It was the peak of winter. The temperature was close to zero degrees Celsius. A helpless old man was lying on the footpath opposite a mosque, shivering terribly in the cold. Right in front of him, people were queuing to offer the chaddar (an ornamental clothspread offering) in the mosque. In every chaddar, he could see a fresh lease of life. But why would someone give him the chaddar? After all, every person was seeking out a bright future for himself by offering the chaddar in the mosque!
Just then a labourer happened to pass by on the same footpath. He noticed the old man. Seeing his condition, he understood that if the old man spent the night shivering like this in the cold, he could possibly die! He held the old man’s hand, helped him get up and asked him to come home with him. The old man was stunned! For, he was the only person who despite passing the street was not going to the mosque. Surprised the old man even asked – My brother, do you not want to ask for anything from Allah?
He replied – I want to, but I’m not sure whether he gives or not. Whereas, on toiling through the day, I surely get my daily wages. Well! Forget all this and let’s go home. Now, the old man anyway wanted a roof over his head and here the labourer was being extremely kind-hearted. Not only did he feed the old man a decent meal, but they also shared the same bed sheet and slept through the night. By morning, the old man’s condition had stabilised to a great extent. Thus, raising his hands towards the sky, he proclaimed – This is great, My God! You give the address of beautifully sculpted and artistically engraved magnificent mosques, but actually reside in the hearts of kind-hearted, compassionate, poor people!
- Deep Trivedi
No comments:
Post a Comment