Let me share with you a story I once read about "the emperor and the seed",taken from "Life is an open secret"
Once there was an emperor who needed to choose his successor.so,he decided to call the young people in the kingdom and announced,"It's time for me to step down and choose the next emperor.So,i am going to give each one of you a seed today-a very special seed.I want you to plant the seed,water it and come back here after one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed.I will then choose the next emperor based on the plants that you bring!"
So,everyone took the seed and started planting,including a boy called Ali.After about 4 weeks,some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.Ali kept checking his seed,but nothing ever grew.6 months went by and Ali heard that everyone else had grown various types of trees,plants and flowers.But still,he had nothing.
Then,the day came when all the youth of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.Although afraid,Ali went to the castle anyway.There,he was amazed at the variety of beautiful plants brought by the others.Ali put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him.
When the emperor arrived,he surveyed the room and greeted the young people.Ali just tried to hide at the back."What great plants,trees and flowers you have grown,"said the emperor."Today,one of you will be appointed the next emperor!".All of a sudden,the emperor spotted Ali at the back of the room with his empty pot.He ordered his guards to bring him to the front.Ali was terrrified."The emperor knows i'm the failure! maybe he will have me killed!"
When Ali got to the front,the emperor asked his name."My name is Ali,"he replied.All the kids began laughing,but the emperor asked everyone to quiet down.
He looked at Ali,and then announced to the crowd,"Behold your new emperor!his name is Ali!".Ali couldn't even grow his seed.How could he be the new emperor?
Then the emperor said,"One year ago,I gave everyone here a seed.I told you to take the seed,plant it,water it,and bring back to me after one year.But what you didn't know was that I gave you all boiled seeds,which would not grow.All of you have brought me trees,plants and flowers.
All except Ali! When you found that the seed would not grow,you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.Ali was the only one with the honesty to bring me a pot with the seed in it.Therefore,he is the only one I know fit to be the new emperor!"
Subhanallah! what a magnificent reward for a simple act of honesty!
"Honest hearts produce honest actions"
Totally! be it like from full time jobs like computer programmers ( not to sell unstable that crash),doctors( not to do unnecessary procedures on patients),policemen(not to protect the criminals and blame the innocent),employees( not to take home office supplies),businessmen(not to sell harmful products),lawyers (not to lie just so they could win) and all the way to part time ones like babysitters(not to invite friends into customer's homes).Yup,they all must possess this one very important quality-the quality of an honest person.
Then,i remembered a hadith of Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him)
"The signs of the hypocrite (munafik) are three: when he speaks,he lies,when he makes a promise,he breaks it,and when he is entrusted with something he breaks that trust."
(al bukhari and muslim)
All these mentioned characteristics-lying,breaking promises and betraying trust-don't they all sound the same?-don't they all sound like what a dishonest person would do?
that's we call as munafik..so,we don't want to be munafik person right??nauzubillah...
"To make your children capable of honesty is the beginning of education"
Totally! where else to start planting the importance of honesty,if not in our future generations,right?
then I remembered a joke about honesty in children.there was a teacher who wanted to test her little students if they understood the concept of getting to Heaven.So the teacher asked them,
"If I sold my car and donate all the money to the masjid,would that get me into Heaven?"
"NO!"the children answered.
"If I clean my room and keep it neat and tidy,would that get me into paradise?"
again,the answer was,"NO!"
by then,the teacher started to smile."They got it!" she said in her heart.Then,she continues,
"Well,then,if I give lots of candy to the children,would that get me into Allah's Heaven?",she asked them.
again,they all answered,"NO!"
She was just bursting with pride...
"Well,"she continued,"then how can I get into Heaven?"
A 5-year old boy shouted out,"YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."
huhu...but that is what it is about honesty sometimes,right?it is something that is not easy for anyone to do,and not always pleasant for someone to hear,too!
But why is that?why is it that being honest is not easy to do(in certain people)?
Our beloved Prophet(peace be upon him)told us this once,
"Verily,this world is sweet and appealing,and Allah placed you as vecegerents therein;He will see what you will do.So,be careful of (what you do in) this world...."
(Muslim)
This world is indeed like a funfair or carnival that is full of amazing current attractions.Where everyone looks like winners and having so much fun,too-giggling and laughing,enjoying themselves with all the sweets,you agree?So,of course we would all want to have as much of those things too,right?especially if we saw someone else licking that big huge spiraled-coloured juicy lollipop! :p
But you know something?If we could actually restrain ourselves from temptations,if we could exercise self-denial from getting the pleasures of life through the wrong means,if we trust Allah in our lives and not commit fraudulent acts in any way,if we could withstand desires to get things quickly or easily by using immoral ways;if we could fight the urge to cheat,lie,betray,deceive,misled,swindle,con,rip off and trick another human being who is created by out Lord,Allah has promised us with a fantastic reward,as is mentioned below
"Honesty leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to paradise...."
(al-bukhari and muslim)
Subhanallah! just look at what He promised us if we are honest to His creations and for treating His creations right! totally!
So,insyaAllah,let's be an honest person....Allah knows... :)
