There was once a man who stubbornly refused to believe that it is God who provides for and nourishes His creatures. His friends did the best to make him understand, but with no success. Finally, he decided to silence them by putting this notion to test. Leaving his home early one morning, he went off to a jungle where he perched himself up in a tree. “It is God who nourishes His servants, He will send me my food here too,” he thought.
He sat in the tree the whole day, but there was no sign of any food. After going without breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he was all the more convinced that such ideas were all nonsense. He was about to go home when he saw some wayfarers searching for a tree they could pass the night under. They finally chose the very tree in which he was perched. He decided not to reveal his presence and just watched what was going on at the base of the tree. After setting up their camp, they took off to collect firewood, and having done this they opened their bags and took out rice and pulses to cook a meal. When it was nearly ready, they threw a handful of chilies into the hot oil to season it. Such a spicy aroma rose up into the air that the man in the tree sneezed. Only then did the travelers learn of his presence whereupon they invited him to share what they had cooked.
A man must prove his worth to have his due share of God’s gifts.
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