The Thief and His Son

Once upon a time, there lived a man, who was well-known as a thief, not only in his village, but also in villages far away. One day, he called his son, and asked his son to start helping him with his work. “If you love me, you shall begin stealing with me!” he said.

The child refused. “If I also become a thief, no one will respect me! I want to earn by bread and butter by working hard.” 

“Have you not heard, you must listen to your father?” he chided. 

Anyhow, his son later went to a neighbouring farmer, and brought home a cow. He promised to pay the farmer when it was time for the crops to be reaped. 

His father became very happy, assuming the boy had stolen the cow. Some time later, the cow gave birth to a very cute calf. She also began to produce a lot of milk. The father and the son used to have lots of milk everyday. However, the boy began to grow healthier by the day, and the thief began to become weaker. 

One day, the boy asked his father, “Baba, why have you become so weak, when we have enough milk for everyone at home?” 

The thief then opened his heart to his son. “I fear that one day, you will be found out. Everyone will know you stole the cow, and they will not be fond of you anymore!” 

The son smiled and then replied, “I did not steal it baba, I bought it. No one can come and claim this cow!” 

Understanding what his son had done, the man also stopped thieving, and both father and son toiled hard all day to earn from Halal means.

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Source: Narrated by Ahmed Aleem's grandmother. Recorded in Lahore, as a part of Clicks and Culture, our collaboration with Beaconhouse School System.