The Choice: Quran or Money

Many years ago, on Eid Day, in Dubai, a very rich man who had no wife, no children, no other family members, decided to invite all the employees of his mansion to dinner.

He called the staff and asked them to sit at the table. In front of everyone there was a Quran and a small sum of money.

After everyone had their dinner, the Rich Man asked: “What would you prefer to receive as a gift: this Quran or this money? Do not be shy, you can choose what you want.”

The security guard was first to react: “Sir, I would love to receive The Quran, but since I have not learned to read, the money will be more useful to me.”

The gardener was the second to speak: “Sir, my wife is very sick and that’s why I need more money, otherwise I would choose The Quran for sure!”

The third was the cook: “Sir, I like reading to tell the truth, it’s one of the things I like to do, but I work so hard that I never find time to flip through a magazine, let alone The Quran. I will take the money.”

Story of 2.5%

One day, a very wealthy man was walking on the road. Along the way, he saw a beggar on the sidewalk. The rich man looked kindly at the beggar and asked him why he was begging. The beggar said, “Sir, I’ve been unemployed for a year now. You look like a rich man. Sir, if you’ll give me a job, I’ll stop begging.”

The rich man smiled and said, “I want to help you. But I won’t give you a job. I’ll do something better. I want you to be my business partner. Let’s start a business together. The beggar blinked hard. “What do you mean, Sir? “I own a rice plantation. You could sell my rice in the market. I’ll provide you the sacks of rice. I’ll pay the rent for the market stall.. All you’ll have to do is sell my rice. And at the end of the month, as Business Partners, we’ll share in the profits. Tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.

Do I keep 5% and you get 95%? I’ll be happy with any arrangement. The rich man shook his head and chuckled. “No, I want you to give me the 2.5%. And you keep the 97.5%. For a moment, the beggar couldn’t speak. He couldn’t believe his ears. The deal was too good to be true. I want you to give me 2.5% of your profits so you grow.”

The Blindfold Test

A father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Perhaps even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and trees and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

This is exactly the way it is between us and Allah, just because we can’t see Allah, doesn’t mean He is not there. He is always watching over us but due to our sins we are blindfolded from appreciating His Mercy and calling out to Him.

Last Ten Days of Ramadaan

The last rep of a workout is always quite difficult, it’s a struggle as your body refuses to accept your mind. Your mind says carry on yet your body wants to give in. At that moment you pull on inner strength, you know the harder you workout the more rewarding it will be in the end and if you have a coach, they push you even further. At the end of the workout, you feel good, the pain you endured almost becomes a distant memory. 

This is how we are with Ramadaan. Initially we were excited, we prayed to find the blessed month and when we did, we clutched on to it like a long lost friend. We embraced Ramadaan with an open heart, fasted the whole day joyfully and spent the night in humble prayers. But as we draw near to the end of Ramadaan, somehow our enthusiasm has dampened, we started to slack in our goals and plans we designed many days before Ramadaan started. 

It is now time to renew our intentions, refresh our goals and plans, rekindle our spirit, rebuke our nafs and repent to Allah. Within these last ten days we are blessed with the Night of Qadr so let’s push forward and ensure we don’t lose out. Let’s try to end Ramadaan by being from amongst those who Allah forgives in this blessed month.