There once lived a pious man who was enslaved to a wicked master. The righteous slave wanted to teach his master a lesson that he would not forget, a lesson that would make him change his ways.

The Master told him one day to plant wheat. The slave took the opportunity. He went and collected seeds of barley and planted them. As the season drew near, the master was enraged to see that after all this work and time the slave had planted the wrong seed. In his thrashing rage, he scolded the slave saying, “Why did you do this?”

The righteous slave said, “I had hope that the barley seeds would come out as wheat.”

The Master said, “How can you plant barley seeds and expect it to come out as wheat?”

The slave stopped and said quietly, “How can you disobey Allah and expect for His bounteous mercy? How can you openly challenge his Deen and hope for Jannah.”

The Master was stunned and silent. He understood. “You have taught me something today that I had never realized. You are free for the sake of Allah.”