The King Who Built a Modern Kingdom Became a Victim of Ignorance
The Horizon’s Tale
In 1901, Habibullah Khan became king of an isolated country. He immediately worked to bring electricity to palaces and homes. He paved roads, and cars began driving through the streets of Kabul. He maintained his country’s neutrality during World War I.
The reforms did not please tribal leaders who feared change.
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire shattered the morning’s silence, and the king fell.
A cow killed the woman... the son killed his father, and the husband committed suicide.
How can one object to a decision by a committee of leopards, when they are actually donkeys?
When ignorance rules, a nation’s achievements become a catastrophe. This is what happened in Afghanistan in the early 20th century. In 1901, Habibullah Khan became king, succeeding his father, over an isolated country cut off from the world.
He immediately worked to bring electricity to palaces first, then to homes. Cars began driving through the newly paved streets of Kabul for the first time, and cameras began capturing images of Afghans.
Over 18 years, this enlightened monarch built a modern nation. He established the first telegraph system connecting remote areas to the capital, Kabul, allowing messages to travel in minutes instead of weeks.
Another of his achievements was maintaining neutrality during World War I. His people loved him, and foreign powers respected him. However, this did not sit well with tribal leaders who feared change, nor with his relatives, who felt threatened by his reforms.
His brother, Nasrullah, and his son, Amanullah, conspired in the shadows, as they preferred the country’s isolation over development. Thus, in February 1919, during a hunting trip near Jalalabad, unknown snipers hid among the trees. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire shattered the morning’s silence, and the king fell dead.
The Bear That Became a Rabbit
In the following lines is a story from Czech literature: A position for a “rabbit tunnel explorer” was announced in a forest. No one applied for the job except an unemployed bear, who was accepted and officially appointed.
After some time, the bear noticed that a specific rabbit in the forest held the position of “bear pathfinder,” receiving a salary, allowances, and a bonus significantly higher than his own!
The bear filed a complaint with the department manager. The complaint was forwarded to the general administration, and a committee of leopards was formed to review it. The bear and the rabbit were summoned to hear the case.
The committee asked the rabbit to present his documents and proof of identity. All the documents confirmed that the rabbit was a bear. Then, the committee asked the bear to present his documents and proof of identity. All the documents confirmed that the bear was a rabbit!
The committee’s decision was to make no changes, because the rabbit was a bear, and the bear was a rabbit by all standards and evidence.
The bear did not appeal the committee’s decision, nor did he object to it. When asked why he did not object, he replied: “How can I object to a decision by a committee of leopards, when they are actually a group of donkeys, and all their papers claim they are leopards?”
The Devil Only Moved the Stake
The devil passed through a quiet village and stopped to rest for a while. Leaning against a tree trunk, he observed the village and saw a woman milking a cow, with its calf tied nearby by a stake. After watching the scene for a while, he thought to himself: “Let me cause some trouble for amusement.”
He got up and, when he reached the calf, moved the stake. The calf, frightened, ran to its mother to nurse. The milk bucket fell, spilling milk onto the ground.
Angry at the loss of her livelihood, the woman grabbed a stick and beat the calf violently. The calf fell to the ground. Seeing her calf in that state, the cow kicked the woman hard, killing her instantly. The husband’s father happened to be passing by, saw his daughter-in-law lying dead on the ground, picked up his rifle, and killed the cow. Hearing the gunshot, the husband rushed to the scene. He found his wife dead and his father standing over her. Without a second thought or question, he drew his pistol and killed his father.
But when he learned the story from the neighbors who had witnessed what happened, he could no longer bear those calamities and took his own life.
As for the devil, who had been watching the events from afar, he said mockingly: “They will blame me for everything they did, while I did nothing but nudge the peg.”
Nudges
The wise say: Beware of two types of people: one who reads a lot, and another who never reads at all. The first sees through you from the inside, while the second doesn’t see you at all… Such is this world.
•••
Do not burden yourself with the worries of this world, for it belongs to God. Do not worry about provision, for it comes from God. Do not fret about the future, for it is in God’s hands… Carry only one concern: how to please God, for He is the One who pleases you and suffices you when He is pleased with you.
•••
Those who understand the ways of this world say: There are four who cannot be defeated:
1. A rich man who buys the law.
2. A powerful man protected by his tribe.
3. A flatterer skilled in praise.
4. An ignorant person followed by the crowd.
•••
Take advice from your father and understand your worldly affairs. Take your mother’s supplication and overcome your trials with it. Take a prostration in the depths of the night to thank your Lord. Send blessings upon your Prophet and convey your distress through them.
