Patience Wins Hearts

ARTICLES OF WISDOM After some time, a Hindu youth returned. The tin was his. He had placed it on the seat and stepped out. When he noticed it had been moved, he asked who had done it. Maulana Ikramuddin replied, “I moved it.” At once, the young man grew furious. In his belief, since a Muslim had touched it, the tin had become impure. He shouted, “This tin contained Ganga water. I was taking it to Deoghar. You have defiled it. Now it is useless.” His anger boiled over, and he kept shouting that the water had been made impure. Maulana Ikramuddin did not react. Calmly, he stood up, leaving the seat for the youth. He said, “I did not know this tin contained Ganga water, or that touching it would make it impure. I made a mistake. Please forgive me.” But the young man continued to rage, while Maulana listened silently without showing any reaction. Watching this, the other Hindu passengers turned against the youth and came to Maulana’s support. They said, “Since he is quiet and has admitted his mistake, why are you shouting so much?” They reassured Maulana: “Don’t worry. He cannot do anything to you.” Eventually, the youth fell silent. Maulana kept standing. After a while, the youth asked coldly, “Where are you coming from?” Maulana replied, “From Khadak Bazar” (where he lived at the time). The youth said, “There is a Maulana Ikramuddin in Khadak Bazar. Do you know him? He is a very good man. My mother once went to him for an amulet, and it helped her a lot. I want to meet him.”