Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when
we’re alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth & sensual pleasure.

Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it’s a good idea to cul-
tivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we’re on our deathbed to lament.
LION, RATS, SNAKE & THE HONEYCOMB
Once a man saw in his dream, that a lion was chasing him. The man ran to a tree, climbed on to it
and sat on a branch. He looked down and saw that the lion was still there waiting for him.

The man then looked to his side where the branch he was sitting on was
attached to the tree and saw that two rats were circling around and eating the
branch. One rat was black and the other one was white. The branch would fall
on the ground very soon.

The man then looked below again with fear and discovered that a big black
snake had come & settled directly under him. Snake opened its mouth right
under the man so that he will fall into it.

The man then looked up to see if there was anything that he could hold on to.
He saw another branch with a honeycomb. Drops of honey falling from it.

The man wanted to taste one of the drops. So, he put his tongue out and tasted
one of the fallen drops of honey. The honey was amazing in taste. So, he
wanted to taste another drop. As he did, he got lost into the honey sweetness.

Meanwhile, he forgot about the two rats eating his branch away, the lion on
the ground and the snake that is sitting right under him. After a while, he
woke up from his sleep.

To get the meaning behind this dream, the man went to a pious scholar of
Islam. The scholar said, the lion you saw is your death. It always chases you
and goes wherever you go.

The two rats, one black and one white, are the night and the day. Black one is the night and the
white one is the day. They circle around, coming one after another, to eat your time as they take
you closer to death. The big black snake with a dark mouth is your grave. It’s there, just waiting for
you to fall into it. The honeycomb is this world and the sweet honey is the luxuries of this world.
We like to taste a drop of the luxuries of this world but it’s very sweet. Then we taste another drop
and yet another.
Meanwhile, we get lost into it and we forget about our time,
we forget about our death and we forget about our graves.

“This world is like a serpent, so soft to touch, but so full of lethal poison. Unwise people are allured
by it and drawn towards it, and wise men avoid it and keep away from its poisonous effects.”
Imam Ali (AS)
100 Moral Stories 44 www.islamicoccasions.com
 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HEART
One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most
beautiful heart in the whole valley.

A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a
flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen.

The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.

Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, “Why your heart is not nearly as
beautiful as mine.”

The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart. It was beating strongly ... but full of
scars. It had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in ... but they didn’t fit
quite right and there were several jagged edges.

In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were
missing. The people starred ... how could he say his heart is more beautiful,
they thought?

The young man looked at the old man’s heart and saw its state and laughed.
“You must be joking,” he said. “Compare your heart with mine ... mine is
perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears.”

“Yes,” said the old man, “Yours is perfect looking ... but I would never trade with you. You see,
every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love..... I tear out a piece of my heart and
give it to them ... and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my
heart ... but because the pieces aren’t exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they
remind me of the love we shared.

Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away ... and the other person hasn’t returned a piece of
his heart to me. These are the empty gouges ... giving love is taking a chance. Although these
gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too ... and I
hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true
beauty is?”

The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man,
reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old
man with trembling hands.

The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred
heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart. It fit .... but not perfectly, as there were
some jagged edges.

The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love
from the old man’s heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.

Physical perfection is not always beautiful.

100 Moral Stories 45 www.islamicoccasions.com

 THE CLUB 99
Some time ago, there lived a King. This King should have been contented with his life, given all
the riches and luxuries he had. However, this was not the case! The King always found himself
wondering why he just never seemed content with his life.

Sure, he had the attention of everyone wherever he went, attended fancy dinners and parties,
but somehow, he still felt something was lacking and he couldn’t put his finger on it.

One day, the King had woken up earlier than usual to stroll around his palace. He entered his huge
living room and came to a stop when he heard someone happily singing away... following this
singing... he saw that one of the servants was singing and had a very contented look on his face.

This fascinated the King and he summoned this man to his chambers. The man
entered the King’s chambers as ordered. The King asked why he was so happy?

To this the man replied: “Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but I make
enough of a living to keep my wife and children happy. We don’t need too
much, a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummy. My wife and
children are my inspiration; they are content with whatever little I bring home.
I am happy because my family is happy.”

Hearing this, the King dismissed the servant and summoned his Personal Assistant to his
chambers.

The King related his personal anguish about his feelings and then related the story of the servant to
his Personal Assistant, hoping that somehow, he will be able to come up with some reasoning that
here was a King who could have anything he wished for at a snap of his fingers and yet was not
contented, whereas, his servant, having so little was extremely contented.

The Personal Assistant listened attentively and came to a conclusion. He said, “Your Majesty,
I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club.”

“The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?” the King inquired.

To which the Assistant replied, “Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, you will have to
do the following... place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant’s doorstep, you will then
understand what The 99 Club is.”

That very same evening, the King arranged for 99 Gold coins to be placed in a bag at the servant’s
doorstep. Although he was slightly hesitant and he thought he should have put 100 Gold coins into
the bag, but since his assistant had advised him to put 99 that is what he did.

