the emperor and the begger

[BilalKid]

An emperor was coming out of his palace for his morning walk when he met a beggar. He asked the beggar, "What do u want?"

The beggar laughed & said, " U are asking me as though u can fulfil my desire."

The emperor was offended. He said, "Of course I can fulfill ur desire. What is it? Just tell me."

And the beggar said, "Think twice before u promise anything."

The beggar was no ordinary beggar. So the emperor insisted, "I will fulfill anything u ask. I am a very powerful emperor, what can u possibly desire that I can not give to u?"

The beggar said, "It is a very simple desire. U see this begging bowl? Can u fill it with something?"

The emperor said, "Of course!" He called one of his viziers & told him, "Fill this man's begging bowl with money."

The vizier went & got some money & poured it into the bowl, & it disappeared. And he poured more & more, but the moment he would pour it, it would disappear & the begging bowl remained always empty.

The whole palace gathered & news spread throughout the land & a huge crowd gathered. The prestige of the emperor was at stake. He said to his viziers, "If the whole kingdom is lost, I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar."

Diamonds & pearls & emeralds, his treasuries were becoming empty. The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. Everything that was put into it - everything - immediately disappeared, & went out of existence. Finally it was evening, & the people were standing there in utter silence.

The emperor dropped himself at the feet of the beggar & admitted his defeat.

He said, " U are victorious - but before u leave, just fulfill my curiosity. What is this begging bowl made of?"

The beggar laughed & said, " There is no secret. It is simply made up of human desire which is bottomless. No matter how much u may have, the human desire is such that it will always want more & more. Satisfying ur desires is like satisfying the thirsty person who went to drink water from the sea - the more he drinks, the thirstier he gets, since the water is salty."

Hazrath Ibn 'Abbas (رضي الله تعالى عنه )narrated:
I heard the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wasallam saying,
"If the son of Adam (the human
being) had two valleys of money,
he would wish for a third, for nothing
can fill the belly of Adam's son
except dust, and Allah forgives him
who repents to Him."