The Kindness of Good Men

Listen to the ways of good men, if you want to be fortunate and walk the honorable path. Shibli once carried a sack of wheat on his back from a grain seller's shop to his village. He looked and saw an ant in that grain, running about, lost, in every corner. Out of pity for it he could not sleep that night; he carried the ant back to its home and said: It would be cruel to drive this poor wounded ant away from its own dwelling. Comfort the hearts of the scattered and displaced, so that fate may grant you peace and calm. How beautifully Ferdowsi, of pure birth, said, may mercy rain upon his pure grave: Do not torment an ant that drags a grain, for it has a life, and life is sweet and dear. Black of heart and hard as stone is the one who would break even an ant's small heart. Do not raise your fist against the weak, for one day you may fall at their feet like an ant. Gladden the hearts of the helpless; remember your own days of helplessness. The candle had no pity on the moth; see how it burned before the whole gathering. Granted, there are many weaker than you, but in the end there is also someone stronger than you.