Grains and Wealth

Grains and Wealth j

It is said that a prayer made with a pure heart is always accepted.

Once, a wealthy merchant was traveling on horseback. He carried with him four bags filled with precious jewels and genuine pearls. His purpose was to sell these treasures and use the proceeds to buy goods for his trade. However, during his journey, he lost his way and ended up in a vast desert. Though he possessed immense wealth, he had very little food or water with him. In his flask, there was only a little water, which he drank as soon as he entered the scorching desert sands.

The heat of the sun and the burning sand soon made it difficult for him even to walk. Hunger and thirst began to torment him severely. Perhaps, had he been on a camel—the ship of the desert—he might have been able to endure the ordeal better. His horse, unable to cope with the scorching sand, fell down and started struggling. The merchant, holding tightly to his bags of treasures, was forced to continue on foot.

After walking a short distance, he spotted a large bush full of thorns and took shelter in its shade. He took out the four bags tied around his waist and looked at the shining pearls carefully. The jewels, which had once brought him joy, now seemed no more valuable than ordinary stones. All he wished for was that these jewels could somehow turn into grains, even just enough to satisfy his hunger.

As the sun began to set, the desert sand cooled. He dug at the roots of the bush and was relieved to find some damp sand, which he tried to suck to quench his thirst. Hunger, however, made him weak and almost desperate. By morning, he resolved to leave the desert before the sun rose, but the desert seemed endless. Exhausted from walking, the merchant grew weaker, while the bags of jewels felt increasingly heavy.

One by one, he threw the four bags onto the sand, first reluctantly and then without any regret. The jewels could not feed him, so they were useless at that moment. As he did so, he kept repeating to himself, “Grains of sorghum are better than jewels.” Nearing collapse from hunger and thirst, he knelt in the sand and humbly prayed to God:

“O my God! In place of these four bags of jewels, please grant me just one bag of grains so that I may survive this agony.”

It is said that a heartfelt prayer is never ignored. Soon, he spotted a small cluster of trees in the distance—a tiny oasis in the desert, offering the promise of life. A spring flowed there, and he drank eagerly, feeling life return to his body. His hunger, though temporarily relieved, was still strong.

Suddenly, he noticed a bag lying nearby—just like the one he had thrown away earlier. Trembling, he opened it, hoping for mercy. With utmost humility, he prayed again: “O Allah! If these pearls are true, please turn them into roasted grains.” To his astonishment, the bag was indeed filled with roasted grains and sorghum. Overjoyed, he thanked God countless times for this blessing.

The merchant survived the desert, returning home a completely changed man. He would recount this incident to his friends, saying that the difference between the richest and the poorest of humans often amounts to just a single meal. Therefore, one must never let greed for wealth drive them to wrongful actions. True value lies not in riches but in gratitude, humility, and survival through what truly sustains life.