A Story About the Value of Listening to Advice
It is said that a man was desperate for a living, so he decided to travel in search of a livelihood and a decent living. He left his home and family and traveled a long way. His steps led him to the home of a merchant, who welcomed him and honored his presence. Upon learning of his need, the merchant offered him a job. The man readily agreed and took up a job with the merchant, tending camels.
After many years, the man longed for his home and his family and children intensely. He told the merchant about his desire to return to his country. The merchant was saddened by his departure because of his honesty and trustworthiness, so he rewarded him by giving him some camels and livestock. The man walked back to his family. After traveling a long distance through the barren desert, he saw an old man sitting on the side of the road, with nothing but a tent pitched beside the road. When he reached him, he greeted him and asked him what an old man was doing alone in this deserted place under the scorching sun. The old man replied, "I'm a trader." The man was amazed and asked, "What exactly is your trade?" The sheikh said to him, "I sell advice." The man asked, "How much is a piece of advice?" The sheikh replied, "Each piece of advice is worth a camel."
The man stood thinking about the advice and its exorbitant price, which he had worked so hard to obtain. But in the end, he decided to buy some advice from him. The sheikh said, "Give me some advice."
The sheikh said, "When Suhail rises, you cannot trust the flood."
He said to himself, "What do I have to do with Suhayl in this desolate desert? What good will this advice do me in this heat?" When he realized it was of no use, he said to the sheikh, "Give me another piece of advice and I'll give you another camel." The sheikh replied, "Don't trust the blue-eyed and toothless Abu Ubayyun." Our friend also pondered this advice and thought about it, but found it to be of no use. He said to the sheikh, "Give me the third piece of advice, and I'll give you another camel." The sheikh replied, "Sleep in regret, not in blood." The third piece of advice wasn't any better than the previous two, so the man left the old man and gave him the three camels. He drove the remaining camels and livestock and continued on his way back to his family for several days, during which he forgot the advice he had given him due to exhaustion and the intense heat. One day, evening came and he reached a group of people who had pitched their tents in the bottom of a large valley. He had dinner with one of them and spent the night with him. While he was contemplating the stars, he saw the star Suhail. He remembered the advice the sheikh had given him, so he quickly got up and woke up the host and told him the story of the advice. He asked him to tell his people so they could leave the bottom of that valley. But the host paid no attention to him. The man said, "By God, I have been bought." Advice on a camel and I will not sleep at the bottom of this valley, so he decided to spend the night on a high place, so he took his camels and cattle and climbed to a high place beside the valley, and at the end of the night the rain fell heavily and the torrent came roaring like thunder, demolishing the houses and dispersing the people. In the morning, he walked back to his family. Two days later, he arrived at a house in the desert. The owner of the house, a thin, slow-moving man, welcomed him. He continued to welcome him more and more, and to be more friendly and approachable until he felt afraid of him. He looked at him and saw a man with blue eyes and wide-set teeth. He said, "Ah, this is the one the sheikh told me about. He has the exact same characteristics, lacking nothing." At night, the man pretended to want to spend the night outside the house, close to his camels, sheep, and cattle. He took his mattress and dragged it to one side, placing stones under the blanket. He then withdrew to a nearby spot to watch his host's movements.
After the host was certain that his guest was asleep, he approached him on tiptoe until he reached him. Then he struck him with his sword with a violent blow. But the guest was standing behind him, so he said to him, "You have bought advice." With a camel, then he struck him with his sword and killed him, and drove his camels and livestock and returned to his family. After several days of walking, he arrived at his family's home at night. He walked toward his house and entered it. He found his wife asleep with a man beside her. This angered him, and he placed his hand on his sword, intending to strike them both with it. Suddenly, he remembered the third piece of advice: "Sleep with regret, not blood." So he calmed down, left them alone, left the house, and went back to his sheep. He slept with them until morning. After sunrise, he drove his camels and livestock and approached the house. The people recognized him and welcomed him. His relatives received him and said to him: You have left us for a very long time. Look how your son has grown during that time until he became a man. The man looked carefully at his son and saw that he was the same young man who had been sleeping next to his wife the day before. He thanked God for guiding him not to kill them, and he said to himself: Truly, every piece of advice is better than a camel.
