The Persian King Plucks Sweet Fruit from a Sour Tree!

"The Judgment"

Behram Shah was very fond of hunting. But he was unaware of the conditions of his people. He used to become pleased merely by seeing his well-managed military and the flattering talks of his courtiers. He knew nothing about innocent prisoners languishing in his jails.

A war erupted on Iran's borders, prompting the king to seek assistance from his people. However, they did not respond to his plea for help as he had previously neglected their needs. The king was astonished by their lack of cooperation and began to reflect on why he was powerless in the eyes of his people.

He discovered an irregularity in the government administration that had turned the people against the regime.

One day, he went out of the city in disguise. There he suddenly saw that a man had hung the skin of a lion in front of his tent. The King of Iran went forward, said Salam to that person, introduced himself as a traveller, and asked the reason for hanging the lion skin. After much persuasion, the man replied, “I was maintaining myself with the help of some sheep that used to graze in this greenery. This skin is of a lion, who used to guard them.

My shepherd and I had plans to expand our work, but unfortunately, the shepherd informed me that wolves had taken one of our sheep. This sad news was repeated for the following two or three days.

I started to become wary of the lion, so the shepherd and I decided to keep watch over it throughout the night. During our observation, we noticed that the lion had developed a tendency to socialize and party with its companions during the night, which ultimately led to the wolves attacking our herd. As a result, we have displayed its skin as a warning to others that those who take on responsibility but, fail to fulfil their duties with integrity.

The king was shocked by a story he heard and began to question whether his overconfidence in his courtiers was the reason for his failures. He decided to personally investigate various public sections without involving his court advisors. To his dismay, he discovered that unhappy citizens were not allowed to voice their grievances and that innocent people were being imprisoned for not paying "illegal" taxes.

He quickly initiated a fundamental revolution by replacing his courtiers, ministers, and officers, punishing oppressors, and regaining the trust of his people. He soon gained support from all sectors of society.

Lesson to learn: If someone has taken responsibility of any kind, he should be intelligent, persevering, dexterous, eloquent, energetic, bold, brave, able to endure adversities, and firm in loyalty. He should neither be haughty nor fickle. He should be amicable and not excite hatred or enmity in others.

Thank You For Reading Shameem Anwar and For Your Valuable Time!