From Governor To A Carpenter
ALI Bin Al-Maymoon Al-Abbasi was a governor and son of the Caliph. He lived a life of opulence in a large castle. Anything he wanted in this world was easy for him.
One day, looking down from a balcony in the castle, he saw a man toiling in the fields. On succeeding days, Ali paid more and more attention to the man and witnessed that he always worked straight through the morning, after which, he would take a break, make ablution from a stream, and pray two units of prayer. Only when the evening came would he quit his work and go home to his family. To learn more about him, Ali invited him one day and asked him many questions. He soon learned that the worker had a wife, two sisters, and a mother that were all under his care, and it was for their sake that he toiled so assiduously.
Ali asked, “And do you have any cause to complain?” He answered, “No, All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all that exists.”
So impressed was he by the simple laborer, that Ali quit the castle, resigned from his position, and traveled abroad. He was found dead years later in the vicinity of Kharasan. After leaving the castle, he worked as a carpenter, and he found happiness in his new life, happiness that was foreign to him in his former one.
“While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance, and bestows on them their piety” (Qur’an 47:17)
– excerpt from Aaidh Bin Abdullah Al-Qarni’s book “Don’t be sad”