How do you maintain and hone your strength? If you want to stand out among your peers, you must act with composure and avoid reacting, because it presents you as weak.
One should not be at the mercy of slogans that lead him astray, especially when facing challenges. He may become so preoccupied with one problem that he forgets his other problems, leading to failure in his challenge.
After that, defeats will follow, and he will lose his strength and become weak, driven by the whims of others. The following story teaches us how to face challenges with wisdom, and the next story shows how acts of charity can win hearts and open the path to Paradise.
Once upon a time, a mighty lion was wandering through the forest when he was confronted by a boastful and arrogant pig.
The pig said defiantly, “Fight me if you dare.” The lion replied calmly, “Pig, you are no match for me. If I fight and defeat you, people will say a lion killed a pig. What honor is there in that? And if you manage to hurt me, it would be a disgrace for me.”
The pig replied, “If you don’t confront me, I will tell everyone you were afraid of me, and that you are cowardly and weak.”
The lion wisely responded, “Let them say what they will. The purity of my fangs matters more to me than staining them with your blood.”
The truth lies in self-respect. Never let others dictate your actions or drag you into battles unworthy of you. Your worth is defined by your commitment to your principles, not by the opinions of others.
The Road to Paradise
A wealthy woman passed by a madman sitting on the ground, holding a small stick and drawing lines in the dirt. Feeling a sense of pity, she approached him and asked, “What are you doing?” He replied calmly, “I’m drawing Paradise and dividing it into sections.” The woman smiled in surprise and asked, “Can I buy a piece of it? How much does it cost?” He answered, “Only 20 Riyals.”
Without hesitation, the woman gave him 20 Riyals, along with some food she was carrying. That night, the woman dreamed she was walking in the bliss of Paradise. When she woke up, she told her husband what had happened.
Curious, her husband went to the man the next day and said, “I want to buy a piece of Paradise from you.” But the man replied firmly, “I don’t sell Paradise.” The husband, surprised, asked, “Why not? You sold a piece to my wife yesterday.”
The madman smiled and said, “Your wife didn’t buy Paradise for 20 Riyals. She comforted me and treated me with kindness. However, you want Paradise without offering anything. Paradise is not a commodity for sale. The path to it is through comforting others.”
