A man named Iqbal lived in a cave near a village with his wife and three children, two daughters and a son. He was penniless and constantly worried about his children and how he could fulfil their fundamental needs. His wife was a very strong-willed and patient woman. She managed everything by facing many difficulties but never complained to her husband.
One day, Iqbal went to the village market to buy food for his family. When he was at the vegetable shop, someone suddenly pushed him, but, looking around, he found no one. So he ignored it and went to buy some fresh vegetables. When he was about to pay for the veggies, he found his pocket empty; there wasnÔÇÖt a penny inside it. Shocked and disheartened, he decided to go back home. On his way, he came across a woman giving bread to all the passers-by. She gave him two loaves of bread as well. Now, Iqbal was happy and sad simultaneously ÔÇô pleased at the thought of having bread and sorry for knowing he had four people at home awaiting food. Delved in his thoughts, he continued walking towards home. When he was about to make a turn towards his street, he saw an old man begging for food, but there was no one around who would help him. So Iqbal, out of empathy, gave the man his loaves of bread. The poor old man smiled, thanked Allah and said a prayer for Iqbal.
Finally, with tears in his eyes, Iqbal reached home and narrated to his wife all that had happened that day. She became shocked to hear his husband and asked him if that were the matter, how come he had sent somebody with a basket of fruits and vegetables. Iqbal told her again that he did not have a penny, nor had he sent the eatables. His wife then described the man in his 30s who had brought the basket; Iqbal spent the whole day thinking about this. The same night, he had a dream. He saw that an angel came up to him and told him that Allah was very happy with him, for he had given food to a fellow human being although his family was hungry too. So Allah returned him the favour ÔÇô even bigger and better than he had done. Suddenly, Iqbal woke up and thanked Allah for His bounties and blessings.
Moral
If you help others without any greed, Allah will help you, and you will get closer to Him. Once you are close to Allah, He will reward you 100 times better for your good deeds. So spread happiness and love around you; always be grateful for what you have, and help others even if you have little.
