A bedouin (desert dwelling nomadic person) came to the blessed Prophet Muhammad and asked him on the following topics, followed by counsel of the Prophet. True wisdom is timeless, hence exact similar traces of wisdom can be found from enlightened ones of all ages, all traditions.
Bedouin: I wish to be the richest person in the world.
Prophet: Be content and you will be the richest person in the world.
on similar note Buddha's saying as appearing in Dhammapada, "contentment is the greatest wealth."
Bedouin: I would like to be the most learned of people.
Prophet: Fear God with Holy Fear and you will be the most learned of people.
similarly Proverbs 1:7 declares, "The holy fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (gnosis) …"
Bedouin: I would like to be the most just of people.
Prophet: Desire for others what you would like for yourself and you would be the most just of people.
reminds Christ (Matthew, 22:36), "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" - Doctrine of the Mean 13.3, Confucianism.
"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." - Islamic teaching in sacred hadith.
Bedouin: I would like to be the best of people.
Prophet: Be good to others and you will be the best of people.
motto of the teaching of Zoroastrian: Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Works.
"All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." - Black Elk, Native American Spirituality.
Bedouin: I would like to be the most honorable of people.
Prophet: If you do not complain to any fellow humans you will be the most honorable of people.
"Don't complain about the snow on your neighbor's roof when your own doorstep is unclean." - Confucius
"See if you can catch yourself complaining in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather. To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation or accept it." - Eckhart Tolle, Power of Now.
Bedouin: I wish to be safe from Divine Wrath on the Day of Judgment.
Prophet: If you do not lose your temper with any of your fellow humans, you will be safe from Divine wrath on the Day of Judgment.
"Delusion arises from anger. The mind is negatively bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed.
Three gates of Hell are: lust, anger, and greed." - Bhagavad Gita
Bedouin: What are the worst evils in the sight of God?
Prophet: Uncontrolled bad temper and miserliness (i.e. selfishness with money).
"The honor of your fellow should be as precious to you as your own, and do not be easy to anger." - Rabbi Eliezer
:We ought to be very careful to keep watch on ourselves. When a harbor is full of ships it is easy for them to run against each other, particularly if they are secretly riddled by the worm of bad temper."
- St. John Climacus
"Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance." - St. Francis of Assisi
"And now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" - I Corinthians 13:13.
Bedouin: I wish to be the richest person in the world.
Prophet: Be content and you will be the richest person in the world.
on similar note Buddha's saying as appearing in Dhammapada, "contentment is the greatest wealth."
Bedouin: I would like to be the most learned of people.
Prophet: Fear God with Holy Fear and you will be the most learned of people.
similarly Proverbs 1:7 declares, "The holy fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (gnosis) …"
Bedouin: I would like to be the most just of people.
Prophet: Desire for others what you would like for yourself and you would be the most just of people.
reminds Christ (Matthew, 22:36), "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" - Doctrine of the Mean 13.3, Confucianism.
"None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." - Islamic teaching in sacred hadith.
Bedouin: I would like to be the best of people.
Prophet: Be good to others and you will be the best of people.
motto of the teaching of Zoroastrian: Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Works.
"All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." - Black Elk, Native American Spirituality.
Bedouin: I would like to be the most honorable of people.
Prophet: If you do not complain to any fellow humans you will be the most honorable of people.
"Don't complain about the snow on your neighbor's roof when your own doorstep is unclean." - Confucius
"See if you can catch yourself complaining in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather. To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation or accept it." - Eckhart Tolle, Power of Now.
Bedouin: I wish to be safe from Divine Wrath on the Day of Judgment.
Prophet: If you do not lose your temper with any of your fellow humans, you will be safe from Divine wrath on the Day of Judgment.
"Delusion arises from anger. The mind is negatively bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed.
Three gates of Hell are: lust, anger, and greed." - Bhagavad Gita
Bedouin: What are the worst evils in the sight of God?
Prophet: Uncontrolled bad temper and miserliness (i.e. selfishness with money).
"The honor of your fellow should be as precious to you as your own, and do not be easy to anger." - Rabbi Eliezer
:We ought to be very careful to keep watch on ourselves. When a harbor is full of ships it is easy for them to run against each other, particularly if they are secretly riddled by the worm of bad temper."
- St. John Climacus
"Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance." - St. Francis of Assisi
"And now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" - I Corinthians 13:13.
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