The servant was just stepping out of his house when he saw a bag at his doorstep. Wondering about
its contents, he took it into his house and opened the bag. When he opened the bag, he let out a
great big shout of joy...Gold Coins... so many of them. He could hardly believe it. He called his wife
to show her the coins.

He then took the bag to a table and emptied it out and began to count the coins. Doing so,

100 Moral Stories 46 www.islamicoccasions.com

 he realized that there were 99 coins and he thought it was an odd number so he counted again, and
again and again only to come to the same conclusion... 99 Gold Coins.

He began to wonder, what could have happened to that last one coin? For no one would leave 99
coins. He began to search his entire house, looked around his backyard for hours, not wanting to
lose out on that one coin. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder
than ever to make up for that one Gold coin to make his entire collection an even 100 Gold Coins.

He got up the next morning, in an extremely horrible mood, shouting at the children and his wife
for his delay, not realizing that he had spent most of the night conjuring ways of working hard so
that he had enough money to buy himself that gold coin. He went to work as usual - but not in his
usual best mood, singing happily - as he grumpily did his daily errands.

Seeing the man’s attitude change so drastically, the King was puzzled. He promptly summoned his
assistant to his chambers. The King related his thoughts about the servant and once again, his
assistant listened. The King could not believe that the servant who until yesterday had been singing
away and was happy and content with his life had taken a sudden change of attitude, even though
he should have been happier after receiving the gold coins.

To this the assistant replied “Ah! But your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99
Club.” He explained: “The 99 Club is just a name given to those people who have everything but
yet are never contented, therefore they are always working hard and striving for that extra one to
round it out to 100!

We have so much to be thankful for and we can live with very little in our lives, but the minute we
are given something bigger and better, we want even more!

We are not the same happy contented person we used to be, we want more and more and by
wanting more and more we don’t realize the price we pay for it. We lose our sleep, our happiness;
we hurt the people around us just as a price to pay for our growing needs and desires. That is what
joining The 99 Club is all about.”

Hearing this King decided that from that day onwards, he was going to start appreciating all the
little things in life.

Striving for more is always good, but let’s not strive so hard and for so much that we loses all those
near and dear to our hearts, we shouldn’t compromise our happiness for moments of luxuries!

REPENTANCE
A person once heard a pious Muslim say that “For the last thirty years
I am repenting for a sin and I don’t know how Allah will deal with me regarding it?”

The listener asked: “What was your sin?”

The pious Muslim said: “I used to have a shop in the Bazaar. One day I heard that the
whole Bazaar was burning so I rushed to see my shop. When I reached there I saw that
except my shop all the shops were razed to the ground. I said ‘Al-Hamdo lillah’ (All praise to Allah);
but immediately I realized my mistake. How can I call myself a Muslim when I couldn’t feel the loss
of my neighbors? That is why I am repenting for that lapse on my part for the last thirty years.”

100 Moral Stories 47 www.islamicoccasions.com

 THE NEIGHBOR
Sayyed Jawad Ameli, a great Mujtahid, was having his dinner when someone knocked at his door.
A servant from his master, Ayatullah Sayyed Mehdi Bahrul Uloom, appeared and said: “Your
master has sent for you to come immediately. He has just sat down for his dinner but refuses to
eat until he sees you.”

There was no time to lose. Sayyed Jawad Ameli left his dinner and rushed to
Ayatullah Bahrul Uloom’s residence. Just as he entered, the master looked
disapprovingly at him and said: “Sayyed Jawad! You have no fear of Allah!
Don’t you feel ashamed in front of Allah?” This came as a shock to him, as he
could not remember doing anything to incur the wrath of his master.
He said: “My master may guide me where I have failed.”

Ayatullah Bahrul Uloom replied: “It is now a week that your neighbor and his family are without
wheat and rice. He was trying to buy some dates from a shop on credit but the shopkeeper refused
to grant him any more credit. He returned home empty-handed and the family is without a morsel
of food.” Sayed Jawad was taken by surprise. “By Allah,” he said, “I have no knowledge about this.”

That is why I am displeased all the more. How can you be unaware of your own neighbor? Seven
days of difficulties have passed and you tell me you do not know about it. Well, If you had known
and ignored him despite your knowledge, then you would not even he a Muslim, Ayatullah Uloom
adjoined. Then he instructed him to take all the dishes of food before him to his neighbor. “Sit with
him to eat, so that he does not feel ashamed. And take this sum for his future ration. Place it under
his pillow or carpet so that he is not humiliated, and inform me when this work is completed, for
not until then shall I eat.” “That man is not from me who sleeps contentedly while his
neighbor sleeps hungry.” Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)

A BOX FULL OF KISSES

The story goes back some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for
wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated
when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless,
the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for
you, Daddy.”

The man was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction, but his anger flared again when he found
out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, “Don’t you know, when you give someone a
present, there is supposed to be something inside?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in
her eyes and cried, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you,
Daddy.” The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her
forgiveness.

Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that
gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an
imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with
unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is
simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.
100 Moral Stories 48 www.islamicoccasions.com
 THE THREE COWS
There was a green and fresh pasture, in which three cows lived, a white cow, a black cow and a
reddish-brown one. The cows were kind to each other. They were nice to each other. They used to
graze in the meadow together. and they used to sleep near each other.

