Value Story: An Inspiring Tale About The Value of A Man

 

A Story About Values: An Inspiring Tale About The Life of Timur The Lame

 

“A person in himself is neither superior nor inferior. Because of virtues, some people become superior, while others remain mediocre. The value of a man is determined neither by wealth, nor by position, nor by fame. The value of a man is determined by his character.”

– Pawan Pratap Singh

A Story About The Value of A Man: This incident relates to the life of Timur The Lame (Tamerlane), a barbarian invader of Central Asia. He was the ruler of Samarkand (today’s Uzbekistan) in the 14th century. His real name was Timur, but as he was lame in one leg, everyone called him Taimurlang (Timur The Lame).

His name is counted among the most cruel and merciless rulers in history. His name was synonymous with terror. Wherever he went, people trembled at his wickedness. Whichever kingdom he attacked, he would destroy it completely, and along with killing people, he would also set villages on fire.

Once he attacked Delhi (the Capital of India) and killed more than 200,000 innocent people in a single day. In a single night, he shed rivers of blood. This lame, stunted, extremely ugly vampire had trampled many countries and destroyed many houses.

Once he attacked Turkistan and captured many people. Turkistan’s famous poet Ahmadi was also among those prisoners. When they were captured and brought before Timur, he pointed towards the two slaves and said to Ahmadi,

“I have heard that poets are great connoisseurs. So tell me, what is the value of these slaves in your opinion?”

Ahmadi replied, “Neither of these two is worth less than five hundred Ashrafis (A Persian gold coin).”

Timur was very surprised to hear his reply. He again asked the question to the poet, “What is my worth?”

Read More Stories: 100 Bedtime Stories For Kid’s Entertainment & Pleasure

 

A Story That Tells What Makes A Man, A Human Being

Ahmadi was a truthful and fearless soul. Despite knowing that Timur could go to any extent of cruelty if he did not get the answer he wanted, he replied, “Your price is only twenty Ashrafis.”

Timur said in surprise, “What, only 20 Ashrafis! Only my Sadri (a type of cloth worn over the body) is worth so much.”

“Yes, these twenty Ashrafis are just the price of that Sadri.” replied the self-respecting poet.

“It means I have no value as an individual”, Taimur asked Ahmadi with his eyes red with anger.

“No. How can a man who does not have even an iota of compassion, who laughs at the bloodshed of others and who destroys homes, be called a human being?”

“Tell me what would be the worth of a person who is born only to cause pain to others, whose name makes people tremble, and who roams around ruining this beautiful world created by God?”

Read More Stories: 51 Bible Stories To Boost Your Faith In The Lord

An Inspiring Story About Value Or Worth

Even though all the facts said about Timur were true, this conversation made his anger skyrocket and he took out his sword to kill Ahmadi. But there was not even a shadow of fear on the poet Ahmadi’s face.

Before killing him, Timur asked for his last wish. On this, Ahmadi said boldly, “What can a robber and a bloodthirsty devil give to anyone, he can only snatch.” And before the poet could say anything further, Timur killed him.

Timur may have considered this act as his bravery, but, in reality, he was defeated by a fearless and self-respecting person, who refused to bow down and become frightened even when death was in front of him and this defeat was clearly visible on Timur’s face.

Read More Stories: Wonderful Story of The Scorpion And The Frog For Children

“It is the conscience of courageous people that gives them strength. Self-respecting people die but do not become helpless in front of anyone. God’s faith and His grace are enough for one who moves forward on the path of morality.”

– Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya