who have made their homes / bank balance, at the cost of poor people’s lives.
There once lived a dishonest trader who bought forest wood from hard-working, honest woodcutters at very low prices. Then he sold it at great profit to the rich.
An open-hearted man went to him. He asked if he was a snake that bit anyone it saw, or a wolf which brings disaster wherever it goes? He should give a fair share to the poor illiterate woodcutters. He further told him off by telling him, “Even though you can deceive honest powerless woodcutters, you cannot deceive the Just All-Powerful Allah.”
The unfair trader became angry. He ignored the fair man’s advice and continued his illegal earnings. He was the king of trade and nobody could compete with him.
One night, the cinders from his kitchen fire landed in the heap of dry wood stored around the room. Within minutes the fire had swallowed his entire stock. From the heights of contentment and pride, he fell into the depths of sorrow and despair.
One day the same good adviser heard him complaining to his friends about how such a fire could have reached his safe home. The good man interrupted,
“From the fire which blazed from the hearts of the poor!”
by Shaykh Saadi Shiraz (ra)
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