A King was once strolling in  the woods with his advisor, when they came across a hut in which lived a very old farmer. The King took pity on him but wished to test his integrity. He therefore decided to put a series of questions to the man.

"How are you with that which is near?" asked the King.

The man was shrewd enough to understand the deeper meaning of the question.

"It has become far," replied the old man.

"How are you with that which is far?"

"I have come near it."

"How are your close friends with you nowadays?"

"They have all left me."

"How about the two?"

"The two have become three."

The King smiled and got up to leave.

"Do not sell it cheaply, O old man," he advised

The King’s advisor, who was listening to the question and answer session intently, was completely baffled. On their way back, the King asked his advisor what he had understood from the dialogue. The advisor requested the King to give him three days to ponder over it and the King agreed.

The next day, the advisor was still puzzled and so he decided to go back to the old man and ask him the meaning of the interrogation. Initially, the farmer refused to say anything. But then the advisor decided to tempt the man with money. The man bartered with him until the price of 30,000 dirham was agreed. The farmer started to reveal the meanings.

"The last thing that the King advised me to do was not to sell it cheaply.

He was referring to this very secret and I have sold it to you at a fairly good price.

"As regards the first question, the thing which was near to me was my matrimonial relationship with my wife. Naturally, in this old age it has gone far.

"The King then asked me about that which is far and I replied that I have to go near it. He was enquiring about my eyesight. In my youth, I could see  things, which were at a distance. Now I have to go near the things that are far so that I am able to see them properly.

"The third question was about my ‘close friends’. These were my teeth. I replied that they have all left me."

"Finally, the question of two becoming three relates to my legs. When I was young, I used my two legs to walk. But now I have to use a stick as my third leg."

The advisor was astounded at the wisdom of both the King and  the farmer and realised that the King had wanted to make the farmer rich through such a noble exercise. (Lessons of Life)

Islam teaches us to respect the elderly and the aged people. We should never undermine or belittle them for they have wisdom due vast experiences of life. Imam Musa Ibn Ja’ffar al-Kadhim(A) has said,

"Blessings of Allah are with the elderly people and an old man amidst you is like a prophet." (Ahsan al-Muqaal)

He(A) has also said,

"Respect the elderly people because in their respect is the honour of Allah". (Ahsan al-Muqaal)

 

Source: 40 Sparks of Wisdom