Abbasid Caliph Haroon Rashid desired that any one who had seen
the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in his lifetime be brought before him.
After some time a very old woman was brought before
the Caliph Haroon Rashid.
The Caliph Haroon Rashid asked the old woman,
"Did you see Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) yourself?"
She said, "Yes! Oh Sir."
The Caliph Haroon Rashid then asked her if she remembered
any narration from him. She said yes and said,
"When old age comes two things become young,
one is hope (lofty aspirations) and the other is greed."
The Caliph Haroon Rashid thanked her and
gave her one hundred dinars.
The woman thanked the Caliph Haroon Rashid and
she was taken back.
Half the way some thought passed through her mind and
she desired to be brought before the Caliph Haroon Rashid
once more.
When she was shown in, the Caliph Haroon Rashid asked,
"Well, why have you come back?"
She said. "I just came to inquire whether the monies you gave me
were once for all or is it to continue every year?"
The Caliph Haroon Rashid thought.
"How true is the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) word?"
she has hope of life even now and she has greed for money too.
The Caliph Haroon Rashid said,
"Don't worry; you will be paid every year."
She was taken back but on the way she breathed her last.
What is Greed?
Greed is the excess fondness of money and fortune.
It is one of the bad manners that draw to various evils and sins.
Disadvantages of Greed:
Greed enslaves man and causes him grief. The greedy cares only
for collecting fortunes without stopping at any limit.
Whenever he achieves a goal, he works for achieving another and,
so, he becomes the slave of avidity until death strikes him.
He, also, exerts laborious efforts for collecting riches,
but he is the less beneficiary.
He tires for gaining fortunes, but death comes unexpectedly upon him
to deprive him of enjoying that fortune.
The heirs, then, enjoy his fortune very easily.
Furthermore, greed takes to the slips of sinful matters
that produce problematic situations in the world to come.
It also hinders from doing charity.
Amir al- Mumini Imam Ali A.S said:
"Know with certainty that you cannot achieve your desire
and cannot exceed your destined life.
You are on the track of those before you.
Therefore, be humble in seeking and moderate in earning
because often seeking leads to deprivation.
Every seeker of livelihood does not get it,
nor is everyone who is moderate in seeking deprived."
Amir al-Muminin (as):
A greedy man will always find himself in the shackles of humility..
Amir al-Muminin (as):
Greed is the key to trouble and carries man to hardship.
It causes him to commit sin.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) said: "
In his love for the world, the greedy is like the silkworm:
the more it wraps in its cocoon, the less it has of escaping from it,
until it dies of grief."
Presented by Hassan Ali
Presented by Hassan Ali
