The Tea Set and the Rose
A motivational story about sharing and caring during Eid
Ramadan was coming to an end soon and there were just a few days before Eid. I had to do some last minute Eid shopping. I was around in a store. I saw a cashier hand this little boy his money back saying :"I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this toy tea set."
Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: ''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?''
The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this tea set, my dear.''
Then his granny asked him to stay there for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly.
The little boy was still holding the tea set in his hand. Finally, I walked towards him and I asked him who he wished to give this tea set to.
"It's the tea set that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Eid. She was so sure that angels would bring it to her."
I replied to him that may be Allah will send it to her after all, and not to worry.
But he replied to me sadly. "No, the angels can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the tea set to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there."
His eyes were so sad while saying this. "My sister has gone to be with Allah. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see Allah very soon too, so I thought that she could take the tea set with her to give it to my sister.''
My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said: "I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall."
"I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister "
Then he looked again at the tea set with sad eyes and very quietly I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy.
"What if we checked again, just in case you do have enough money?''
"OK" he said "I hope that I have enough."
I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for tea set and even some spare money.
The little boy said: "Jazakallah(Thank you Allah) for giving me enough money!"
Then he looked at me and added "I asked yesterday before I slept for Allah to make sure I have enough money to buy this tea set so that mommy can give it to my sister. Allah heard me!''
"I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask Allah for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the tea set and a white rose.''
"My mommy loves white roses."
A few minutes later, his granny came again and I left with my basket.
I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Only Allah knows what went through my mind.
Then I remembered a local newspaper article two days ago, which mentioned of a wealthy drunk man in a sporty car, who caused a fatal accident seriously injuring young mother and her little daughter.
The little girl died right on the scene of the accident and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young mum would not be able to recover from the coma.
Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young mother had passed away and the funeral would be held early this morning.
I couldn't stop myself and I felt it my duty to go to the home where the body of the young woman was laying just before they were going to take it away for prayer and burial. Some ladies whom I recognized from our weekly Taalim Halqa were praying for the young lady.
She was there; wrapped in a white shroud, a beautiful white rose by her side and the same young boy I met earlier with the tea set against his chest.
I went close to the boy and then smiled at him and passed my hand over his head as I recalled the saying of the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him): "Whoever caresses the head of an orphan (in affection), solely for the sake of Allah, a good deed will be written to his account for every hair over which he passed his hand, and whoever treated an orphan (boy or girl) with goodness and kindness, he and I will be close to each-other in Heaven as these two fingers"
I left the place, my eyes flowing with tears, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all these precious persons away from him.
Tomorrow was Eid. Recalling the saying of the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him): "Whoever supports an orphan from among his own or any other family, he will be as close to me in Heaven as these fingers are close to each other." I quickly hurried to the store to purchase a beautiful gift for the young orphaned prince who thought me a great lesson of sharing and caring.
Every Eid since then I have made it my duty to honour this orphaned boy.
Moral: Eid is a time to share and care…let us not forget the poor,orphans and needy on this blessed day.
