The Trader's Conscience | ضَمِيرُ التَّاجِرِ
"A wealthy merchant discovers that his fortune was built on his father's hidden crimes"
ضَمِيرُ التَّاجِرِ
The Trader's Conscience
الفصلُ الأَوَّلُ: الثَّرْوَةُ المَشْبُوهَةُ
Chapter One: The Suspicious Fortune
كانَ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ خَالِدٍ أَغْنَى تاجِرٍ فِي مَسْقَطَ. وَرِثَ ثَرْوَةً ضَخْمَةً عَنْ أَبِيهِ، وَنَمَّاها حَتَّى صارَ يَمْلِكُ عَشَرَاتِ السُّفُنِ.
Muhammad bin Khalid was the richest merchant in Muscat. He inherited a huge fortune from his father and grew it until he owned dozens of ships.
ذاتَ يَوْمٍ، جاءَهُ رَجُلٌ عَجُوزٌ يَبْكِي. قالَ: «هَلْ أَنْتَ ابْنُ خالِدِ بنِ سُلَيْمانَ؟»
One day, an old man came to him weeping. He said: "Are you the son of Khalid bin Sulayman?"
قالَ مُحَمَّدٌ: «نَعَمْ. ماذا تُرِيدُ؟»
Muhammad said: "Yes. What do you want?"
قالَ الرَّجُلُ: «أَبُوكَ سَرَقَ ثَرْوَةَ أَبِي! لَدَيَّ الدَّلِيلُ!»
The man said: "Your father stole my father's fortune! I have proof!"
الفصلُ الثَّانِي: الحَقِيقَةُ المُرَّةُ
Chapter Two: The Bitter Truth
رَفَضَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَنْ يُصَدِّقَ. لَكِنَّ الرَّجُلَ أَرَاهُ وَثائِقَ وَشُهُودًا. كانَتِ الحَقِيقَةُ واضِحَةً: أَبُوهُ الَّذِي أَحَبَّهُ كانَ لِصًّا!
Muhammad refused to believe. But the man showed him documents and witnesses. The truth was clear: his father whom he loved was a thief!
لَمْ يَنَمْ مُحَمَّدٌ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ. سَأَلَ نَفْسَهُ: «ماذا أَفْعَلُ؟ هَلْ أَتَظاهَرُ بِالجَهْلِ وَأَحْتَفِظُ بِالمالِ؟ أَمْ أَفْعَلُ الصَّوابَ؟»
Muhammad did not sleep that night. He asked himself: "What do I do? Do I pretend ignorance and keep the money? Or do I do what is right?"
تَذَكَّرَ آيَةً مِنَ القُرْآنِ: «وَلا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالباطِلِ.»
He remembered a verse from the Quran: "And do not consume your wealth among yourselves unjustly."
الفصلُ الثَّالِثُ: التَّكْفِيرُ العَظِيمُ
Chapter Three: The Great Atonement
فِي الصَّباحِ، طَلَبَ مُحَمَّدٌ مُقابَلَةَ القاضِي. اعْتَرَفَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ أَمامَ الجَمِيعِ.
In the morning, Muhammad requested to meet the judge. He confessed everything before everyone.
قالَ: «أَبِي ظَلَمَ هَذِهِ العائِلَةَ. وَأَنا سَأُصَحِّحُ الخَطَأَ.»
He said: "My father wronged this family. And I shall correct the wrong."
أَعادَ نِصْفَ ثَرْوَتِهِ لِأَحْفادِ الرَّجُلِ المَظْلُومِ، وَتَبَرَّعَ بِالرُّبُعِ لِلْفُقَراءِ. وَبَقِيَ لَهُ رُبُعٌ فَقَطْ.
He returned half his fortune to the descendants of the wronged man and donated a quarter to the poor. Only a quarter remained for him.
الفصلُ الرَّابِعُ: الغِنَى الحَقِيقِيُّ
Chapter Four: True Wealth
سَخِرَ مِنْهُ بَعْضُ التُّجَّارِ وَقالُوا: «أَحْمَقُ! ضَيَّعَ ثَرْوَتَهُ!»
Some merchants mocked him and said: "Fool! He wasted his fortune!"
لَكِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا نامَ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ بِسَلامٍ لِأَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ مُنْذُ سَنَواتٍ.
But Muhammad slept that night in peace for the first time in years.
قالَ لِابْنِهِ: «يا بُنَيَّ، تَعَلَّمْ مِنِّي: المالُ الحَرامُ لا يُبارَكُ فِيهِ. أَفْضَلُ أَنْ تَكُونَ فَقِيرًا شَرِيفًا مِنْ أَنْ تَكُونَ غَنِيًّا لِصًّا.»
He said to his son: "O my son, learn from me: ill-gotten wealth is not blessed. Better to be an honorable poor man than a thieving rich one."
وَعَمِلَ مُحَمَّدٌ حَتَّى بَنَى ثَرْوَةً جَدِيدَةً بِيَدَيْهِ، طاهِرَةً لا شُبْهَةَ فِيها.
And Muhammad worked until he built a new fortune with his own hands, pure and without suspicion.
تَمَّتِ القِصَّةُ | The End