INSPIRING STORIES.

THE TAILER’S NEEDLE
A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining, costly, scissors he cut the cloth into various bits. Then he put the pairs of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. When the spell of sewing was over, he stuck the needle on to his turban.
The tailor’s son who was watching it asked him: “Father, the scissors are costly and look so beautiful. But you throw them down at your feet. This needle is worth almost nothing; you can get a dozen for an anna. Yet, you place it carefully on your head itself. Is there any reason for this illogical behavior?”
“Yes. My son. The scissors have their function, no doubt; but they only cut the cloth into bits. The needle, on the contrary, unites the bits and enhances the value of the cloth. Therefore, the needle to me is more precious and valuable.
The value of a thing depends on its utility, son, not on its cost price or appearance.”

BIG HANDS !!!
Once, a little boy went to a shop with his mother. The shopkeeper looked at the small cute child and showed him a bottle of candies and said, ”Dear child, you can take the candies.” But the child didn’t take. The shop keeper was surprised why such a small child was not taking the candies from the bottle. So, he said again, “Take candies”……Now mother also heard that and said “Son, take the candies.” Yet he didn’t take. The shopkeeper, seeing the child not taking the candies, himself took the candies and gave them to the child. The child was happy to get two hands full of candies. When they returned home, the mother asked the child, “Why didn’t you take the candies when the shopkeeper told you to take …?”
Can you guess the response?
The child replied, “Mom! My hands are very small and if I take the candies, I can only take few. But now you see when uncle gave them with his big hands….. how many more candies I got !”
When we take, we may get little but when GOD gives, HE gives us way beyond our expectations – more than what we can hold. We should always seek to ask to GOD, rather than individuals as HE is the ONE who gives to everyone with HIS power.

STORY WITH A MORAL
One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops, a few people got on, a few people got off, and things went generally well.
At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down at the back. The driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek… Naturally, he didn’t argue with Big John, but he wasn’t happy about it.
The next day the same thing happened. Big John got on again, and said, “ Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down. And so it happened on the next day, and the one after that, and so forth. This irritated the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of his size.
Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for a body building program, karate, judo and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong. So on the next Monday, when Big John got on the bus and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” the driver stood up, glared back and screamed, “And why not?”
With a surprise look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass.”
MORAL: First be sure if there is a problem before working hard to solve one.

WHAT KIND OF LIFE SPAN?
In Saudi, Ibrahim was a righteous man who had a kind hearted wife. One night this man dreamt that he was told that the Almighty Allah had fixed a particular life span for him. Half of it was to be in prosperity and other half in difficulties. He had the choice of whichever life he desired first and whichever condition he desired to have in the later life. The man requested for some time as he wanted to consult his wife as he had always sought her counsel in important matters.
Next day he related the dream to his wife, who told him to ask for prosperous life first. She said, “And hurry up to obtain it. May be Almighty Allah is pleased to grant us HIS bounties.” The next night when he was asked in his dream, he said that he wished for prosperity in the earlier part of life. He was told that his wish shall be fulfilled.
Thus, he began to receive all types of bounties and comforts. His wealth and property increased.
Then his wife said, “ O slave of Almighty Allah! Now you help your relatives and other deprived people. Do well to them. Give that particular thing to that neighbor and something to that friend of yours.”
The man followed the advice of his wife and was not stingy in giving away his wealth in charity. In this way, half his life passed. Again he dreamt of the same person who said, “You were not stingy in charity, therefore the Almighty Allah had decided to grant you prosperity in the latter half of your life as well!”