Once upon a time there lived a very rich merchant, and his name was Omar. He owned a whole flotilla of excellent ships that delivered goods to him from various overseas countries. Omar was of noble family, and his honor was unblemished. And one day... happiness turned away from him. People brought him sad news. They said that his ships were wrecked during a fierce storm and not a single sailor escaped the furious elements.
- O Allah! “Have mercy on me,” the unfortunate man wailed, “oh, this is the darkest day of my life!”
But trouble never comes alone. When, grief-stricken, on weak legs and a good ten years older, he returned to the house, a new blow was already waiting for him: his beautiful, rich house burned to the ground, and with it the carpets, silks, and brocades. Thieves stole precious stones and gold. He was now left alone, without money, without shelter, having nothing but inconsolable grief. “What am I now? Without my wealth, who needs me? “I’m a finished man now,” he thought in frenzied despair. “Can I now stand proudly among those who respected me before?” Is there enough human strength to start all over again in such trouble?! No, no, this is impossible! He gathered the remnants of his courage and mental strength and threw himself into the sea from a high cliff. Seething foamy waves closed over his head, and he... he continued to fall, and this fall was endless. But he did not choke, he did not drown, the sea threw him onto the wet sand of an unknown shore. There Omar lay, in dirty rags, squinting from the blinding sun and still could not understand that he was back in this world and still alive.
The wind blew and sand got into my eyes.
“I don’t want anything but death!” - he croaked to the silent, azure skies, finally realizing that death had not accepted him. - I can’t live anymore!
The answer to him was only silence and the slight rustling of the surf and the rustling of the sand. Finally he got up and began to climb the rocks that towered above the shore. It was so good all around, but he only thought about death.
For a long time or for a short time, it happened that Omar, distraught with despair, wandered through the streets of the city, and no one recognized him as a once rich and famous merchant even outside his country. They kicked him, threw him aside from the road, the boys hooted after him.
And suddenly the noise and hubbub of the crowd was cut through by a wild cry: “Death to the Shah and the governors!” This was the scream of a crazy tramp who, in a fit of rage, waving a knife and pushing people aside, made his way to the Shah. Now the bloody corpse of the chief of the guard was left behind, now one bodyguard fell, then another, now the steel of the knife flashed ominously in front of the Shah’s chest. But at that second, someone desperately grabbed the tramp’s neck, and now, in a frantic fight, the two rolled in the dust, leaving behind traces of blood, shreds of clothing and hair. The steel of the bodyguard’s blade flashed as it flew up to them like a storm... everything became quiet... the bloody head of a madman rolled out of the cloud of settling dust.
“Stop,” the Shah ordered, when Omar started to run away (for it was he, the one who saved the Shah’s life), hoping to find another way to take his own life, since this one had failed. “Come to me, my venerable friend, for I cannot let you go without rewarding you for the great service you have done me.”
- Oh your lordship! - answered Omar. “I don’t need any reward, I want to die, that’s all!”
- Die? — the Shah was surprised. - But why do you have to die? This is interesting, come on, tell me, and make sure you don’t forget anything.
“How can I not want to die,” Omar answered dejectedly. “All my ships perished in the depths of the sea, my house burned down, my gold and jewelry were stolen by thieves. And I can no longer proudly hold my head among my equals. How to live with this? I am unfortunate, the most unfortunate of mortals, for even the sea refused me death! People, help me leave this hard world!
- O Allah! How unreasonable are you, man! - exclaimed the Shah. “Yes, for saving my life you will receive the most generous reward.” And then, wasn’t it said that there is no graver sin than suicide? Be strong, and you will regain everything and someday rise on this earth even more than before.
Having said these words, the Shah gave a sign to the chief vizier, and he proclaimed that the Shah’s treasury would give Omar free of charge clothes of honor, equip him with new ships and endow him with the same amount of gold that he previously owned. Never before had Omar been shown so much reverence and respect with which people met and saw him off on the streets of the city. And everything was so good that he soon forgot to think about death. Whether long or short, over time, Omar accumulated such a huge fortune through successful trade that he considered himself worthy to ask for the hand of the Shah’s daughter.
