King and the Pirate

Once upon a time, during the rein of Shah Abbas, a seaman with his crew sailed the seas, attacking the cargo vessels of the king, plundering from it all the valuables, taking the merchants prisoners and finally sinking their ships. He would then proceed to leave the merchants in a lonely island, where they would be rescued by some other ship, which was passing that way. Finally, the pirate lost on his luck when he unwittingly attacked a military ship, which had been disguised as a merchant ship to capture the pirate. The ruse worked and the pirate along with his crew were brought in chains before the Shah, who asked him angrily, how he dared to trouble his ships, as he had done for so long.

“Your Majesty,” replied the pirate, “I will tell you the truth, if you promise me to spare my life and my companions. In return, I will abandon the dishonest trade forever and become a law-abiding citizen in your kingdom.” The Shah agreed to this condition. The pirate continued: “You should rather ask yourself the answer about why you trouble the people in different parts of your kingdom. I am the master of a single ship, and do but little harm, while you are the master of a huge fleet of ships that carry desolation and war, wherever they sail on the sea. I am called as a robber, whereas, you are called as a king and a conqueror. If our fortunes had only changed, then I would have become more successful, while you would have become less successful and our fortunes would have reversed. But Allah (swt) has decreed it otherwise, and I now stand before you as your prisoner craving your mercy, and leave your Majesty to question your conscience, the difference between the two of us.”

The Shah was so struck by the remarkable argument of the pirate before him, that he not only forgave the pirate but made him a wealthy prince within his empire for giving up his wayward life, and he ordered his military men to cease all military operations into the neighboring territories and concentrate only on securing the borders of his kingdom, and from that day the Shah devoted everyday of his life working towards the welfare of his subjects, and soon won their affection.

other links:

Fear of God

Everlasting Words by Imam Hossein(A.S)

life