Till it happened one day, the reddish-brown colored lion of the forest happened to pass that way.
The lion was unhappy. It was hungry, and was looking for a prey. On catching sight of the cows it
became glad, but couldn't attack them, because they were together. So, the lion sat in a corner and
waited till the cows would separate from each other.

The cows were together and wouldn’t part away from each other, because they knew that if they
were together, no predator could attack them. The lion lay in ambush nearby for two or three days.
But the cows continued to remain together, and wouldn’t separate from each other. The lion
became unhappy.

A plan occurred to it. It went towards the cows, greeted them

and said: “How are you my friends?” Are you fine? I have
been remembering you for a long time, but because I am too
busy, I can’t come to you and ask about your health.

Today I said to myself: “Anyhow I should come and see you

from near and visit you.” The reddish-brown cow said: “Sir,
your coming has really pleased us and brightened our pasture.”

The lion said: “I have always remembered you, and have even ordered a better pasture made ready
for you.” Reddish-brown cow said: “Sir, you have really obliged us and we are very thankful to you.”

Both the white and the black cows were troubled by what their friend, the reddish-brown cow said,
and were grieved at its thoughtlessness. They feared lest it should be deceived.

They said to each other: Which forest has not got a better pasture? Why does the reddish-brown
cow believe what the lion says? Doesn’t it know that lions seek other animals only to prey on them?

The reddish-brown cow became more and more a close friend of the lion each day.
The black cow and the white cow advised it as much as they could, but with no avail.

One day the lion said to the reddish-brown cow: “You know that the color of our bodies is dark
and that the color of the body of the white cow is light, and you also know that the light color is the
opposite of the dark color. It would be very good if I eat the white cow, so that there will be no
difference among us any longer and that we will be able to live together well.”

The reddish-brown cow accepted the saying of the selfish lion and started talking to the black cow
to keep it busy, so that the lion could eat the white cow with more ease. The white cow was left
alone and was killed, while the black and the reddish-brown cows were busy with idle talks.

Two or three days passed since the lion had devoured the white cow. The lion, angry and uneasy,
was lying in a corner, and the reddish-brown cow was moving around the lion and grazing. The lion
called the reddish-brown cow. The cow answered: “Yes sir!”

100 Moral Stories 49 www.islamicoccasions.com

 The lion said: “The color of my body and the color of your body are reddish-brown, and black does
not go with our color. It will be very good if I eat the black cow, so that in this forest we all will be
of the same color.” The reddish-brown cow accepted and moved away from the black cow.

The lion attacked and devoured the black cow, too. And as for the reddish-brown cow, it was so
filled with joy that it didn’t know what to do. It roamed and grazed and said to itself: “It is only
me who has the color of the lion...” A few days passed since the black cow had been devoured by
the lion. The lion roared and said. “O the reddish-brown cow! Where are you?”

The reddish-brown cow, shaking with fear, went forward and said: “Yes sir!” The lion said: “Today
it is your turn, get yourself ready, I am going to eat you.” The reddish-brown cow, with great fear &
horror said: “Why sir, I am your friend. I did whatever you said. So why do you want to eat me?”

The lion roared and said: “Friend of a friendless!” How is it possible that a lion makes friendship
with a cow? No matter how much the reddish-brown cow begged and entreated, the lion didn’t
accept its words. The lion attacked the cow.

The cow said: “Mr. Lion, please allow me to cry out three times before you eat me.” The lion said:
“Quickly, quickly!” The reddish-brown cow cried out: “I was eaten the very day the white cow was
eaten. I was eaten the very day the black cow was eaten. I was eaten the very day I made.... with
you.” The lion devoured the reddish-brown cow very quickly. Then it said to itself: “I have finished
my job in this forest. Now I had better go to other forests.” Divide and rule policy.

A WHITE HAS NO SUPERIORITY OVER A BLACK

The following scene took place on a BA flight between Johannesburg and
London. A white woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a black
man. Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air Hostess. Madam,
what is the matter, the hostess asked you obviously do not see it then?

She responded. You placed me next to a black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such
a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat. Be calm please, the hostess replied.

Almost all the places on this flight are taken. I will go to see if another place is available. The
Hostess went away and then came back a few minutes later. Madam, just as I thought, there are no
other available seats in the economy class. I spoke to the captain and he informed me that there is
also no seat in the business class. All the same, we still have one place in the first class.

Before the woman could say anything, the hostess continued. It is not usual for our company to
permit someone from the economy class to sit in the first class However, given the circumstances;
the captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone so disgusting.
She turned to the black guy, and said. Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please take your hand
luggage because a seat awaits you in the first class. At the moment, the other passengers who were
shocked by what they had just witnessed stood up and applauded.

This is a true story against racism, which is not usually told. All mankind is from Adam and Eve; an
Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a
white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over white except by
piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, and that Muslims
constitute one brotherhood.

100 Moral Stories 50 www.islamicoccasions.com