There was an Imam living in London. It was his daily routine to board a bus from his home to travel to the distant mosque. While traveling on the same route at fixed times, it often happened that the bus and the driver remained the same. One day, the Imam boarded the bus, paid the fare to the driver, took his change, and sat down on a seat. Before putting the change into his pocket, he looked at it and realized that the driver had accidentally given him twenty pence extra.
At first, the Imam thought he would return the 20 pence to the driver upon getting off, as it did not rightfully belong to him. Then another thought crossed his mind: "Who cares about such a small amount? The transport company earns millions of pounds from these buses anyway, so what difference will this tiny amount make to their earnings? I should just consider this money as a gift from Allah, keep it in my pocket, and stay quiet." Amidst this internal conflict of whether to return it or not, the Imam's stop arrived.
As the bus stopped, the Imam, before stepping down, handed the 20 pence back to the driver and said, "Here you go, it seems you gave me extra money by mistake." Taking the 20 pence back, the driver smiled and asked the Imam, "Are you the new Imam of the mosque in this area? For a long time, I have been wanting to visit your mosque to learn about Islam. I intentionally gave you those 20 pence extra just to test your behavior regarding this small amount."
As soon as the Imam stepped off the bus, he felt as if all the strength had drained from his legs. To save himself from falling, he grabbed onto an electric pole, looked up at the sky, and wept, praying, "O Allah, forgive me! I was about to sell Islam for just twenty pence."
Remember, sometimes people learn about Islam only by reading the Quran, or non-Muslims form a perception of Islam just by looking at us Muslims. We must strive to ensure that no one ever mistakes our individual behavior as the true face of Islam or an example for all Muslims. If we cannot inspire someone to embrace Islam, we should at least not make them detest it because of our actions. We Muslims need to be extra cautious, because a stain on a white cloth is visible from afar.
(Narrated — Selection: Islamic Tube Pro App)
اناس میمن پلانپوری
