A Year of Patience and Reward: The Story of Nabeel’s Unexpected Blessing
Nabeel’s Joyful Secret
As soon as Nabeel sat down in the bus, he patted his pocket to ensure his wallet was still there. He had just withdrawn fifty thousand rupees from the bank and was heading home. Nabeel looked very happy, and his joy was due to the fifty thousand rupees he had saved over the course of a year. No one at home knew about this money.
Nabeel had a keen interest in making sacrifices, but due to his low income, he was unable to fulfill this desire every year. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t afford the sacrifice. Just yesterday, his son Salman had asked, “Dad, when will we do the sacrifice?”
The mention of sacrifice made a smile appear on Nabeel’s face. “This year, Inshallah, we will definitely do it.”
Salman was thrilled at the thought of the sacrifice.
Aquila’s Concern
Nabeel’s wife, Aqila, overheard the conversation between father and son. She rushed over and said, “Where will you get the money for the sacrifice from, when you haven’t even managed to buy the children’s clothes for Eid?”
“I’m telling the truth. This year we will definitely do the sacrifice.”
“Every year you promise the children that we will do the sacrifice, but then we end up not doing it. If we can’t afford it, why lie to the children?” Aqila said.
“Do you think I’m lying?”
“Obviously, we haven’t even managed to get clothes for Eid, and you’re talking about doing a sacrifice.”
“Dear, listen to the real story. I’ve been saving money for a year. I have fifty thousand rupees saved up. With this money, we can buy clothes for the children and also do the sacrifice,” Nabeel explained.
“How did you save this money? All the salary is spent on household expenses,” Aqila asked.
“You’re right; there’s no saving from the salary. I’ve saved this money from part-time work.”
“So that’s why you’ve been coming home late and saying there’s a lot of work at the office.”
Aqila also had a great desire to perform the sacrifice. She had been saving some money from the household expenses for this purpose, but every time she managed to save some, an urgent expense would come up, and the saved money would be spent. Hearing that Nabeel had managed to save enough for both the Eid shopping and the sacrifice made her very happy. The bus was crowded, and he kept thinking about it.
A Heartbreaking Loss
As Nabeel got off at his stop and walked towards home, he absentmindedly touched his pocket and his heart sank. The wallet was missing. A pickpocket had stolen his year-long savings. The thought of losing the money after so much hard work made his heart sink.
When Nabeel entered his house, Aqila noticed his gloomy face and asked, “What happened? Why are you so upset?”
“While I was coming back from the bank, someone picked my wallet from my pocket.”
“That’s terrible. What will we do now?” Aqila was also worried.
“I’m troubled thinking that we won’t be able to buy clothes for the children and we won’t be able to do the sacrifice.”
“Don’t be upset. What’s done is done. Worrying won’t bring the money back.”
“You’re right.”
“Allah knows the intentions behind the money you saved. I too try to save some money for the sacrifice, but every time I manage to save something, an urgent expense comes up, and the money is spent.”
“I understand. You too have a great desire to perform the sacrifice.”
“Allah Almighty hears everyone. He will listen to us too one day,” Aqila said.
An Unexpected Blessing
A few days later, Nabeel and Aqila had forgotten about the incident. They had no more money left to think about the sacrifice or Eid shopping. Three days before Eid, Nabeel came home in the evening with a goat.
Aqila and the children were astonished to see the goat.
“Dad, whose goat is this?” Salman asked.
“It’s ours, whose else could it be?”
“Really, Dad!” Salman asked in disbelief, “This year we’re going to have the sacrifice?”
Nabeel tied the goat in the courtyard. The children gathered around the goat, touching and admiring it, thrilled at the sight.
“Here, dear, take this money and buy the Eid clothes for the children,” Nabeel said, handing several large notes to Aqila.
“What is all this?” Aqila asked in disbelief. “Where did the goat and this money come from? Did they catch the pickpocket?”
“No, it’s not that. You know I had left that job because they had withheld a few months’ salary. This morning, I received a call from the organization asking me to meet the manager. I went, and he handed over the withheld salary, which amounts to fifty thousand rupees. He also offered me a part-time job at double the pay,” Nabeel explained.
“What did you say?”
“What could I say? The offer was good, so I accepted it. I bought the goat with the money I received and gave the remaining amount for Eid shopping,” Nabeel said happily.
“Indeed, Allah Almighty listens to His servants. We should never lose hope in His mercy,” Nabeel said with a smile, and Aqila smiled too.
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