It is said that one day, as a sheikh was walking with one of his disciples through the vast fields and farms, they came across an old pair of shoes. They assumed that they belonged to a poor man who worked in one of the nearby fields. The disciple turned to the wise sheikh and said: "What do you think, Sheikh, of hiding this worker's shoes, then hiding ourselves behind the bushes? When he comes to put them on, he won't find them, and we will see his astonishment and confusion." The wise sheikh smiled calmly and said: "But we shouldn't amuse ourselves at the expense of others, especially the poor. If you want to feel happiness and joy, I have a better idea. You are well-off and have some money. Why don't you put a coin inside this poor worker's shoe, then hide behind the bushes and wait for him to come and discover the coin? Then you can see for yourself the impact of this act on him."
The disciple was very impressed with this suggestion and immediately began to implement the sheikh's plan. He placed a coin in the shoe and hid with his teacher behind the bushes to observe the poor man's reaction from a distance. After a few minutes, a simple worker, dressed in rags and showing clear signs of fatigue and exhaustion from his work on the farm, approached the shoe. As he bent down to pick it up and put it on, he found the coin inside. He looked at the coin intently, then looked around in all directions, but saw no one.
The worker put the coin in his pocket and knelt down, looking up to the sky and praying to God, saying: "Thank you, Lord, for You know that my wife is sick and my children are hungry and have no bread. You have saved me and my children from destruction." He wept and wailed as he thanked God for His blessing. The disciple was deeply moved by this scene, and his eyes filled with tears. At that moment, the sheikh turned to him and said in a emotional voice: "Are you not happier now than if you had carried out your first suggestion and hidden the shoe? "Without hesitation, the disciple replied: "I have learned a lesson that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Now, for the first time, I understand the meaning of words I have read many times but never truly understood: 'When you give, you will be happier than when you take."
