Whose Goat Is This?

Pir Sahib was startled when he saw a goat roaming freely in the courtyard of his house. Stroking its neck, he spoke to himself, wondering where the goat had come from and why it seemed so fearless, as if it belonged there. The house door was open, which explained how the goat had wandered inside.

His wife soon joined him and asked whose goat it was. Pir Sahib admitted that he had no idea. Seeing how calm and familiar the goat appeared, she suggested it might belong to someone nearby. Pir Sahib decided to go outside and look for its owner, but despite searching the street, he found no one.

When he returned, his wife asked what they should do next. She recalled an old Radio Pakistan program called “Whose Child Is This?” that helped reunite lost children with their parents. Pir Sahib thought of making an announcement from the mosque, but his wife warned that it might attract false claimants. Instead, she suggested keeping the goat until its owner came looking for it. Although Pir Sahib could have kept the goat, he was an honest man who believed strongly in integrity. He was determined to return it to its rightful owner.

When their children returned from school and saw the goat, they were delighted. They assumed their father had bought it for Eid sacrifice. Their mother clarified that the goat did not belong to them. Disappointed, the children asked when their family would finally offer a sacrifice like others. Every year, Pir Sahib tried but could not afford it, as goat prices rose sharply before Eid. The children accepted this reality with heavy hearts.

Meanwhile, the goat became a source of joy. The children played with it daily, took it for walks, and grew deeply attached. The youngest son, Nabeel, formed a particularly strong bond with the goat, and the goat responded affectionately to him. Fifteen days passed, yet no owner appeared. Pir Sahib grew increasingly anxious as Eid approached.

One evening at a local grocery store, Pir Sahib met a middle-aged man named Abdus Salam, who explained that he had bought a goat two weeks earlier, but it escaped when the rope loosened. Despite searching for days, he had not found it. When Pir Sahib asked for identifying details, Abdus Salam described the goat perfectly.

Pir Sahib brought him home, and Abdus Salam immediately recognized the goat. The children stood silently, their faces filled with sadness. Nabeel’s eyes welled with tears.

Abdus Salam offered to pay for the goat’s upkeep, but Pir Sahib refused, saying that whatever the goat had eaten was destined for it. Abdus Salam then shared that his income was also limited and that he had bought the goat to fulfill his son Kashif’s wish to have a sacrifice on Eid.

As Abdus Salam prepared to take the goat away, Nabeel clung to it, crying that he would not let it go. Pir Sahib gently but firmly told him, “This goat is not ours. I told you this before.”

The children admitted that they had told friends the goat was theirs and feared embarrassment. Pir Sahib reminded them that lying has consequences and that Abdus Salam’s son also deserved happiness.

At that moment, Abdus Salam proposed a solution: he would leave the goat there and bring his son on Eid so that the sacrifice could be done at Pir Sahib’s house, fulfilling both children’s wishes. Despite Pir Sahib’s insistence, Abdus Salam left the goat behind.

On Eid day, Abdus Salam returned with his son and a butcher. The goat was sacrificed. Nabeel was the most heartbroken, but he remained silent. Abdus Salam took some meat with him and left the rest for Pir Sahib’s family, explaining that it came from the relatives’ share of the sacrifice.

After they left, Pir Sahib reflected that every act of God carries wisdom and hidden goodness.