A Dog's Best Friend

Once, long ago, a man from a desert town set off on a journey across the barren sands to another village. He was a simple man who did not own a riding animal. If he had possessed a camel, horse, or even a little donkey, then he could have traveled in the cool of the evening without fear of treading on deadly scorpions or poisonous snakes. As it was, he walked in the merciless heat of the blazing desert sun. The turban wrapped loosely around his head and the flowing white robe he wore shielded him from the full force of the sun. Slung over his shoulder was a cloth bag containing a few dates and some dry bread, his set of good clothes, and a coin or two. After walking very far, the man felt tired and thirst made his tongue dry and heavy in his mouth. He hoped to find a well, so he looked here and there as he plodded on. Finally, he spotted a well. "Al-Hamdulillah!" he praised God. The well was full of water, but there was no bucket with which to pull it up, so the man carefully lowered himself into the well. His toes and fingers gripped the gaps in the stone wall as he descended onto a rock ledge at the bottom of the well. The air at the bottom of the well was cool, and the water was sweet and refreshing. After drinking his fill of the delightful water, the man praised God again and climbed out of the well.