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve". (2:38)

The wife said, "I have learnt that in order to be happy it is important to remember two things; first, all human beings should be thankful and contented with whatever they have."

Holy Quran says: "And your Lord declared publicly: if you are grateful, I will add more favors unto you". (14:7)

"And secondly, for ultimate happiness one must always practice patience."

Holy Quran says: "Seek help through patient perseverance and prayers". (2:45)

After that, young couple thanked the wise old man for his guidance and returned home. The wise man prayed for them and said, "Indeed the sign of happiness is in their heart and they have good manners and if the lifetime is spent in pleasure of God there would be no differences in the existence of mankind."

Holy Quran says: "Whosoever follows My (Allah's) guidance, will not loose his way nor fall into misery. But whosoever turns away from My message, verily for him is a miserable life". (20:123-124).