There once lived three men who were the very best of friends. They enjoyed the company of each other and told one another their deepest secrets. Now, these three men were best friends � all for the pleasure of Allah. Then, surely, they must have had a very strong and concrete friendship, does it not?

Let�s find out more in this story related by one of the friends, Waqidi (RA) . . .

�I had two friends, a Hashimite and a non- Hashimite, and we were very close to one another, like three inseparable companions. I did not have much money and when the day of Eid approached, my wife said to me, �We can be patient at all times, but I cannot bear to see my children weeping and crying. I feel as though my heart would break, when I see them in rags, while other children are buying new clothes and other fine things for Eid. If you could get me some money for Eid, I would sew new clothes for them.�

I then wrote a letter to my Hashimite friend and told him all about my sad story. He sent me a sealed bag with one thousand Dirhams and an important note. This note explained that I could use this money as I wished.

No sooner than I had thought about how I would use the money, I received a note from my friend, the non-Hashimite. In this note, my friend told me about his story � that he also desperately needed some money. And so I sent that same bag of money to him. I then went home and told my wife what I had done with the money. She was very happy that I had helped a friend in need. Alhamdulillah!

As we sat talking to each other, my Hashimite friend came with the same bag that he had sent me three days before.

He said, �Tell me the truth about this bag of money. How has it reached me again ?�

I then explained to him how I had sent it to our non- Hashimite friend.

He then said : �When I received your note, I had nothing with me, except this bag, which I sent to you. But then I wrote to my non- Hashimite friend and asked him for help. I was surprised when he sent me my own sealed bag, which I had sent you. Ah, so now I have come to solve the mystery of the sealed bag !