The people in Ali Shah’s village were dignified and brave. But there was one thing they were afraid of: a small piece of land above the village. Most of them wouldn’t dare walk across it and hardly anyone ever went near.
It was covered with unusual rocks; small, strange, twisted, red rocks. People said that this was because the jinn used that area to meet. Every month, when the moon was full, they said, great crowds of jinn would come and sit there together and make evil plans.
Ali Shah laughed at this. He was a poor man, and because no-one wanted the land and it was cheap he was able to buy it. He gathered up the strange red rocks, dumped them in a pile to one side, and began digging the foundations for simple house for his young family.
At this time a traveler passed through the village and noticed Ali Shah working on the hillside. Then he saw the little pile of red rocks. He couldn’t believe his eyes! When he’d worked in Saudi Arabia he had seen foreign engineers find rocks exactly like those red ones. They had scooped them up and sold them for enormous amounts of money. The red rocks were extremely, extremely valuable.
So the traveler climbed the hill to Ali and said, “Friend, please sell me your land. I want to build a small house and bring my family up here for a few months each summer. Your land has a wonderful view. Let me buy it.”
Ali Shah smiled and said, “Thank you, traveler. But I am a poor man and I only got this land by the grace of God. I could never afford another piece in my village. It’s not for sale.”
The traveler said, “I’ll give you whatever you paid for it, plus 50 percent.”
Ali Shah said, Sorry. The stranger said, “Plus 60 percent.” Ali shook his head.
The traveler left, but he sent an agent to talk with Ali. Ali said, No to the agent. So the traveler sent a friend who pretended to be independent. Ali again said, No. The traveler sent more friends and other agents. But to all of them, Ali Shah shook his head and said No.
So the traveler made a plan. Late one night, he crept up to Ali Shah’s land. He carefully removed stones from the foundation of the high stone wall until the wall wobbled dangerously. The slightest touch, and it would fall.
Next, because he couldn’t help himself, he felt his way to the pile of red stones and put some into his pockets. Then he slid quietly back down the hill.
Next morning the builder came again and started work. He put his tools down against the wall and … crash! The whole thing fell on him. Crump! His legs twisted under him. He collapsed like a blanket. And lay gasping for breath under rocks and dust.
Down in the village people heard the noise. They rushed up the hillside. “This was the jinn!” they shouted. They said, “Ali Shah, look what you’ve done! The jinn are angry because you are building on their land!”
Ali Shah went white. His heart pounded. People were pushing and yelling at him. He couldn’t breathe properly. He looked around wildly … and then he saw the traveler. Moving towards him, through the shouting crowd.
He came up to Ali and whispered in his ear, “Friend, I have money. In my car. Right now.”
Ali forced himself to focus. He needed to stop the crowd rioting. The traveller’s money would be enough to buy another plot. But then he noticed something. The traveller was holding one of the red rocks. He had picked it up and was fondling it in his hand!
In a flash Ali Shah saw the way forward.
“Go and bring the money up here, traveller,” he whispered. The man broke in to a huge grin, murmered praise to God and bounded away.
Then Ali Shah called to the crowd. “My friends, you are right. I will stop building. Please help me retrieve the stones from my wall, so I can use them at another place. And carry away the heap of red rocks, also. I will find a use for them.”
By the time the traveller returned and held out a big bundle of rupees for Ali the village men had finished clearing up the fallen wall. They were heaving stones into shawls and across their shoulders, and slipping and sliding back to the village.
Ali Shah took the money, saluted the traveller, shook his hand warmly, prayed he and his family would receive a full measure of God’s blessings, and followed the last man down the steep hillside from the bare plot of land which now had no red stones but did have a wonderful view.
After the story
Did you like that? Was it interesting? Was there something particular that was interesting? Do you know of situations like that? Did you notice some things in the story that are true about people? Some stories will show us something about who God is or how He interacts with us; did you see anything in this story like that?
The Scriptures
“The Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” 1 Samuel 2.3