Mahir was the son of one of the largest and wealthiest businessmen. When Mahir’s father died, Mahir found an iron box among his father’s things. There were things in the iron box that Mahir didn’t know. At the same time, Mahir was traveling to the city to conduct some business, so he couldn’t open the iron box. He took it with him to work. During work, Mahir gave the box to his colleague and business manager. His business manager’s name was Razi.
Razi reassured Mahir and told him not to worry and that he would keep the box well. Mahir began his journey happy and reassured, because he knew the iron box was in his friend Razi’s possession, and it must be safe.
After several days, Mahir returned to his home and went to visit his friend Razi. He asked him about the iron box. Razi tried to show signs of surprise. Razi pretended to be embarrassed, telling his friend Mahir that the mice had eaten the entire iron box and that he couldn’t save the box from them.
Mahir felt that Razi knew what was inside the box and coveted stealing it. Razi was trying to deceive Mahir, and Mahir was aware of this. So he thought cleverly and preferred to remain silent. Mahir thought he must think of a way to make him reach the iron box and recover it again from Razi.
The next day, Mahir went to Razi and said to him, “My friend, can you let your son come with me to my home? I need someone to guard my possessions.” Razi thought for some time and thought that his friend Mahir must be a fool.
After a period of thinking, Razi concluded that Mahir must give his son something in return for guarding his possessions. Therefore, Razi quickly agreed to Mahir’s offer and asked his son to go with Mahir to execute what he requested of him.
In the morning of the next day, Mahir hurried to Razi and said to him, drawing signs of fear and sadness, “My dear friend, something terrible has happened. I don’t know how to tell you.” Razi was alarmed and tried to understand what happened. Mahir completed his speech to Razi and said in severe terror, “A large falcon came and kidnapped your son.”
Razi felt angry after hearing what Mahir had said and felt that Mahir was lying to him. He said to him, “What are you saying? There’s no giant falcon, and how can a falcon kidnap my son?” Mahir answered him in the same way that the mice ate my iron box. Razi felt regret and said in sadness, “I’m sorry, my friend. I’ve realized my mistake now.” Razi’s voice was sad and filled with much shame.
He felt remorse because he tried to deceive his friend. Razi decided to give Mahir the iron box again. At that point, Mahir reassured him about his son and told him he was fine. Both Razi and Mahir felt happy. Since then, they became loyal friends forever.
The lesson from the story:
- You must be honest and keep your promises to others.
- Don’t treat people as if they’re less intelligent than you, because you may suffer from what you make others suffer from.
- The shortest path is the straight path, so stay away from evasiveness and deception.
- Intelligence is necessary for dealing with others. Instead of rushing and getting angry, try to calm down and think quietly until you recover your rights.
Translated from story: The Iron Box