The Little Savings House

The Little Savings House

In the city of Attock lived a brother and sister who were very close to each other. The sister’s name was Fareeha, and she was only twelve years old. Her elder brother, Ahmed, was fourteen. Although Fareeha was younger in age, she was much wiser and more thoughtful than her brother. Ahmed often joked about it, but deep inside he admired her intelligence.

It is said that wisdom is not measured by years but by understanding. The great scholar Sheikh Saadi once remarked: “Greatness lies in the mind, not in the passing of months and years.” This saying could easily be applied to Fareeha. She had a sharp mind, a tender heart, and a habit of thinking beyond her own little world.

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The Mysterious Pot

One sunny afternoon, Ahmed noticed Fareeha holding a small clay pot in her hands. The pot was simple, round in shape, with a tiny slit cut along one side. Ahmed looked at it with curiosity.

“What is that you’re carrying?” he asked, puzzled.

“This,” Fareeha replied with a soft smile, “is called a savings house.”

“A savings house?” Ahmed repeated. “What does that even mean?”

Before he could ask further, Fareeha led him to the veranda. They both sat in a quiet corner. Without hesitation, Fareeha raised the pot high and smashed it onto the ground. The pot shattered into many pieces, and what lay inside left Ahmed speechless.

Bright currency notes of ten and twenty rupees, along with shiny coins of different sizes, scattered all over the floor. Ahmed’s eyes widened in surprise. He had never seen his little sister with so much money before.

“Wow!” he exclaimed with joy. “Fareeha, you have been hiding treasures! Let’s use all this to buy new toys.”

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A Different Kind of Plan

But Fareeha shook her head gently. “No, brother. We already have enough toys. I saved this money bit by bit, not for toys, but for times of need. Haven’t you read in our books, ‘Today’s savings will help us tomorrow’?”

Ahmed’s smile slowly faded. He had been excited at the thought of shiny new toys, and hearing his sister’s refusal made him feel disappointed. In a low, almost sad voice, he asked, “Then what will we do with this money?”

Fareeha’s eyes shone with determination. “My dear brother, don’t you know? Right now the world is facing the terrible disease called coronavirus. Many people are suffering and struggling. Some cannot even afford basic things to keep themselves safe. With this money, we will help the needy.”

Ahmed frowned slightly. “But Fareeha, this doesn’t look like much. Let me count it.”

So they both sat down, carefully sorting the notes and coins. After counting twice, they realized the total came to five hundred and three rupees. Fareeha repeated the amount thoughtfully, “Five hundred and three.”

Ahmed, however, was not convinced. “That’s so little! What difference can five hundred rupees make? We can’t change anything with such a small amount. Wouldn’t it be better to buy ourselves something useful, like toys or maybe books?”

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Lessons of the Heart

Fareeha’s face grew serious, but her tone remained calm. “Ahmed, to help others, it is not necessary to have a large amount of money. What truly matters is intention and spirit. Do you know what intention means?”

“No,” Ahmed admitted. “Tell me.”

“Intention,” she explained, “is the decision of the heart. Whenever you do something, God rewards or punishes not only by what you do outwardly, but by what you meant in your heart. Even the smallest deed becomes valuable if the intention behind it is pure.”

Ahmed looked unconvinced. “Still, five hundred rupees won’t make any big difference. Why not buy toys? At least we’ll be happy.”

Fareeha thought for a moment, then gave an example. “Let me explain it differently. Imagine you have a bucket full of water. Every day, you take out only two glasses of water from it and pour them into a small plant pot. For the bucket, those two glasses hardly matter—the water level remains almost the same. But for the plant, those two glasses mean life. Slowly, the plant grows, and one day it fills the air with its fragrance.

“In the same way, our five hundred rupees might not make a difference to the world at large, but for one poor person, for one struggling family, it could bring relief, protection, or even hope.”

Ahmed’s eyes widened in wonder. He felt both surprised and moved. “Fareeha, that is such a beautiful thought! You’re right—it’s not about how big the amount is, it’s about whether it can bring life or hope to someone else. We only need to see it with the right eyes.”

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A Noble Decision

His sister smiled gently. “Yes. So here’s what we will do. You take this money and buy as many protective masks as you can. Then we will go together to our neighbors and distribute them among the poor. In this way, they will be able to protect not only their own lives but also the lives of others around them.”

Ahmed’s heart filled with a strange new excitement—not the excitement of buying toys, but the joy of doing something meaningful. He could already imagine the smiles on people’s faces when they received the masks. For the first time in his young life, he felt the power of giving rather than receiving.

The two siblings held the scattered money in their hands, no longer thinking of toys or treats. They were thinking of the people outside their little home—people who struggled every day, people who needed a small act of kindness.

And so, from that day forward, Ahmed learned something he would never forget: true happiness is not found in taking, but in giving; not in how much you have, but in how pure your heart is when you share it.

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Moral of the Story

This simple tale of a little girl and her brother teaches us that wealth is not measured by size or numbers, but by intention. Even the smallest contribution, when made with sincerity, can create ripples of goodness in the world.

Fareeha and Ahmed may have started with only five hundred and three rupees, but their act of kindness carried far greater value than any toys ever could. It became a reminder that compassion, empathy, and generosity are treasures no one can take away.