Ways of the World
By Dr Shahid Shaikh
New York

 

In pre-partition India, a Hindu billionaire visiting a Muslim friend was approached by a beggar. The billionaire asked him about his religion. The beggar answered that he was Muslim. The billionaire gave him a thick wad of money.

Another beggar followed shortly, and the billionaire asked him the same question. The beggar stated that he was Hindu. The billionaire gave him only one paisa.

This unusual almsgiving behavior of the billionaire intrigued his Muslim friend. He promptly sought an explanation. The billionaire said that he gave the wad of money to the Muslim to encourage him to live idly and remain a beggar; he gave very little to the Hindu to dissuade him from begging and instead seek a job to lead a respectable life.

(The author, Dr Shahid Shaikh, is the director of Bright Leadership Academy, New York. He can be reached at aeriusa@hotmail.com.)