Time for Tales

Mustafa was a rich merchant of Damascus. He had only one son and he wanted him to grow up as an intelligent man. But his son, Sayed trusted too much in one of his friends, Salih who managed to always cheat him without raising his suspicions.


However, this matter did not escape the attention of Mustafa. One day Mustafa and Sayed had to go on a business-journey to Baghdad. Mustafa was waiting for such an opportunity to teach some wisdom to his son. He said to Sayed, “Now, who can I trust with all my money during our absence.” The young Sayed immediately thought of his close friend. “With my friend Salih, of course,” said the son. “He is the most honest person in the city of Damascus.” “Very well, Sayed” exclaimed the merchant. “For once, I will rely upon your judgement.” He gave his son a large, heavy strong-box with a lock to entrust for safe-keeping with his friend Salih and when Sayed returned, he took him to Baghdad. After staying for two months in Baghdad, Mustafa and his son returned to Damascus after making a considerable amount of money out of the trade they had carried out in Baghdad. On reaching Damascus, Mustafa turned to his son and said, “Now my son, go to your friend Salih and get me my strong-box.” Sayed went to see his friend Salih and quickly returned with the strong-box and in great anger. “You have insulted my friend!” he exclaimed to his father. “It was not money that you entrusted to his safe-keeping, he says, but a mass of broken stones!” “Now, my son, tell me how did this friend of yours find out that there were only stones in that strong-box?” said Mustafa. “He must have broken open the locks that I had put on the strong-box and it is good that I entrusted him with nothing of any value.” Sayed hung his head in shame and from then, allowed himself to be guided in his judgement of other human beings by his father’s wisdom and experience.

A man had three friends. He was struck by a calamity and met the closest of the three and said, “Such and such a calamity has befallen me and I would appreciate your help.” He (the friend) refused. So the man went to his second closest friend and said, “such and such calamity has befallen me and I would appreciate your help.” The second friend replied, “I will accompany you to where you want to go, but will leave you there and come back.”


So now the man went to the third friend and told him, “I have suffered such and such calamity, would you help me?” he answered, “most certainly! I will go wherever you go and be wherever you may be.”


The first friend was his wealth which remained with his family and none of it followed him to the grave.


The second was his family and tribe. They accompanied him to his grave and then went back, leaving him there.


The third was his actions and one’s actions are always with him wherever he goes and exist wherever he may be.


From the moment you are born and till you die, you are performing some action or the other. And indeed, actions are most important for they are judged by the intentions underlying behind.