What God Wills?

Majid’s Indifference

In the city of Bassora, there was a young man named Majid. He was quite clever, but unfortunately, he was lazy. He listened to his parents well enough, yet he never cared for anyone else. Majid’s father was a tailor who worked hard to support the family. One day, he said to Majid, “My son, idling away your time is of no benefit. You should seek wisdom from others and gain some insight. Why don’t you go to Hassan the Wise and listen to him?”

The Meeting with Hassan

Hassan, a religious preacher, lived in a remote part of town. When Majid arrived, he found Hassan lecturing a small audience: “God alone provides for our food and drink. He alone knows what you need, what I need, and what anyone else needs. Whatever He wishes for us is destined to happen. No one can alter His wish.”

After the gathering dispersed, Majid approached the wise man and asked, “Sir, I did not fully understand your message. Could you please elaborate?”

The wise man smiled and replied, “What I mean is this: If God wills that you eat a certain thing today, you must eat it. There is no way to escape that.”

A Sarcastic Inquiry

“Is that so? In that case, will you please tell me what God wishes for me to eat today?” Majid asked sarcastically.

Hassan the Wise looked at Majid skeptically and answered, “You will be required to drink a lot of milk today.”

“What if I don’t get it?” Majid inquired. “Do not worry. You will manage to get it today, one way or another,” Hassan assured him. “I may get it, but what if I refuse to drink it?” Majid pressed on. “Whether you welcome it or not, you will be obliged to drink a lot of milk today. That is all!” the wise man stated firmly. “But I tell you, I will never drink milk today. Never, never!” declared Majid as he stormed out of the place.

The Forest Retreat

Majid thought that perhaps his mother might offer him milk. Sometimes, neighbors brought sweetened milk as gifts, and it became embarrassing to refuse. To avoid such a scenario, he decided to spend the night away from home in the forest. He settled under a tree to relax.

Then an idea struck him: if a traveler shared his milk with him, it would be difficult to say “no.” To prevent any encounters, Majid climbed the tree and rested on a broad bough.

The Unexpected Encounter

An hour later, a traveling family arrived. Comprising women and children, they decided to cook some food before continuing their journey. They lit a fire and began to boil a large pot of milk. However, the leader of the party soon stood up, looked around, and instructed everyone to leave without delay.

Majid soon understood their haste, as a gang of robbers appeared on the scene. The robbers were thrilled to find the pot of milk but puzzled by the absence of anyone nearby.

“What good fortune! Plenty of milk for us!” one robber exclaimed joyfully. “Don’t touch a drop of it!” yelled their chief, casting suspicion on the milk. “Why would someone abandon such a quantity without a motive? Clearly, our enemies must have poisoned it.”

The Consequences

The robbers agreed with their chief, wary of the milk’s safety. “I’m sure our enemies left someone here to spy on us. We must find out who it is!” the chief commanded, and they began to search the area. One of them looked upward and shouted, “Here he is!” looking directly at Majid.

The chief called out, “Come down, dear fellow!” When Majid hesitated, the robbers suspected he was the enemy spy. “Go up and bring him down!” the chief ordered one of his men.

Majid was forced down from the tree. “Drink the milk,” the chief said with a laugh.

“I refuse to drink any milk today!” screamed Majid. “Shut up, fool! You must swallow your own poison!” the chief retorted. With a tight grip on his limbs, the robbers held Majid down. One of them pinched his nose, forcing him to open his mouth. To his horror, milk was poured into it, filling his mouth!

A Lesson Learned

The robbers waited anxiously for Majid to collapse. After a long suspenseful moment, he didn’t die, easing the robbers’ fears. Satisfied that there was no poison in the milk, they drank the entirety of it and left the scene.

Majid, shaken yet relieved, raced toward home, now filled with immense respect for Hassan the Wise!