Agra | Today, in Friday Sermon, Muhammad Iqbal, Imam of Masjid Nehar Wali Sikandra, told an anecdote about a former Election Commissioner, who was very famous in his time. He said that before narrating the anecdote, I would like to present the Ayat number 104 of Surah Aale Imran– “And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.” After this statement of the Quran, now listen to the story carefully. Once the former Election Commissioner was going to some place in Uttar Pradesh with his wife, on the way they passed by a garden, his wife stopped the car and said that there were very beautiful nests of birds hanging on the trees. Take one of these nests home. Commissioner Saheb asked the security person to get a nest from someone. He went to the garden and gave ten rupees to a young man and asked him to bring the nest. The young man looked carefully and denied. The security guy told the whole thing to the commissioner, he ordered him to give him Rs 100. That young man still denied. Now the young man himself came to the commissioner and said, Sir, there are baby birds in all the nests. When the birds return with food in the evening, they will be very sad not to see their children. I will not give away the nest at any cost. This thing shook the Election Commissioner from within. He regretted it all his life that a shepherd could think like this. Despite being so educated, being an I.A.S. and having a huge constitutional responsibility, I could not develop this thinking and feeling like that shepherd within myself. He was always sad about whether he got the education or that shepherd did. He found himself inferior in front of him. Let us put this story before us in the light of this Ayat of the Quran and ask ourselves, what would we have do ? Would we have refused ? The young shepherd acted as per the Ayat of the Quran, let us count for ourselves. May Allah make us all included in that group which stops from doing bad things. Aameen.
Translated by : Arish Asad
