Apples & Strawberries

Apples & Strawberries - A Story in Patience & Understanding

A teacher teaching Math to seven-year-old Kazim asked him, "If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?" Within a few seconds Kazim replied confidently, "Four!"

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three). She was disappointed. "Maybe the child did not listen properly," she thought.

She repeated, "Kazim, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"

Kazim had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated again on his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied, "Four..."

The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Kazim liked strawberries. She thought maybe he doesn't like apples and that is making him lose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?"

Seeing his teacher happy once again, young Kazim calculated on his fingers again. There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile young Kazim inquired, "Three?"

The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?"

Promptly Kazim answered, "Four!"

The teacher was aghast. "How Kazim, how?" she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating young Kazim replied, "Because I already have one apple in my lunch bag."

Moral of the Story: "When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect don't think they are wrong. There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion."

How many of us listen with an open ear? How many can see beyond the book cover? How often do we presume that someone or something is a certain way... before understanding the full story or even the background of that individual?

Its time to change our outlook of one another and do something to rectify these affairs. No more harshness or stubbornness in our delivery towards the Muslims.

Allaah says that we should be stern to the disbelievers and humble to the believers and I have seen just the opposite lately. It is saddening that we strive to follow Qur'an and Sunnah, upon the way of as Salaf as Saleh... yet we treat one another as if we are making war with each other.