And so, one fine day, when Omar was walking through his magnificent rose garden and enjoying the smell of one of the most beautiful flowers, he thought that someone was calling his name. Omar turned around and saw: standing under a tree was someone tall, dressed all in black, with his face covered and his arms crossed on his chest.
“Peace be with you,” Omar said uncertainly. - Whom do I have the pleasure of greeting?
- I am the angel of death! - And a cold breath blew over Omar. “I came to take you from this world to heaven.” Now you must follow me.
- Oh no, no, how can that be? “I can’t leave with you now,” Omar pleaded. - I'm not ready yet. Now I have everything, I’m just starting to live, I’m rich, the Shah’s daughter is my wife. Have pity on me, leave me, let me enjoy life and the delights of this world at least a little longer.
“You must leave with me,” answered the angel of death, “and do not forget, I, like everyone else, have my responsibilities.” Hurry up, I need to get to other people too.
But then a most cunning thought flashed through Omar’s head.
“But I’m really not ready,” he said in a calm voice. “Let me go to the mosque to pray, and then I will follow you with pleasure.”
- Well, then, after you pray in the mosque, you will come with me? Do you promise? - asked the angel.
“Yes, I swear,” Omar answered, bowing his head, but only to hide his grin.
The angel disappeared, and then Omar, no longer able to restrain himself, burst into laughter. Since that memorable day, Omar never even came close to the mosque.
Years passed, the name of Omar sounded louder and louder, and he himself was invested with more and more honor. And one day, when gray hair had already begun to turn silver, he looked at himself in the mirror and thought: “What heights, however, I managed to achieve. Undoubtedly, I am now the most revered person in the country after my respected father-in-law, the Shah!
But then his thoughts were interrupted by a servant who came to him with a message from the Shah. The Shah asked Omar to come to the court within an hour. Omar did not keep himself waiting long, and now he was listening to the Shah tell him:
“My dear Omar, the spiritual mentor in the Turquoise Mosque died, and I do not see a more worthy successor to him than you, my friend.” Now let's go to the mosque, today is Friday and you will have to lead the midday prayer.
“Oh no, no, your grace,” Omar begged in a broken voice. - I... I... am not worthy, nominate someone else, but not me, don’t!
“Dear Omar, I have always highly valued your modesty and selflessness,” answered the Shah, “but they convince me even more of the correctness of my choice.” Let's hurry up, because it's already about twelve.
Accompanied by a crowd of courtiers, Omar and the Shah went to the Turquoise Mosque. And although the sun was already high and the heat was unbearable, Omar felt as if someone’s icy hand was squeezing his heart tighter and tighter. Courage left Omar, for no one but he understood that the hour of the angel of death had come. Entering the mosque, he gathered all his spiritual strength and led a prayer service. While the faithful knelt, straightened, bowed again, Omar frantically cried out to Allah, more earnestly than ever before. He begged the Almighty to forgive all the great sins of this life and to be lenient towards him. But his prayers were not destined to continue any longer: invisible to the others, all in black, with his head covered and arms crossed on his chest, the angel of death appeared to him.
“Well, now you will come with me,” he said. “You’ve kept yourself waiting for a long time, but everything has an end, so your turn has come.”
And at that very second, peace entered Omar’s heart. He bowed his head submissively:
“That’s good,” he said, “what a relief it is to see you again.” I'll go with you. In the end, heaven is a completely fair reward for all true believers after mortal life in this world.
“No, it’s not all like that,” answered the angel, “I didn’t come for you at all to take you to heaven.” For this I came before, but, remember, you deceived me, so now there is a different path for you. The road to the lower worlds is prepared for you, for you already had paradise here on earth.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru