Generosity

I have three sons who have married. I won over the older one one day and wanted to stay with him. In the morning, I asked his wife to bring me water for ablution. I performed ablution, prayed, and poured the remaining water on the bed I was sleeping on. When the son’s wife came with morning tea, I said to her: My daughter, this is the state of the elderly. I urinated on the bed. The wife became agitated and made a fuss, and the old woman heard a stream of ugly words from her. Then I asked her to wash it and dry it and not do that again. ...

Our master Hassan and our master Husayn - may God be pleased with both of them - were on the path of a great desert and good smell. Because they were both walking on the path, they passed by a man who was urinating, but he did not improve his urination. The Old Man’s Mistake in Washing in the Desert: For he did not wash his face completely, and did not wash his hands both of them, and left some of his legs without washing. When Hassan and Husayn saw that from the man, they were angry at his mistake in urination, and his age was older than them both. He feared what they had said to him: Improve your urination, or if your urination is not proper, or that you do not know urination. The man became shy and ashamed of them both. ...

Once a man was walking on a mountain when he found a cave strange to it. He took the treasure to explore it, and inside the cave was a type of strange delicious food. When the man saw them, he entered the cave and remained there for his watch. From that day, the man was forgetting his precious treasures in the cave, and was avoiding any person who looked in that he was rich deceiving about his position and telling him his secrets. ...

Before many years, everyone was rich and healthy, where they were eating with a good and healthy system food very varied, and especially the rich and the children and the animals, they were all practicing the daily good works and they were learning with the good and the love, and the earth was the most beautiful place that can be lived in, and from the wonderful that all of the mountains and the children were suffering from the love and the bad disease. ...

In ancient times there were two brothers, one of them well off and the other extremely poor who did not possess food for his day. One day the poor decided to work in agriculture on a piece of small land that he had inherited from his father so his condition would improve and he would go away from poverty. The man plowed the land and planted in it seeds of pumpkin. ...

The little river was flowing laughing happily, planting fertility in its steps and carrying in its palms generosity. It ran between the grasses, singing its songs, scattering sweetness, green joy. It watered the withering flowers so their smiling lips brightened, watered the thirsty trees so their branches danced, and embraced the dead earth so life returned to it. The generous river continued the journey of joy and giving, not favoring anyone or expecting reward. On its side was a small, hard-hearted rock that was annoyed by his much work and addressed him: Why do you waste your water in vain? ...

One day, there was a farmer in a small village. The farmer owned land and worked to plant date palms in it. This farmer was very active and energetic, for he used to take care of his small land and wasn’t preoccupied with the kinds of seeds he produces for his palm trees, for he used to bring the best types that were distinguished by their high quality. Therefore, this farmer had won many awards and first prizes because he was the owner of the best date palm product on the level of his village. ...

It is told that there was a neighbor to Juha. It was known of him that he was extremely generous and bountiful. One day, this man held a wedding and didn’t invite Juha and his wife to attend. Juha and his wife were angry at the man’s deed. They sat together thinking of a trick to attend this feast. Juha’s wife left her house and hurried to enter the neighbor’s house, imagining the feast was there. Juha was behind her running with anger and calling out to her, but the neighbors held him and began calming him and trying to prevent him from beating her. Juha’s wife hid in the neighbors’ house. Juha sat by the drums where tables were spread and food was placed. Everyone sat. Juha approached the food and began devouring it voraciously and said, “How delicious my wife’s food is. I’ve known where to feed herself.” ...

Two brothers lived in one house. They were small, raised together until they grew up, each married. They separated, each living in a house with his wife and children. The older was extremely rich, and the younger extremely poor. The rich brother lived on a small island surrounded on all sides by sea water, so he made the trade of salt his trade. He sold salt for years until he collected a large amount of money. But despite that, he was extremely stingy. ...

Many values pass us in life, some of which we learn from and some we don’t pay attention to. We might miss much if we don’t plant the best values and finest morals in our children, for the child is but a seedling we plant and reap its fruits. This story teaches us values like doing good and performing kindness, for what we do is what we reap. It is told that there was a well-off woman who made bread for her family every day. She always made extra bread for any hungry passerby who passed by her. The woman used to put a loaf of bread on the windowsill for any passerby to take. Every day, a poor hunchbacked man would pass by her door, extend his hand, and take the loaf. Instead of showing gratitude for the woman’s generosity, he would murmur some words saying, “The evil you offer stays with you, and the good you offer returns to you.” ...