LOYALTY is the trait of a person who is mindful not to wrong anyone. As the old saying goes, “If the world is free of good people, it will fall into ruin.” Selflessness and altruism dissolve the greatest grudges and reflect noble morals. The following story illustrates the power of loyalty among people: Once upon a time, a stranger entered a restaurant in Damascus and ordered a loaf of bread. He ate half of it, left the other half on the table, and then left. The stranger came every day and did the same thing.
One day, a man from Damascus noticed his unusual behavior. He approached him, greeted him, and politely asked, “Brother, why do you eat half a loaf every day and leave the other half? Where are you from?” The stranger replied, “I’m from Baghdad. I have traveled through many Arab countries, but unfortunately, I have never met anyone who would remain loyal and honor the bonds of friendship after sharing meals (bread and salt) together. I eat only half of the loaf because I haven’t found anyone worthy of sharing the other half.”
The Shami man responded, “Then today, you are my guest. Come to my house.” The Shami man was living in his house with his mother and his cousin, who is the daughter of his late uncle. He was in love with his cousin, and they were soon to marry. When the Baghdadi man knocked on the door, the Shami man’s cousin opened it.
As soon as he saw her, he was captivated by her beauty. After lunch, the Baghdadi man turned to his host and said, “I beg you, by the bread and salt we shared, not to refuse my proposal to marry the girl who opened the door for me.” The Shami man replied, “She is my cousin, and her father has passed away.” The guest said, “I want to marry her.” The Shami man could not refuse or even explain his feelings. With a heavy heart, he said to his guest, despite his own love for her, “She is yours.” The man traveled with his new bride to Baghdad. Time passed, and soon the Shami man’s mother passed away. The man, once prosperous, soon faced hardship. His wealth dwindled, and he was eventually forced to sell his house to survive. Left with little money, the Shami man decided to travel to his friend, now his brother-in-law. When he arrived in Baghdad, he discovered that his friend had become one of the wealthiest men in the city, and owned a grand palace.
He approached the palace and asked the maid to inform the owner of his arrival. To his surprise, the maid returned, carrying a bag of gold coins, and handed it to him. The Shami man said, “I came to meet my friend, not for the money”. In a moment of frustration, he threw the bag of gold coins, and the coins scattered across the floor. With tears in his eyes, the Shami man turned and left the palace. As he walked away, he realized he had no money left, and he found himself stranded in Baghdad with no means to return to Damascus. With nothing but his prayers and supplications to God Almighty, he slept on the streets, hoping for relief and guidance to show him the right path.
A few days later, an elderly man approached the Shami man and asked about his circumstances. The Shami man, broken and desperate, shared his story. The old man, moved by his plight, offered him a job in trade. The Shami worked diligently and learned the secrets of business, the fundamentals of the markets, and everything necessary to thrive. Within three years, his hard work paid off, and he became one of the wealthiest men in Baghdad. He built a grand palace that rivaled that of his friend. One day, an elderly woman came to him, and asked if she could work as a servant in the palace to earn her living. He agreed, and she eventually became like a mother to him. She told him about a poor girl who was looking for work in the palace. Because of his kind heart, the Shami man agreed to take her in.
The woman began to dress the girl in beautiful clothes, and soon the Shami man caught sight of her. He was immediately captivated by her beauty and asked to marry her. The old woman, seeing his sincerity, made the arrangements, and a wedding date was set at the palace. The wealthiest and most prominent merchants were invited to the celebration. However, just as the festivities were in full swing, the Baghdadi man unexpectedly entered his friend’s palace on the wedding night, despite not being invited. The Shami man reproached him, saying, “I came to visit you, and you sent your maid with a bag of gold coins as if I were a beggar. What do you want now?” He tried to dismiss him from the wedding.
Al-Baghdadi replied, “When the maid informed me, I looked out the palace window and saw your dire circumstances. I sent you the money to help improve your situation, so you could appear respectable in your cousin’s eyes, the one you allowed me to marry, even though you loved her. When I realized you refused the money, I was confused about how else to help you.” He then said, “Do you know that the great man who taught you the basics and secrets of trade is my father, and the woman who still serves you in your house is my mother? Today, I have come to your palace to attend the wedding of my sister, whom you are about to marry.” At that moment, Al-Baghdadi gestured, and Al- Shami’s cousin entered, carrying a boy and a girl in her arms. She approached her Shami cousin and sat at his feet. The bride came and sat beside her, and both Al-Baghdadi and Al-Shami joined them.
Al-Baghdadi then took half a loaf of bread from his pocket and divided it among everyone. Together, they shared in eating it. It is the right of sharing bread and salt to remain loyal to one another. Good people do not pollute the well they once drank from. We are in urgent need of individuals who preserve the sanctity of a meal shared, and remember the bonds that come with it.
