A Tale of Generosity and Regret

The Story of Al-Baghdadi and Khawla

A woman married a miserly cloth merchant named Al-Baghdadi. One day, he bought a chicken and asked his wife to prepare it. While they were eating, they heard a knock at the door. Upon opening it, Al-Baghdadi saw a poor man asking for food. He harshly refused to help and slammed the door in the man's face.

His wife, Khawla, questioned him, "Why did you shut the door on that beggar like that?"

Angrily, he replied, "What did you want me to do?"

Khawla suggested, "You could have given him a piece of chicken or at least spoken kindly to him!"

After finishing his meal, Al-Baghdadi went to his shop, only to find that a fire had destroyed his business. Returning home in despair, he told Khawla, "My shop is burnt down. I have nothing left."

She advised him, "Do not lose hope in God's mercy."

Khawla then suggested he return to his father, as he could no longer support her. Eventually, he filed for divorce, and they parted ways. Two years later, Khawla remarried a man named Mathim Al-Kufi, known for his generosity and kindness.

One day, while they were having dinner, there was a knock at the door. Khawla went to check and returned to her husband, saying, "There’s a beggar at the door complaining of hunger." Her husband replied, "Give him one of these two chickens; one is enough for us. We will not turn away anyone who comes to us."

Khawla took the chicken to the beggar and returned to her husband, her eyes filled with tears. He asked, "Why are you crying?"

She replied, "I am crying because that beggar is Al-Baghdadi, my first husband!"

He responded, "If that beggar who knocked on our door is your first husband, then know that I was the first beggar who knocked on your door when you were his wife."

Life goes on... Do good as much as you can.