Good Deeds- A Parable of Hope

A Sufi Parable of goodness shared and its unforeseen good

This short story was originally passed on orally so the original author (if there was a single author) may never be known but the words will live on forever in the hearts and minds of those who care about and love their neighbors.

A story is told, a very old Sufi story, of a man who went about his life doing good for others. God noticed the man’s good works and spoke to him, offering to grant the man one wish as a reward for all the good the man had done for those around him.

The man thought about God’s offer for a moment, then decided his wish would be that he continue, throughout his life, to do good for others- but that he never know when or how and especially not who he helped.

God granted the man’s wish and, thinking it a good idea, He granted the same wish to everyone. From that day forward all people would unknowingly help those around them, but never know who they’d helped.

And so it has been, and is, to this day.

~ ~ ~

Just look at the lives of teachers, who will never know how much they helped their students. I learned much more from my teachers (and so many others) about how to live my life than I did the classroom subject work, so I can’t see why it wouldn’t be true for everyone.

And I believe it still applies to us all, that each of us has helped many others but we’ll never know when, how, or who we helped.

~ ~ ~

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