Trustworthiness and Honesty

almost time to break the fast when someone knocked at his door. On answering the door, he found out that there was a beggar at the door who was hungry. He gave the meal that was prepared for him to break the fast to the beggar. He then broke his fast by drinking water only and thanked Allah.

One can understand the extent of Ali‟s generosity from the incident that once someone praised the generosity of Hatim alTai and shared an instance that a mendicant begged at the door of Hatim al-Tai, he granted him alms but then the beggar went to other door where Hatim al-Tai gave him more. The beggar then went to his third and fourth door and Hatim al-Tai granted him at every door. On hearing this, Ali said, “This is not a big deal. Excellence is to grant the beggar so much on the very first time that his desire is fulfilled and he has no need to ask anymore.”

Once his wife Fatimah bint Mohammad, the Lady of Paradise, had an acute illness. She had the craving to eat pomegranate. Ali was coming home after buying the pomegranate when a beggar beseeched him. Ali gave him the pomegranate and walked home empty handed. After a little while, someone knocked at the door. When Ali answered, a man was standing at the door who presented him some pomegranates. Ali counted, there were nine pomegranates. Ali returned them to the man saying they were not for him. The man said, “At first you took the pomegranates but why have you returned them after counting?” Ali replied, “I donated one pomegranate. I have faith in the promise of Allah that he will grant me ten in return of one.”

The man smiled and said, “You are right! I had ten pomegranates but I took one out to test you.”

TRUSTWORTHINESS AND HONESTY

Trustworthiness and honesty are not related to things of monetary value only rather they have vaster meanings. If you have someone‟s secret then you are trustee of that secret. If you are a