سِرُّ النَّخْلَةِ

The Palm Tree's Secret

ماتَ الشَّيْخُ سُلَيْمانُ وَتَرَكَ لِابْنِهِ يُوسُفَ وَصِيَّةً غَرِيبَةً: «الثَّرْوَةُ الحَقِيقِيَّةُ تَحْتَ النَّخْلَةِ الَّتِي لا تَمُوتُ.»

Sheikh Sulayman died and left his son Yusuf a strange will: "The true wealth is under the palm tree that never dies."

حارَ يُوسُفُ فِي فَهْمِ الوَصِيَّةِ. أَيُّ نَخْلَةٍ؟ وَكَيْفَ لا تَمُوتُ نَخْلَةٌ؟

Yusuf was puzzled by the will. Which palm tree? And how can a palm tree never die?

سَأَلَ أَهْلَ الواحَةِ، فَقالُوا: «هُناكَ نَخْلَةٌ قَدِيمَةٌ فِي وَسَطِ الواحَةِ، يُقالُ إِنَّها عُمْرُها أَلْفُ عامٍ.»

He asked the people of the oasis, and they said: "There is an ancient palm tree in the middle of the oasis, said to be a thousand years old."

ذَهَبَ يُوسُفُ إِلى النَّخْلَةِ القَدِيمَةِ وَبَدَأَ يَحْفُرُ. حَفَرَ أَيَّامًا وَأَسابِيعَ، وَالنَّاسُ يَضْحَكُونَ مِنْهُ.

Yusuf went to the ancient palm tree and began to dig. He dug for days and weeks, while people laughed at him.

قالُوا: «المِسْكِينُ فَقَدَ عَقْلَهُ!»

They said: "The poor man has lost his mind!"

لَكِنَّهُ اسْتَمَرَّ. كانَ يَعْرِفُ أَنَّ أَباهُ لَمْ يَكْذِبْ قَطُّ.

But he continued. He knew his father had never lied.

بَعْدَ شَهْرٍ، وَجَدَ صُنْدُوقًا حَجَرِيًّا. فَتَحَهُ بِيَدَيْنِ مُرْتَجِفَتَيْنِ. لَمْ يَجِدْ ذَهَبًا، بَلْ وَجَدَ مَخْطُوطاتٍ قَدِيمَةً!

After a month, he found a stone chest. He opened it with trembling hands. He did not find gold, but ancient manuscripts!

كانَتْ كُتُبًا نادِرَةً فِي الطِّبِّ وَالفَلَكِ وَالزِّراعَةِ، كَتَبَها أَجْدادُهُ مُنْذُ مِئاتِ السِّنِينَ.

They were rare books on medicine, astronomy, and agriculture, written by his ancestors hundreds of years ago.

فَهِمَ يُوسُفُ الوَصِيَّةَ: المَعْرِفَةُ هِيَ الثَّرْوَةُ الَّتِي لا تَمُوتُ. وَأَسَّسَ مَكْتَبَةً عَظِيمَةً، وَصارَ مِنْ أَعْلَمِ رِجالِ عُمانَ.

Yusuf understood the will: Knowledge is the wealth that never dies. He established a great library and became one of Oman's most learned men.

تَمَّتِ القِصَّةُ | The End