Once a person came to a Shaikh (Islamic scholar) and complained to him about his own poverty, saying that he was in great distress and would prefer death to such a life. The Shaikh said to him, “Are you willing to have your eyes taken out in exchange for ten thousand Dirhams (silver coins).” He replied “Certainly not.” The Shaikh said “Would you like to have your tongue plucked out and get ten thousand Dirhams in return?” The man said, “Of course not.”
The Shaikh said, “Would you agree to having both your hands and feet cut off in return for twenty thousand Dirhams.” The man said that he would not. The Shaikh asked “Are you willing to be made a mad man and get ten thousand Dirhams in return?” The man said that he was not willing. At this, the Shaikh said to him, “Are you not ashamed of yourself? You admit that Allah Ta’ala has granted you so many precious gifts, the value whereof, in your own estimation, exceeds fifty thousand Dirhams (counting only a few gifts, by way of illustration) and yet you complain of poverty!”
Source: “Fadhail-e-Sadaqaa Part II”, translated by Prof. Abdul Karim.
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