The Reward of Kindness revolves around doing good and the great reward that follows that deed. The story tells of a polite young man who bought two birds and decided to release them to enjoy the freedom of movement in their social environment. Because the two birds were grateful and appreciative of what this young man had done for them, they decided to show him a place where there was much good for him, as will follow in the story…
Beginning of the story: One of the young men was serving a man among the people. Then the young man thought about leaving his work. The man gave him his wages, which were two pounds. The young man wanted to give one in charity and keep the other.
The market: The next day, the young man went to the market. He found with one of the fishermen two birds of the hoopoe type. He bargained with him for them, but the fisherman refused to sell them except for two pounds! The young man tried to get the fisherman to sell them to him for one pound, but the fisherman refused.
The purchase: Then the young man said to himself, “I can buy one bird for a pound and leave the other.” Then he thought and said, “Perhaps they are a pair, male and female, and I would separate them.” Mercy for them overtook him, so he trusted in God and bought them for two pounds. He pitied that he would send them into a land crowded with many people, and they might be harmed and unable to fly, given the hunger, emaciation, and weakness they had suffered.
Mercy: He thought a little, then took them with him and went to a place with abundant pasture and trees, far from people and civilization. He released them and set them free. They flew and landed on a fruit-bearing tree. When they reached the top of it, they thanked him for what he had done for them. He heard one of them say to the other, “We have saved this compassionate, kind young man from the predicament we were in. We have saved him from destruction and death. We must reward him for this beautiful deed and do good for him as well.”
The tree and the treasure: “Indeed, at the root of this tree is a vessel full of golden pounds. We must guide him to it so he can take it.” The young man said to the male hoopoe, “How do you guide me to a buried treasure under the tree? Eyes haven’t seen it, and you didn’t see the fisherman’s net that caught you?”
The bird’s tale: They said, “When destiny descends, it turns eyes away from the location of the thing. At fate, sight becomes blind. Fate had covered our eyes from the net, so we didn’t see it. But it didn’t cover it from this treasure, so we knew it and saw it…”
Finding the treasure: The young man heard their words. Then the young man began digging under the tree until he found a pottery vessel. He took it and opened it, and found it filled with gold. He thanked the two birds profusely, prayed for them for good and health, and bid them farewell, believing in God with complete faith, pleased with God’s decree and wisdom, confident in His justice.