بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Treasure of Mercy

Sayyiduna Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (RA) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whatever afflicts a believing man of hardship, illness, anxiety, grief, harm, or distress—even the prick of a thorn—Allah expiates his sins because of it.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)

A few friends set out on a journey with the intention of travelling around the world. A king took responsibility for all their expenses. When they reached the very first country, the king led them into a palace and showed them a very large room filled with diamonds and precious jewels. The king said: “Take as much treasure as you wish, but there is one condition: you have only half an hour. After that, the door will never be opened again.”

When the door was opened and they entered the palace, some of them began admiring the beauty of the place and decided to wander around. Others became fascinated by the entertainment and amusements there and occupied themselves with them. But some wise people realized that the journey ahead was long and had only just begun, so they quickly started collecting the treasure.

Those who were absorbed in pleasure laughed at them and said, “How foolish they are! Everyone else is enjoying themselves, and they are busy gathering treasure.” Then some people came and advised them: “Do not act foolishly. There is even more enjoyment outside, but without treasure you will face great hardship and be ruined.” Some accepted this advice and began collecting treasure, while others refused, thinking: “Let us enjoy ourselves here first; we will see about the future later.”

The king was observing everything and thought how unjust and ignorant they were, unaffected by any advice. In any case, he had granted them time. When the half hour ended, the king’s servants suddenly came and shut the door. Those who had gathered treasure were pleased, thinking they would now live comfortably. But those who had wasted their time in pleasure were left distressed and bewildered—they had not even realized how quickly the time had passed.

In this story, the palace represents the world, and the friends represent the people of the world. Those who collected treasure are the people who did not attach their hearts to worldly life; they remembered their purpose and kept gathering the treasure of good deeds. In reality, when a person becomes attached to something, he loses the ability to distinguish between its good and bad aspects. A neutral person, however, can evaluate things correctly. We have become attached to this world; this story can be understood clearly only when viewed with an unbiased heart.

Moreover, even half an hour is a long time—yet we have not even been given that much. However, the treasures are many. From the hadith it is known that the Day of Judgment will be fifty thousand years long. If a person lives for a hundred years, that would equal only about three minutes compared to that Day. As for the life of the grave, its duration cannot even be estimated.

The decision is yours. Time is extremely short. You see with your own eyes that people plan their lives in the morning, yet before evening they are lying in their graves. Try to act yourself and advise others as well. Repent yourself and encourage others to repent—this strengthens repentance. Guidance and the ability to repent come only from Allah. Our duty is simply to convey the message.

Share this with as many people as possible; perhaps it may touch someone’s heart, and Allah may make it a means of our forgiveness. May Allah grant guidance to all of us. Ameen.