Once, a man came to Imam Ali (RA) and said, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! I have come to you with a massive problem, and I seek a solution from you.”
Imam Ali (RA) replied, “Tell me, what is your problem?”
The man explained:
“In this world, I own only a small house and a small garden within it. In that garden, there is just a single date palm tree. Every year, that tree yields twelve bunches of dates. I depend entirely on these twelve bunches for my family’s livelihood. We satisfy our hunger with them throughout the year, at the rate of one bunch per month.
But this year, one of those twelve bunches dried up and withered away. Now, I am left with only eleven bunches. I have come to you out of deep anxiety about what I will do for my family’s food during the twelfth month, once the eleventh month ends.”
Hearing this, Imam Ali (RA) said, “Go to your tree immediately, pluck one of the remaining bunches, and bring it to me.”
The man asked in astonishment, “O Amir al-Mu’minin! When I am already telling you that I am short of one bunch, you are asking me to pluck and give away another one?”
To this, Imam Ali (RA) asked, “Do you not have trust in me, as a member of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s Household)?”
The man immediately replied, “Of course, I do!” He then went, plucked a bunch of dates, and brought it back to the Imam.
Imam Ali (RA) told him, “Take this and go to the house of a poor widow living at the edge of the city. She has orphan children. Go to them and say, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin has sent this to you.'”
The man went to the woman’s house and knocked on the door. From inside, the woman asked, “Who is it?”
The man replied, “Imam Ali (RA) has sent this bunch of dates for you.”
The woman responded, “Take this back to him. We already have food to eat for tonight.”
The man returned to the Imam and explained what happened. Imam Ali (RA) said, “Go back to her and tell her to keep it for tomorrow.”
He returned to the woman and said, “The Imam asks you to keep this for tomorrow.”
To this, the woman gave a profound reply:
“If Imam Ali (RA) can guarantee that I will remain alive until tomorrow, I will accept this. Otherwise, I do not need it!”
Hearing those words, the man was completely shaken. He felt deeply ashamed, thinking to himself: “While there is a widow who does not worry even about tomorrow’s food, here I am worrying about months into the future!” Filled with absolute faith in God, his heart found peace, and he returned home.
Excessive fear of the future indicates a deficiency in one’s Iman (faith).
The heart finds true peace only when we reach the state of believing “God will take care of it.”
The man’s anxiety brought him to the Imam, but the woman’s absolute trust brought her incredibly close to God.
True wealth lies in God’s grace. Let us surrender tomorrow’s worries to the Almighty and learn to be grateful for the blessings bestowed upon us today.
Alhamdulillah!
