There were once, among the Children of Israel, three men. The first was afflicted with leprosy. The second was bald. The third was blind.
Three Men Tested
There were once, among the Children of Israel, three men.
The first was afflicted with leprosy.
Leprosy is a disease that can affect the skin and certain parts of the body.
The second was bald.
The third was blind.
Each of them lived with a difficulty that affected his body.
But their story was not only going to be about illness.
It was going to be about something much deeper:
the way a person reacts when Allah completely changes their situation.
Allah wanted to test these three men.
A test is a situation by which a person is tried.
Sometimes, the test takes the form of a difficulty.
An illness.
Poverty.
Fatigue.
A loss.
But sometimes, the test can also take the form of a blessing.
Health.
Wealth.
Comfort.
Success.
And it happens that this second kind of test is even harder.
Allah therefore sent an angel to these three men.
The angel took on a human appearance and first presented himself to the leper.
The First Wish
The angel approached the man afflicted with leprosy.
Then he asked him:
— What is the thing that would be most pleasing to you?
The man knew immediately what he desired.
He replied:
— A beautiful complexion, beautiful skin, and a cure for this disease that makes me repulsive in the eyes of people.
What he desired above all was therefore neither money nor goods.
He wanted to regain healthy skin.
He wanted his disease to disappear.
The angel then passed his hand over him.
And by Allah's permission, the disease disappeared.
The traces of leprosy faded away.
The man obtained a beautiful complexion and beautiful skin.
What he had asked for had just been granted to him.
But the angel was not finished.
He asked him a new question:
— What is the wealth that you prefer the most?
This time, he was no longer asking him what he wished for his body.
He was asking him what kind of riches he desired.
The man replied:
— Camels.
He was then given a she-camel about to give birth.
A female about to give birth is a female that is soon going to give birth to her young.
Before leaving, the angel said to him:
— May Allah bless it for you!
The man who had been ill now possessed healthy skin.
And he also possessed a she-camel that was soon going to have a baby.
Then the angel left him.
The Second Man
The angel then went to the bald man.
He asked him exactly the same kind of question:
— What is the thing that would be most pleasing to you?
The man replied:
— Beautiful hair, because people find me repulsive like this.
He too suffered from the gaze of others.
And what he desired most was to get his hair back.
The angel then passed his hand over his head.
And by Allah's permission, beautiful hair appeared.
His wish had just been granted.
Then the angel asked him:
— What is the wealth that you prefer the most?
The man replied:
— Cows.
He was then given a pregnant cow.
A cow pregnant is a cow that is expecting a baby.
The angel said to him:
— May Allah bless it for you!
The second man had also just seen his life change.
He had obtained what he desired for his body.
And he now possessed a wealth that could multiply.
Then the angel left.
The Third Wish
Only the blind man remained.
The angel presented himself to him.
Then he asked him:
— What is the thing that would be most pleasing to you?
The man replied:
— It would be that Allah restores my sight so that I can see people.
He did not ask for wealth first.
He simply wanted to see.
To see the people around him.
To see the world around him.
The angel then passed his hand over his eyes.
And by Allah's permission, his sight was restored to him.
For the first time since his trial, the man could see again.
Then the angel asked him the second question:
— What is the wealth that you prefer the most?
The former blind man replied:
— Sheep.
He was then given a pregnant ewe that was soon going to give birth.
And, as for the other two men, the angel invoked Allah to bless what he had just received.
Then he left.
Three Transformed Lives
The three men had obtained what they had asked for.
The first no longer had leprosy.
The second had regained beautiful hair.
The third had regained his sight.
But that was not all.
The first possessed a she-camel.
The second a cow.
The third a ewe.
Then the animals gave birth.
Their herds began to grow.
Over time, the young ones also had young ones.
The years passed.
And the blessing granted to their wealth became immense.
The former leper ended up possessing an entire valley filled with camels.
The former bald man ended up possessing an entire valley filled with cows.
And the former blind man ended up possessing an entire valley filled with sheep.
They had become rich.
Very rich.
Illness and poverty now belonged to their past.
At first glance, their trial seemed over.
But in reality, it was only just beginning.
For it is sometimes easy to ask when one possesses nothing.
The real question was now what they would do once they were fulfilled.
Would they remember their former situation?
Would they recognize that all these blessings came from Allah?
Or would they end up forgetting?
One day, the angel returned.
But this time, he was not going to present himself to them as he had during their first meeting.
He was going to take on an appearance they knew very well.
The very appearance of what they had once been.
To be continued…
