Qasim and his son Asim returned from the market after their trade had been very successful. Asim said: We sold many of our goods today, father, and we earned a lot of money. Qasim replied and said to him: Indeed my son, thank God, Allah never loses the reward of those who do good. Hurry up and bring the rest of the goods inside the house.
Qasim and his son Asim carried what remained and brought it into the house. Asim told his mother about the success of their day in the market and earning abundant money. She suggested that they look for a piece of land suitable for building a large house to bring them all together and buy it.
Qasim was happy with his wife’s suggestion and promised her that tomorrow he would go out to look for a piece of land. Indeed, on the morning of the next day, Qasim went out to look for a piece of land. He wandered a lot and didn’t find any. On his way back home, he met his friend and said to him: O generous man, I have tired myself from searching a lot for land suitable for building a house for me. Do you know anyone offering their land for sale? His friend said to him: Yes, there is land owned by a good man, and I know he wants to sell it.
Qasim went to that good man and bought the piece of land from him, giving him its price in money. Asim returned to tell his wife and his son Asim about buying the land. Asim and his mother were very happy and decided to go out to prepare and clean the land before the builders came and started the construction process.
While Qasim was digging in the ground, using his iron axe, he found a clay pot buried in the earth. He hurried to dig around it to be able to take it out. As soon as he took it out, he found it was a jar full of gold.
His son Asim was very happy and said to his father: How lucky we are, with this jar we will become very rich. Qasim said: Wait my son, this money is not our right. Asim said: How can that be father? We bought the land with everything in it, and this money is our right. The father said: No my son, this jar is the right of the one who sold us the land. It is a matter of honesty to return this jar to him complete with its gold content.
Qasim carried the jar of gold and returned it to the man who had sold him his land. He told him that he had found a buried jar full of gold in his land and asked him to take it. The man said: No, it’s not my right, it’s your right, because I sold you the land with everything in it. Qasim replied: No, I bought the land, I didn’t buy the jar of gold. This is yours, take it, it’s lawful for you. The man said: No, I will never take it, because I fear it may not be my right, and Allah will hold me accountable for it.
A debate arose between them about the ownership of the jar of gold, so they decided to go to the judge to rule between them. Qasim said to the judge: My lord judge, this man sold me his land, and I found a jar of gold in it, so I returned it to him and he refused to take it.
The man replied: My lord judge, I sold him the land with everything in it, and this jar is not my right. The judge, knowing that the good man had a daughter of marriageable age, and that Qasim had a young man named Asim, said: Then marry your son to her, and let all of you spend from the gold, and don’t forget to give charity to the poor. Qasim said: May Allah bless you, O wise and just judge.
A story inspired by: A story narrated by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, and formulated in a simplified form and in a dialogue style to be fixed in the child’s mind.