A Few Stories

 From

 Here And There

It was around this part of the year, last year, that I had been to a small place to attend a marriage. This was a Muslim marriage, and unusually it was taking place in a mosque. I have seen only Christian marriages taking places in churches, but not those of any other religion. Any thing unusual catches ones attention. So did this marriage catch my attention. Another thing unusual here was that there were two grooms sitting in the mosque. So I thought it might be a community marriage. No, it was not that. In this place, it seems all marriages of Muslims take place in a mosque only and that too in this Friday Congregational Mosque only. Generally all grooms to be married assemble at the same time in this very mosque, and a common sermon is given before the marriage, by one religious scholar, who was sitting on a chair adjacent to the grooms. And then, each marriage is performed separately by the Qazi, by filling up and getting signed the marriage contract forms from each groom and the respective bride separately. After, all the marriage contracts are signed, and acceptance of the grooms and respective brides obtained, a common supplication is made to God for all the grooms getting married that day in that mosque praying to God to confer the best of affection on these just-married couples and bless them with obedient, God-fearing and parent-serving children, and all the audience present in the assembly recite “ Ameen.’’ The religious scholar, who was sitting on the chair started his sermon. There was something unusual about his sermon too. Most sermons in a Muslim marriage are recited in Arabic, which no body follows. But this scholar was giving the sermon in Urdu, the local language, the language understood by all. I thought that this is a good tradition. In the language that everybody follows, including the brides and the grooms, the scholar would be informing the rights and duties of the bride and the groom ordained by God and His prophet, after their marriage, in their marital life, as man and wife. I had seen such a tradition in Marathwada, long ago when I was working in those parts. As against my expectations, it was something more than that. The scholar started narrating some story.

The First Story

          

Long long ago, there lived a king. He had a barber, who has been shaving him for a pretty long time. One day, while doing the shaving for the king, the barber said, “O king! Your daughter has grown and come of marriageable age. My son has also come of marriageable age. He is very handsome and smart. I want that you should give your daughter in marriage to my son. ”The king got wild on the audacity of the barber in proposing his son’s alliance for the king’s daughter. He told the barber that this is the last time I heard any such non-sense from the barber. If the barber dared speak once again about this proposal, he said that he would get the barber hanged. The barber realized his mistake, and requested the king to pardon him for his insolence. He promised that he would never again broach this topic.

Next month, the barber came again to perform hair-cutting for the king. While performing the hair-cut for the king, he once again proposed the alliance of his son for the king’s daughter. The king could not tolerate any longer. He ordered that the barber be hanged.

Like Akber’s Beerbal, this king too used to have a wise minister. The minister advised the king not to act in haste. He asked the king a few questions:

“This barber has been shaving you for the past 40 years. Did he any time act with such insolence, any time?” The king said, “ No. ”

“For the past two months was there any change from the routine?” The king replied, “All through I used to sit in the northern most corner of the mango-garden, and get the shaving done. But for the past two months I am sitting in the southern most corner of the mango-garden. “

The wise minister sent for labour and got that place dug up, where the king was sitting and getting his hair-cut done for the past two months. Surprisingly, they found a very big treasure in that place. The wise minister told the king. “ It is the treasure down under that place which was responsible for the changed cheeky and insolent behaviour of the barber for the past two months. Otherwise he is innocent.”  He begged the king to pardon the barber, and the king granted pardon to the barber.

Having finished this story, the religious scholar informed as to how a wealth which is not even owned or acquired by barber, had such a great impact on the nature of the barber, just by sitting on it. Imagine, if he were to have acquired all that treasure, what impact it would have had on the nature and thinking of the barber. So a person has to have control on his nature and behaviour when God blesses a person with wealth and riches. The scholar immediately started another story.       

 Second story

Once there lived a poor man. He was uneducated and so used to work as a labourer and earn his livelihood. He was blessed with a son. He decided that his son should not suffer like him because of lack of education. Come what may, he wanted his son to get the best education and come up in life. He worked day and night and put his son in the best of schools, and colleges. Even at the cost of starving himself, he provided the best food, the best clothing and the best education for his son. Finally he made his son, an engineer. The boy got a good job, and got a good position in the society. One day, some friends, of his son, came to see his son. The old man himself served good snacks and cool drinks for them. He was thinking that his son would be telling his friends very proudly that this old man is his father, and but for his father’s  hard work and commitment, he would not be in such a good position now. He worked day and night and gave him the best education. He sacrificed all comforts of his life and gave the son all comforts of life. What ever he is today is because of his father’s effort and sacrifice. But the fact was otherwise. When his friends asked him, in English, as to who this old man is, who is serving them all with so much of affection, the son told them that the old man is an old servant of their house. When the friends of his son were going away he took one of them aside and asked him as to what all his son was telling them  about him, the father. That boy was shocked at this revelation and said, “No, he never said that you are his father; he said that you are his servant.” The old man was thunderstruck. He could not understand where he went wrong in bringing up his son. He was thinking that he did his best by denying even the smallest comfort for himself, and provided every comfort for his son. He could not understand as to where he went wrong, and what mistake he had committed. He fell down catching hold of his head, cursing himself in remorse.

