These corrupt individuals do not miss any opportunity to spread lies about honest officials who fear only God Almighty. In the following lines, we will share the story of a cunning Arab who became the target of a plot orchestrated by those seeking to remove him. We will also recount the tale of two men: one who sought the king’s favor and hoped for financial gain, and the other who desired only the satisfaction of God and relied entirely on Him for his livelihood. How did each of them end up?
Al-Mughira bin Shu’ba was a cunning Arab who was known for his sharp wit and intelligence. During the time of Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab, Al-Mughira bin Shu’ba was appointed as the Amir of Bahrain. He was firm in his governance of the people of Bahrain, which led to complaints against him. As a result, the Caliph dismissed him from his position.
However, the people of Bahrain feared that the Caliph, who held Al-Mughira in high regard, might reinstate him. To prevent this, they devised a conspiracy to ensure he would never return to them. They collected one hundred thousand dinars and sent their sheikh/leader to the Caliph. The sheikh went to Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab, accompanied by Al-Mughira. The sheikh told the Caliph, “I have come from Bahrain with the regards of the people. I brought one hundred thousand dinars, which Al-Mughira stole from the treasury of the Muslims. He entrusted the money to me, and I present it to you as a witness to this.”
Omar turned to Al-Mughira and asked, “What do you say?” Al-Mughira replied, “He is lying. I didn’t steal just one hundred thousand dinars; I stole two hundred thousand. This man only brought half of the amount; he has stolen the rest.” Omar then asked, “What led you to do that?”
Al-Mughira confessed, “I have many children and little money. I was in need, and I admit that I took two hundred thousand dinars.” The sheikh was shocked by Al-Mughira’s confession and said, “I swear by God, he did not give me a single dinar or dirham. This money was collected by the people of Bahrain as part of a plot to prevent Al-Mughira from returning to them.” Omar turned to Al-Mughira and asked, “How did this happen?” Al-Mughira replied, “This man accuses me of theft, but he is lying. I intended to disgrace him, but it is God Almighty who has disgraced him.”
The second man then said, “And I will seek nothing but God’s grace.” Upon hearing this, the king returned to his palace and decided to reward the man who had sought God’s favor. He ordered ten pieces of gold to be hidden inside the belly of a grilled fish and sent to the man who had asked for money. A few days later, the king returned in disguise to visit the blind men. He approached the first one and asked, “Hasn’t our favor made you rich?”
The first blind man replied, “Your favor? What do you mean?” The king said, “The grilled fish.” The blind man responded, “I sold it to my blind friend sitting next to me for two pieces of gold sent to him by the king.” The king smiled and thought to himself, “The one who sought our favor was deprived by God, while the other, who sought God’s favor, was granted it and made rich.
Ahmed Al-Jarallah
