My Grandfather Was the Richest Man in the World
"Qadour Elguetrani"
I've never met anyone like him, not among all of humanity.
Grandfather, your grandson is using your inheritance wisely—I'm not a squanderer.
One day, my grandfather shouted, "Throw that coin on the ground, my boy."
I asked, "Why, Grandfather? Aren't the wasteful companions of devils?"
He said, "Throw it. Don't ask."
I threw it, taking his words as law.
As we walked on, I turned back and saw a beggar pick up the coin, wiping the dirt off it.
I asked, "Why, Grandfather? Why throw the coin instead of giving it directly into his hand? Wouldn't he thank us?"
He replied, "Do you want his gratitude, or God's remembrance of us?"
I said, "You're right, Grandfather. But it was the last coin in my pocket. Don't you think I might have needed it later?"
He answered, "He needed it and found you. In your need, you'll find someone, and that someone will also need the one who finds him."
Oh, Grandfather, how truthful you were.
My grandfather was the richest man in the world.
Oh, if only I could tell you about his wealth. It was as if God had granted him half of His treasury—a marvel.
But he never showed it to everyone. He made sure only I saw it.
I believe he chose me as his heir.
Today, I am rich. Very rich.
Sometimes, the world looks more beautiful with wealth.
You don't see me now, but believe me, if you opened my treasury, you'd even see my insanity within it.
I am as old as my grandfather and more.
That's why I hesitate when asked my age. "A little more, caller."
The gray in my hair bends, fading.
In the first century of my life, I held the remains of my body in my hands and scattered my ashes.
I began seeing the world differently; nothing bothered me anymore,
not even when they told me that my love wasn't enough because it wasn't tangible.
My grandfather, rich in wisdom, passed it down to me a long time ago.
Now, I wish to pass some of mine to him. Oh, how I wish we could meet again.
But my grandfather is gone.
They said he found a place among the great ones, above the seventh sky.
My grandfather was a writer.
Do you understand now what kind of wealth I'm talking about?
I write without fear because I know he will always be a listener.
"Kullu nafsin dha'iqatul mawt,Innama tuwaffauna ujoorakum yawma al-qiyamah"
"O Allah, replace his home with a better home, and his family with a better family, and admit him to Paradise, and protect him from the torment of the grave and the torment of the Fire. O Allah, reward him according to his good deeds, and do not treat him according to his deeds. O Allah, if he was righteous, increase his good deeds, and if he was sinful, forgive and pardon him