The learned scholar, after completing the story, told, “The big mistake the old man committed was giving his son all the best of worldly-education, but he gave him no religious education - the education which instills the fear of God in his heart, and teaches the respect and regard which a father has to be given, and also that which teaches him what is right and what is wrong in life. The mistake is that of the father, but not the son. He did not know that “ a man without religion is like a horse without bridle.”  Immediately thereafter, he jumped to another story. I liked his panchatantra - style of teaching morals to people. There was a very good applause from among the audience.

The Third Story

It was the marriage anniversary of a young couple. They sat for taking their dinner. The wife had cooked a special dish of their choice for their supper. Just then, there was a call on the door. A beggar was asking for food saying he is hungry for the past three days. The husband told the wife to give away the complete special dish which she had made on this occasion. The wife said that some of the food made for their lunch is available; and if he permits she would give that food to the beggar. The husband said, “ What we give in charity should be our best food not a stale one, because what we are giving in charity is what we are giving to God himself, and can we give stale food to God? We can as well eat the food, that is left over out of our lunch,” Having nothing else to do, she started with the complete special dish which she had prepared with all her heart on this happy and auspicious occasion and went to the door. She opened the door, saw the beggar, and with a loud shriek fell unconscious. The husband rushed to the door, gave the dish to the beggar, sent him away, and lifted his wife, brought her into the house, laid her on the bed. He sprinkled some water drops on her face and she regained her consciousness. Then she enquired from her as to what happened that she made such a loud scream and fell unconscious. She said that it would not be to his liking. Even so, the husband said that he is ready to hear the reason.

She started, “ The moment I went to give the food to the beggar, and saw him, I got a reeling sensation and I fell unconscious because the beggar was none other than my former husband. You know that before you, I was married to another person. He is that other person. Those days, he was the richest person in the town. He was having a flourishing business. My father tried for his alliance for me and gave me in marriage to him. Because of his wealth he had become too proud. One day, which, like today, had happened to be our marriage anniversary, I prepared a special dish of his choice. Just when we sat down to eat, there was a call of a beggar on the door, telling that he is hungry for the past three days, and he be given some food to eat. My husband grew furious on this untimely call. He got into a rage, went out, thrashed the beggar, tore off his already torn rags, bet him black and blue, and came back into the house. After that he fell into very bad times. He incurred losses in his business. He finally lost everything, and became penniless, and our marriage also broke off, and I got a divorce. After a few years, my father searched for your alliance and gave me in marriage to you. And by the Grace of God I am very happy.”

The husband said, “ Now let me tell you my story. I was a poor person. Whatever business I took up, I incurred losses. Finally I lost all my capital, and  became bankrupt. I became a beggar. One night, begging from house to house, I went to one house, and gave a call for food. One person came out of that house in a rage, and beat me black and  blue, and tore off my already torn clothes. That person was none other than your former husband; and the beggar whom your husband had beaten up was I, myself. That day, after he bet me and drove me away, I cried like anything and complained to God as to why He is heaping so much of insults and ignominy on me. I prayed to God to have Mercy on me, and give me good times. I stopped begging, and started working as a labourer. From those meager earning only, I made some savings, and mustered some capital. With that capital I started a small business. God showered His Blessings on me, and my business grew by leaps and bounds. In no time, I became a rich person; purchased a big bungalow and car. Your father gave you in marriage to me, and by the Grace of God, my life became the happiest. I am highly grateful to God for answering my prayers and showering His Blessings on me. But till date, I have not forgotten that day, on which your former husband bet me black and blue for no fault of mine and insulted me. And I made it my habit never to decline any beggar, who approaches me. I give him what I eat myself. And I feed him even at the cost of myself going hungry. I have never allowed pride and vanity to touch me, since God does not like those who are proud, insolent and headstrong.

The scholar closed the story and explained the moral of the story as to how God does not like insolence and egotism and punishes those who are proud and insolent; and rewards those who are kind and generous to the poor and the indigent, and showers His Blessings and Bounties on them.

The Fourth Story

There was a Laila and her Majnu. They loved each other beyond any measure. One day, Laila donned a beautiful white dress, and was sitting with her Majnu, both completely engrossed and lost in each other, on the edge of a road. There was some rain the day before, and there was lot of mud on the road. A poor and pious person was going on the road, deeply engrossed in himself. Inadvertently, his leg fell on the mud with a thud, and few small drops of mud got spilled on the silky white dress of Laila. Laila complained to her Majnu, and Majnu got furious, ran to the poor pious person, caught hold of him, and gave him a big slap. This pious person did not say a word, he just looked to the skies, and went away. Majnu returned to his Laila like a gallant conqueror, and fell to the ground with a thud, and with an agonizing shrill cry, got paralysed and lost his speech. Laila could not understand anything, and started crying. All the passersby gathered, and enquired as to what happened. Laila explained to them as to what happened. All the people went in the direction in which the pious person had gone. Soon they overcame him, and asked him to come and see the fate of the Majnu. He came, he saw Majnu, and said,  “Majnu got wild just because a few drops of mud got spilled on his Laila’s dress and slapped me. My beloved did not tolerate my being slapped and made this fate of Majnu for life. There is nothing that I can do.’’ He proceeded on his journey.

The scholar concluded the story driving home the moral that God does not like arrogance, pride, anger, and any harm inflicted on His devotees.