A POND FULL OF MILK. Once there was a king who told some of his workers to dig a pond.

Once the pond was dug, the king made an announcement to his people saying that one person from each household has to bring a glass of milk during the night and pour it into the pond. So, the pond should be full of milk by the morning. After receiving the order, everyone went home. One man prepared to take the milk during the night. He thought that since everyone will bring milk, he could just hide a glass of water and pour inside the pond. Because it will be dark at night, no one will notice. So he quickly went and poured the water in the pond and came back. In the morning, the king came to visit the pond and to his surprise the pond was only filled with water! What has happened is that everyone was thinking like the other man that I don't have to put the milk, someone else will do it. THE FARMER AND THE STORK Finding that cranes were destroying his newly sown corn, a farmer one evening set a net in his field to catch the destructive birds. When he went to examine the net next morning he found a number of cranes and also a stork. Release me, I beseech you, cried the stork, for I have eaten none of your corn, nor have I done you any harm. I am a poor innocent stork, as you may see - a most dutiful bird, I honor my father and mother. I... But the farmer cut him short. All this may be true enough, I dare say, but I have caught you with those were destroying my crops, and you must suffer with the company in which you are found. People are judged by the company they keep. TRUE WEALTH One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how the poor people live so he could be thankful for his wealth. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, How was the trip? It was great, Dad. Did you see how poor people can be? the father asked. Oh yeah said the son. So what did you learn from the trip? asked the father. The son answered, I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them. With this the boys father was speechless. Then his son added, Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are. THE OBSTACLE IN OUR PATH In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the kings wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note

from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve ones condition. The Cracked Pot 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 masters 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 masters 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 masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work and you dont 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 masters 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 pots side? Thats 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, youve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters 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 its the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and warding. Youve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. A BOY WITH STRONG BELIEF 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 Quran 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 GOD EXISTS 100 Moral Stories 28 www.islamicoccasions.com my feets 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. A VERY POWERFUL STORY He remembered his grandmothers warning about praying on time: My son, you shouldnt leave prayer to this late time. His grandmothers 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 imagined 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 others. 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 couldnt be, How could I go to 100 Moral Stories 29 www.islamicoccasions.com 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 Quran that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him. The Jahannam angels continued to drag him. They had gotten 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. WORDS AND ACTIONS SHOULD BE THE SAME 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 boys 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 boys 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 100 Moral Stories 30 www.islamicoccasions.com 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 boys 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 persons 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.