A Tale of the Miser

A wise mystic said kindly to a miser: You wretch, brought low by your own lack of courage, As long as you clutch tight like a timid, faint hearted person, you will always miss the joy of union with God. Reaching Him means giving your very soul, you fool; a miser stays far from such fortune. If you cannot bring yourself even to give a loaf of bread, how will you ever step forward like the brave? My heart, seek Him with your whole being, for as the Quran says: You will not attain goodness until you spend from what you love. Your daily bread grows no larger through your stinginess, so do not wear yourself out clinging to greed.