The Thousand Dinars That Crossed the Sea

A very long time ago, among the Children of Israel, there were two men who made an agreement.

One of them needed money.

So he asked the other to lend him a thousand dinars.

It was a large sum.

Before handing over the money, the lender asked him:

— Bring me witnesses to testify between us.

The man replied:

— Allah is sufficient as a witness.

The lender then asked him:

— Bring me someone to guarantee for you.

The man replied:

— Allah is sufficient as a guarantor.

The lender said to him:

— You have spoken the truth.

Then he handed him the thousand dinars.

The two men set a specific date by which the sum had to be returned.

Then the borrower went away by sea to do what he had to do.

The days passed.

Then the weeks.

And little by little, the agreed date approached.

The man had not forgotten his debt.

He knew he had made a commitment.

He had to return the thousand dinars to their owner.

So he went to the seashore and looked for a boat that could take him to the land where his creditor was.

But no boat was leaving.

He waited.

He searched again.

Still nothing.

Yet the date was approaching.

The man did not want to break his word.

So he thought of a way to get the money to its owner.

He took a piece of wood.

He hollowed it out carefully.

Inside, he placed the thousand dinars.

Then he also slipped in a letter addressed to the man who had lent him the money.

He closed the piece of wood securely.

Then he carried it to the seashore.

Before him stretched a vast expanse of water.

Then the man turned to Allah.

He said that he had borrowed a thousand dinars from that man.

He reminded that he had been asked for a guarantor and he had replied:

— Allah is sufficient as a guarantor.

He also reminded that he had been asked for a witness and he had replied: