Twenty Cents

Several years ago an Imam moved to a new town. 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 cents too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself: “You better give the twenty cents back. It would be wrong to keep it. Then he thought, oh forget it, it’s only twenty cents. 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 quite.” 

When his stop came, the Imam paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the twenty cents back to the driver and said “Here, you gave me too much change.”

The driver with a smile replied: “Aren’t you the new Imam 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 Imam 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 cents!”

Moral: Remember, we may never see the impact our actions have on people. Sometimes we are the only knowledge of Quran someone will read, or the only Islam a non-Muslim will see. What we need to provide is an example for others to see. Be conscious, be careful, be honest, be true, be sincere - every breathing moment.