Ask our children:
1. Is it good to be greedy or should we be happy with what we have?
2. When we see other people who don’t have the things that we have then what should we do?
3. If we don’t get what we want, should we be sad?
Now tell them the story:
There was once a little boy named Goolaam who was very, very greedy. He was so greedy that no matter what he had, it was never enough for him and he always wanted more!
When his mother would give sweets or ice cream to the family, he would greedily gobble his share and demand, “I WANT MORE!” He was so greedy that he wouldn’t even say please! His mother would explain to him, “Goolaam my dear! Your brothers and sisters also want sweets and ice cream! You can’t eat it all yourself! You must let them eat as well!” But no matter what she told him, he insisted, and demanded, made a big fuss and cried until he was given more.
When his family went to someone’s house to visit, Goolaam would see the toys at their house and would immediately start, “I WANT TO TAKE IT HOME! I WANT IT! IT’S MINE! WAAAHHHH!” His father would explain that it didn’t belong to them, so they couldn’t take it home, but Goolaam would scream and shout until it was given to him to take home.
When Goolaam went to a shop with his father and saw a shoe that he liked, he would whine and nag, “I WANT IT! BUY IT FOR ME!” His father would say, “You already have enough shoes Goolaam!” But he would nag and cry until his father eventually bought it for him.
Because Goolaam was so greedy, he didn’t have any friends at all. So, one day, when a boy in his madrasah came to him and said, “Goolaam! Will you please come to my house today and play with me?” Goolaam was very surprised. Then, he thought of all the toys that the boy would have, and all the yummy things there would be there to eat, and said, “Yes! I will definitely come to your house!”
That afternoon, when Goolaam went to the boy’s house, he was very, very surprised! There were hardly any toys! There were no sweets, cake and ice cream, and the boy only had one pair of shoes!
Goolaam was bursting with question. “Why do you have so few toys? Why don’t you eat sweets, cakes and ice cream? Why do you only have one pair of shoes?” he asked. The boy replied, “We are a poor family and we don’t have a lot of money. That’s why we can’t buy everything that we want. But it doesn’t matter because we don’t mind and we are still happy. Instead of playing with toys, I play in the garden, I climb into the tress, and I play hide and seek. I don’t need toys to have fun and be happy! I only have one pair of feet, so I only need one pair of shoes! If I don’t have extra shoes, why should I be sad! Sweets, cakes and ice cream are yummy and tasty, but at least I have food to eat and I’m not hungry!”
That evening, when Goolaam returned home, he was deep in thought. His mother and father asked him, “What are you so busy thinking about?” He answered, “I went to a boy’s house today and saw that his family is poor. I am feeling so bad for always being greedy, when there are other people who are poor and don’t enjoy the things that I enjoy! Tomorrow, I am going to take some of my toys, sweets and shoes and share it with my new friend!”
From that day on, Goolaam was no longer greedy Goolaam – he was grateful Goolaam. He learnt to appreciate what he had and be grateful, and he learnt to share with others. He learnt that happiness is in your heart, not in your toys, desserts and shoes, and so he was always happy thereafter.
Lessons:
1. We must never be greedy. We must be grateful and happy with what Allah Ta‘ala has given us.
2. When we see people who are poor, we must make du‘aa for them and try to help them.
3. If we don’t get the toy, sweet, ice cream, shoe or clothes that we wanted, we don’t have to be sad. We must look at how many other things we have and become happy.
Click here for the audio version of this story.