Once upon a time, there was a king, the richest king of his time. Every year, on his birthday, he would open his castle doors to his subjects. This was the day his subjects waited for each year. On this day, the king would allow each subject who came to see him to take away something from the castle. Everybody knew there were priceless articles in the castle. Of course, not everyone got to see the King. Only those who came early got this precious opportunity. It was common for the subjects to start queueing up days before the king’s birthday. They came in their best clothes, for they wanted to please the king. They returned to their homes with priceless articles. There was a homeless man among the king’s subjects. Every day, he ate but one meal. And the meal was nothing more than the leftovers of others. As a result of his extreme poverty, he was skinny to the bones. Every year, he tried to see the king, with the hope that he could get out of his misery. But every year, because of the huge crowd, he couldn’t even reach the entrance of the castle. As he was thin and weak, he was always being pushed aside by others and there was nothing he could do about it. Finally, he decided, he would visit the king when there was no crowd. So, he arrived at the castle the day after the king’s birthday when there wasn’t a single guest left in the castle. The guards stopped him and told him that the king does not allow any guests except on his birthday. But alas, they took pity on him and told him, “There is nothing left but the king’s garden. You can take anything from it.” The homeless man went to the garden. To his dismay, the king’s garden was in a terrible condition, not a single fruit in sight, which he could take to fill his empty stomach. Disappointed, he requested to stay in a shack near the king’s garden. The guards allowed him on the condition that he should never ever make his presence known. They promised to let him be the first to see the king the following year. So it is, that the homeless man lived in the shack near the garden. Everyday, he tended to the garden, as he felt that was the least he could do. Day by day, he saw new pieces of priceless articles being brought into the castle to replace the ones that had been given away. Every day, the homeless man contemplated on which of these he wanted. A year passed, and the king’s birthday arrived. As promised, the homeless man became the first to see the king. As he approached the king, the king smiled and said, “So, after one year, have you decided which of these valuables you wanted?” The homeless man was astonished. Does this mean the king was aware of his presence all along? The king continued, “Every year, my subjects come to see me with praises and sweet words. Once they get the valuables they come for, they walk away satisfied. You came when my castle was empty. So, I offered you nothing. Follow me.” The homeless man followed the king to the window, overlooking the garden. “Everybody walks away with something priceless but they do not know what to do with it. In the end, they come back to ask for more. But I gave something of no value - a garden unattended. Come here and look at this.” The homeless man looked out the window and the most beautiful sight greeted his eyes. Flowers of a thousand colours glistened in the morning sun, attracting birds, bees, butterflies! All this while he had been in the garden, he never realised how beautiful the garden was. The view from the top was magnificent! Tears welled in his eyes. “You came here eating from my leftovers, but now, you eat from the fruits in the garden. You came here not knowing anything of poetry, but now, you’ve listened to dozens of poetries I recited. You came here not knowing what is inside the castle, now you know every inch of the castle. You came here not knowing anything about me, but now, you know me better than anyone else among my subjects. I shall grant you anything in this castle of mine.” The homeless man wept. “I came here to find something priceless, and I kept waiting for the day I will get it. But I never realised I’ve had it all along.” So, the homeless man stayed in the shack, knowing that he is home.   Print this Page [Mainpage] [Dhikr] [Du'a] [Articles] [History] [Prayer] [Stories] Copyright © 1999-2006 Mutmainaa. All Rights Reserved. Kindly inform me of any typing errors or mistakes.