instructive 🙂!

Hazrat Sheikh Saadi says,
A clerk among my acquaintances was very worried about not getting a job. One day he came to me and after explaining his situation said that you have access to the king’s court. Ask an official to get you some work. After listening to him, I said: Brother, the job of kings is not free from danger.

Along with the hope of earning a living, there was also a possibility of losing your life.

I had given this advice with the thought of his well-being in mind, but he thought that I was trying to avoid it. He said, “This has been resolved, but those who do their work honestly and diligently have no need to fear! You must have heard that the washerman beats dirty clothes on the washing line.”

I explained to him again that you are right. There is no fire for mold, it is a very well-known saying. But one should be as careful as a fox, who used to run away after falling. Someone asked, “What is wrong with you, Aunt Fox, that you are running away like this?” The fox said, “I have heard that the king’s soldiers are catching camels in the process of being forced to work.” He laughed and said, “What a fool you are!”

If camels are being caught, what are you afraid of? Then you are a fox.” The fox replied, “You are right, but what will I do if an enemy says, ‘This is a baby camel, catch it too?’ By the time it is investigated whether I am a fox or a baby camel, my work will be finished. It is a well-known proverb that by the time the antidote arrives from Iraq, the patient for whom the antidote was ordered will have died.

My words were absolutely correct, but he remained steadfast in his opinion, and I assessed his condition and got him a job in the king’s court. Initially, he got a modest job, but since he was a capable man, he made great progress and started living a life of honor and comfort.

A few days later, I set out on a pilgrimage with a caravan, and when he returned from this blessed journey, the man walked several steps to welcome me, but I saw that his condition showed concern. When I asked about the situation, he said, “Now I know that what you said was absolutely right. I progressed with my ability and hard work, so those who envied me took offense at this and accused me and imprisoned me. Now, in the joy of the pilgrims’ caravan returning safely, the prisoners have been released. So I was also granted release. Otherwise, the king would not have felt the need to investigate whether I was guilty or innocent.

I said: Alas! You did not listen to me, I had already explained to you that the proximity of the king is like a journey across the sea, that a person gets many benefits from it, but there is also the fear of losing his life.

The ear that does not listen to the advice of the wise,
After all, one day there will be shackles on his feet,
Even if he does not have the strength, he can bear the poison freely,
A man is ignorant who comes to the village of scorpions,

Lesson:- Hazrat Saadi, in this story too, has told the virtue of living a life of contentment and patience instead of getting close to kings. There is no need to say anything about the way of thinking and acting of the absolute kings of his time, because every wrong and straightforward thing they said was considered a law. This is also absolutely true about the people in power today, that until they achieve full capacity and competence, their proximity is not free from danger.

(Sheikh Saadi and his stories.)