The Little Turtle

Once upon a time, there lived a little turtle, on the bank of a small lake, in the midst of a green valley. The turtle was rather happy there, as Allah swt had provided him with easy sustenance. On top of that, he got to enjoy his life talking with all the animals, who used to come to the lake to drink.

One year, the area was hit by severe drought. The lake began to recede and life became rather harsh for the inhabitants. Slowly, the animals began migrating to more hospitable regions. But, the little turtle refused to go! First of all, the lake was the only home he had known and he did not like the idea of leaving his home. Secondly, he just could not move fast enough and was too proud to ask others for help.

The lake kept on shrinking, until it resembled nothing more than a little pool of water. By now, almost all the animals had left and only the turtle and a couple of geese were left behind. At great last, what the turtle feared the most became true! One day, the geese came to give their good-byes to the turtle. They said that, in one of their 
flights, they had seen a beautiful great lake, on the other side of the mountains, and had decided to move there and save themselves from the drought.

Upon hearing this, the turtle became visibly sad. For the first time, he began wishing that he to could go with his friends. But, what could he do? He couldn't fly and he could not possibly make it across the mountains. He decided to put aside his pride and ask for help.

Alhamdulillah, his friends, the geese, came up with an idea. They first found a sturdy stick and told the turtle that they would be able to hold on to the ends of the stick, if he would bite on its center. In that way,they could, working together, lift the turtle and carry him with themselves over the mountains. The turtle got very happy and agreed with the plan. But, before taking off, the geese reminded him that none of them should open their mouth for any reason, not even to answer to something they have heard. The turtle agreed and all of them took a solemn swear to keep their mouths closed.

Soon, the three friends got in position and, in one swift move, they were all airborne. The turtle was very excited. For the first time, he could see his old house from the sky. What once looked like a huge and comfortable house, now began to shrink in the distance and look like a tiny insignificant piece of land. The turtle looked at the 
scenery and was very impressed by all the people had accomplished. Pretty soon, he began forgetting himself and his humble beginnings. He felt he was on top of the world and invincible.

Pretty soon, the geese were flying over a small mountain village. The villagers noticed the strange trio flying overhead and  began pointing them out. They said, in amazement, "Subhan-Allah, look the geese carrying the
little turtle!"

When he heard this, the turtle imagined the worst of people's comments. He thought they were making fun of him or were putting an evil eye on him! In full rage and pride, he lost his patience and forgot himself, much as Shaytan had done, and wanted to scream, "May God blind those who are jealous to see!" But, no sooner had he opened his mouth, that the insects were dining on turtle soup on the ground below!

And this is how a little red tongue can bring one to loss and undo a life time of effort.

Similarly, the anonymity of the internet, can cause some individuals to forget themselves, become proud and careless and use a language they would never use in public. But, even though others may not know or identity or intentions, certainly Allah swt does know! Let us remember that we will be called to answer for every word and every action. I hope we will all choose not to be like the little turtle, who forgot reality and lost his head!

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