In a quiet village on the mountainside, where olive trees embraced the light of dawn, two neighboring men lived: Salem and Nabil.
Salem was kind-hearted, watering his land with the sweat of his brow and greeting people with a sincere smile. Nabil, however, carried in his chest a dark cloud of envy whenever he saw the greenness of Salem’s land and the people’s approval of him.
One evening, Nabil sat in front of his house, watching Salem return from his field laden with the fruits of his labor. His resentment tightened further, and he said to himself:
“Why him? Why not me?”
Envy crept into his heart until it blinded him, and a dark idea came to mind...
He decided to dig a deep pit in a narrow path that Salem passed through every day, hoping he would fall into it and be hurt, so that his successes would come to an end.
That night, under the cover of darkness, he began to dig...
The ground was hard, but his heart was harder. He dug for a long time until he grew tired, then covered the pit with light branches and deceptive soil, and returned home with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Hours passed, and dawn came.
Nabil went out early to hide and see “the result of his plan.” But the path was still somewhat dark, and dew covered the ground...
He approached with cautious steps, trying to make sure of the pit’s location...
And suddenly...
His foot slipped.
And he fell.
Into the very same pit.
His scream rose among the trees, mixed with regret that had come too late. There was no one to hear him... except Salem, who was on his way as usual.
Salem ran toward the sound and did not hesitate for a moment.
He extended his hand and helped Nabil out, even though he still did not know what had happened.
Nabil looked at Salem, his eyes filled with shame, and said in a trembling voice:
“The pit... was meant for you... but it became mine.”
Salem smiled calmly and said:
“The paths we dig for others, we walk first ourselves.”
From that day on, Nabil changed.
He learned that pure hearts are never defeated, and that evil, no matter how long its road, must inevitably return to its صاحب.
