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Contentment is one of the most important blessings God has granted us. It makes you feel that you are always in God’s care, and you covet what you do not possess. This, in turn, makes a person good-natured, generous with affection and friendship. The person who is content with God’s blessings upon him and looks at them with a look of contentment and satisfaction cannot ever envy anyone, or harbor malice toward those around him in anything. Consequently, God protects him from the malice of the envious and the spiteful. In addition, it is worship and drawing near to God. ...

In one of the small cities spread throughout India, there lived a goldsmith named Jifar with his family, living a simple, tranquil life. This goldsmith was very skilled in making antique necklaces and confirming their authenticity. He had been working since his childhood in a large shop for the making of precious necklaces. But his circumstances changed with his family after he died in a severe accident while returning from his work. The family found itself in a great financial predicament due to his absence. He died at a young age without being able to gather the wealth that guaranteed them a dignified life. ...

A rich man kept a treasure, a dog, and a fox, in addition to a silver ship model. This was a magic amulet that one of the angels had given him—I do not know who. One day, this amulet was stolen! The Amulet and Ruin: No one found the amulet in any place. He grieved greatly, to the extent that he lay in bed fasting, even from eating food, and approached death. During that time, the dog and the fox were playing in his room, but after some time, when they saw that the man was about to die of hunger, they actually died of hunger. ...

The sun rose at the beginning of a new day in my life. God had begun to grant me the treasure of the twenty-four hours. But I found myself grieving somewhat, so I spent this day at home and did not go to school. Visit to the Grandmother and Grandfather: For I lived with my grandfather and my grandmother. I went to them to reassure myself about my sick grandfather. He was every day sleeping on the bed, wandering in thought. He would repeat my name: when would I become and when would I sleep? He loved me intensely. ...

Samr entered upon her father and saw him sitting at a table reading in a book. She approached him, asking: “Father, will you take me to the public park today? The weather is beautiful and the scenery is charming.” Her father looked at his little daughter smilingly and said: “I will take you, O my little sparrow. Wait a little until I finish reading the remaining page.” Samr rejoiced and began to contemplate the things upon the table. She saw white papers and a red wax candle, pens placed in a wooden box, and a small earth globe whose blue surface she was touching, mounted on a metal base. ...

One day there was a great king named Sharīf, and he had two sons. The older was named Rafīq and the younger ʿAdil. When the king died, Rafīq became the new king. The King and the Sorceress: On the first night of his kingship, he requested of the soothsayers to bring him all the sorceresses in the lands and ask them what would happen to his kingdom if the neighboring kingdoms waged war against him and seized its throne. One of the strongest sorceresses of the lands answered and said: “Your people will hate you and strive to kill your elder brother.” All the other sorceresses agreed with her according to their magic. ...

Nabīl the little, son of the skilled fisherman Ḥasan, used to go out every day with his father to watch him, during his work in fishing, to witness what he did in amazement. One morning, Nabīl ascended to the surface of the boat. As soon as the engine started, amidst the blue waters of the sea, the fishermen began to prepare their nets to obtain the largest quantity of fish. ...

Frequently, resentment occurs between a brother and his brother because of the differentiation in treatment between them from before their fathers. Thus the younger son sees injustice, even though it may be that the older son is the most deserving of what might be, and what the father does is not injustice as much as it is good use of his children’s resources and cultivation of their potentialities. In one of the distant villages, there were two brothers working on a farm of vegetables under their father’s supervision. After several years from the beginning of work, the older brother noticed that his father gave his younger brother many tasks and great responsibilities and rewarded him generously. ...

The famous Arab proverb says that greed diminishes what is gathered. God, glory be to Him and exalted, has warned us from that despicable trait, commanding us to love for our brother what we love for ourselves, for in greed there is wretchedness of souls and constriction of hearts, making the individual selfish, thinking only of himself. There were three friends living in a poor village. They had not been able to earn abundant wealth there. One day the three decided to go to the city together to earn money, where much work was available there and the doors of livelihood were many. ...

In a large city in the lands of India, it is recounted that a man named Sanjam worked in washing, cleaning, and dyeing clothes. The front of his shop was always filled with clean, colorful clothes that he would hang beautifully. He was energetic in his work and never failed a single appointment with his customers. The Potter Hilāl: Working near him was the potter Hilāl, who made jars of clay. But he was lazy and greedy in his selling, so he did not have many customers like his neighbor Sanjam. The potter Hilāl envied his neighbor Sanjam for his work and said to himself: “I will do an evil turn to my neighbor!” ...