7
Then he said:
“Come take care of the animals before you put up for the
night.”
Waali protested because he was cold, hungry and tired. He
was not used to long journeys on camels’ back and his bones
hurt! He asked angrily:
“Why do you prevent me from even performing my
prayers?”
“The companions of the prophet, peace be upon him,
used to delay even saying their prayers until they had first
given their riding and pack animals fodder and had
attended to their needs. They carry us all day and stand us
without complaint; don’t you think you should be grateful
to them for that?”
Waali looked straight ahead. Deep worry was visible in his
face. Finally the old man declared more kindly:
“We are all bound to make mistakes. It is a good thing you
told me about that! But why did you stop my fire from burning
and push me away like you did?”
The wise man replied:
Photo courtesy of: http://www.savageland.com
“We do not pitch our tents for the night on the beaten tracks,
for they are the pathways of nocturnal creatures, and where
you build your fire, there was a column of ants who would have
been hurt because of your ignorance. Our beloved Prophet,
peace be upon him, used to forbid hurting or causing
discomfort to any animal, as insignificant it might be. It’s
because a good deed done to a beast is as good as doing good
to a human being; while an act of cruelty to a beast is as bad
as an act of cruelty to human beings. So, to give water to your
beasts when they need it may be the cause for you to enter
Paradise; to neglect and be cruel to animals may cause you to
enter Hell.” [A haadith]
8
Waali thought for a moment about the wisdom of what the man
had just said and went back, retracing his steps to see if what
the man had said was right. True enough, there were ants
looking for water all over the tracks and their backs were
shining under the aura of the moon. He felt small and his heart
squeezed in his chest.
"The ecosystem of the desert is so fragile, thought Waali
aloud, any disruption could destroy what is already left.
Deserts are often the result of abuses against the land and
neglect. If men had been more careful and had followed
Allah’s commands, the earth would look differently by now.
I almost followed myself in the habits of those who commit
injustice on earth. It is so easy to be inconsiderate:
Astaghfirullah, Astarfighullah, astarfighullah -- Allah, forgives
me…"
I came near him and put my hand in his shoulder in a way that
wanted to be reassuring. I assured him:
"Everybody is but a student on this earth. If you did not
make mistakes, as you told me once, your God would destroy
you and create another people who would make mistakes and
ask for forgiveness."
Waali turned his dark eyes towards me and smiled.
"I sure would not like to be destroyed, at least not yet!"
We smiled at each other, understandingly. Now, the camels
were waiting for us.
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