Wisdom

On a bench in the garden sat an old woman with white hair, a soft face, and smiling eyes. She leaned on a thin, long staff, and at its end was a golden ball. Suddenly, Amīr, a student in first grade, came running. Great Anger and Agitation: Amīr sat on the bench like a bull and said to her: “Move away! There’s no place for you!” The old woman moved aside and saw on his red face the marks of anger. She saw his eyes flashing and tearing. The woman asked him: “What happened to you? Are you angry?” Amīr answered vehemently: “What business is it of yours?” The old woman was not affected by Amīr’s words. She said to him calmly: “I bet you got into an argument a few minutes ago, got angry, cried, and shouted at whom?” ...

Honesty is a great value and a praiseworthy trait that we should all adorn ourselves with, especially when accompanied by a promise and good intention from another person. If we are honest in someone’s promise to us, we must do the same and not betray, for betrayal is deeply harmful, especially to those who have given us security and safety. One day the turtle Fūrī was standing on the bank of the river. As was her custom, Fūrī would wake early, swim, and praise her Lord for the blessing of health and ask for her provision from her Creator. On this day, Fūrī was standing on the riverbank and resolved to descend into it in search of some food and to play with her friends. ...

We have spoken much about the value of cooperation—that it is the foundation by which any individuals can rise and defend one another, and help themselves as well if they use it in the correct way. The simplest rule of proper cooperation is fairness, whether in how to help during the distribution of tasks, or fairness in distributing the gain if cooperation yields tangible benefits. This is the basis of our story. ...

The hoopoe summoned the birds of the forest from early morning to an emergency meeting, and it seemed that something grave had happened or was about to happen. Such summonses occur only in rare cases. The birds hurriedly wiped the traces of sleep from their eyes and set off on their way toward the large square, trying to guess the reason for this sudden summons. When the attendance was complete, the hoopoe stepped forward and spoke. “You know, my dears, that this forest is our home and the home of our ancestors, and it will be for our children and grandchildren.” ...

Long ago in one of the poor villages, there lived an old poor man. Despite his poverty, the king envied him because he owned a beautiful white horse unlike any other. The king tried repeatedly to buy it but to no avail. Though the king offered him an excellent price, the old man refused, saying: “This is not just an ordinary horse to me; it is my friend, so how can I sell my friend? Forgive me, my lord, for this is impossible.” ...

We must all recognize that cooperation is an important value we should learn, acquire, and practice. Especially because this beautiful value can take the form of helping others or helping ourselves by others’ aid to us—all are different forms of cooperation and care in carrying it out. It may ward off some evils from us and, in its wake, send the wicked away. We have long heard that unity is strength and that the many prevail over individual courage alone, making those who cooperate together like a tightly knit building, each part supporting the other, as happened in our story today. ...

In one of the remote villages, there was a man with eight children: six males and two females. But he died, leaving them in the care of their pregnant mother. She gave birth after her husband’s death to a male child, but he resembled a monkey! His appearance was bad. The villagers and relatives refused his presence among them and asked his mother to get rid of him. But she refused, embraced her child, and told them she would raise him like his brothers. So they expelled her outside the village and sent her to live with her child in a distant hut. ...

In a small room on the surface of a white paper, the square, triangle, and circle lived in love and harmony. One morning, an event caused disagreement and quarrel among the three geometric shapes. A long-legged spider crept into the small room, climbed the wall, intending one of the corners, then began weaving fine threads skillfully, weaving a web to catch insects. As soon as he finished, he tied one of his threads to the ceiling and hung swinging. When he reached the edge of the window, he shouted: Spider, spider, come, for I have found a place for you to weave your web. The spider approached him, saying: By God, have you found the place? I’ll divide it for you. Look at the ceiling, there are three empty corners. The spider smiled and said: Oh, what a lovely spider. I got tired trying to weave my web but didn’t succeed. ...

The two friends, the small-sized fox and the large bull with big horns, agreed to spend a day wandering in the areas of the green forest. The fox was smart, evasive, and cunning, while the bull, despite his size, was stupid and dull. Half the day passed, the sun’s heat intensified, and the two friends felt extreme thirst, so they went in search of a water spring to quench their thirst. ...

It is told that a man from wealthy businessmen who loved helping others and donating money to the needy fell ill one day due to his extreme laziness. His family, friends, and all who loved him were saddened. His extreme laziness caused an increase in the percentage of fat in his body, which made him move with great difficulty. Then it wasn’t long before his feet dried up, and he could no longer move them. He was forced to work from home and spent days and weeks without going out or moving. At first, he thought that by not moving like that, he would preserve his health, but the situation turned against him. ...