The Price of Iman

Bismillahi 'r-rahmani 'r-raheem

Several years ago an imaam moved to London. He often
took the bus from his home to the downtown area. Some
weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the
same bus. When he sat down, he discovered that the
driver had accidentally given him twenty pence too
much change. As he considered what to do, he thought
to himself, 'you better give the twenty pence back. It
would be wrong to keep it'.

Then he thought, 'oh forget it, it's only twenty
pence. Who would worry about this little amount?
Anyway, the bus company already gets too much fare;
they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from
Almighty Allah and keep quiet'.

When his stop came, the Imaam paused momentarily at
the door, then he handed the twenty pence back to the
driver and said:

"Here, you gave me too much change."
The driver with a smile replied:
"Aren't you the new Imaam in this area? I have been
thinking lately about going to worship at your mosque.
I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you
too much change."

When the Imaam stepped off the bus, his knees became
weak and soft. He had to grab the nearest light pole
and held for support, and looked up to the heavens and
cried: "Oh Allah, I almost sold Islam for twenty pence!"

Bottom-line: We may never see the impact our actions
have on people... Sometimes we may be the only Islam a
non-Muslim will see. Let us be an example for others
to see. Be careful and be honest everyday, because you
never know who is watching your actions.

O Allah! Guide us, make our intentions sincere,
accept our deeds, answer our prayers, and make us of
those who are patient.

al-Fatiha...