aab e hayat ( English version)

chapter no 37

Salar examined the documents in the file carefully, one by one. After placing the final paper back into the file, he looked up at Hameen, who was seated in front of him. He closed the file and handed it back to him. "So, what have you learned from this whole experience?"

"A lot of things," Hameen said, taking a deep breath.

Salar suppressed a smile. "Just tell me two things."

"Children don't make good clients," Hameen said without hesitation.

"And?" Salar prompted.

"True," Salar affirmed, then added, "Everything that seems appealing but belongs to someone else cannot be the purpose of our life, nor can it be our favorite thing." Salar intentionally repeated Hameen's business slogan that he had read in the contract. "Get your favorite thing!" For a moment, that slogan had bewildered him. How could this be his son's business slogan, and that too at the age of nine?

"Our most favorite thing is and should be what we already have. We don't have the right to take someone else's most cherished thing," Salar was trying to teach his nine-year-old son a lesson in ethics while sharing some business wisdom. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing or not, but Salar Sikandar, as a father, couldn't teach his son that business is devoid of ethics. It's not just about money. Everything else was secondary.

"Do you know what is the most powerful thing a human has?" Salar asked Hameen.

"What?" Hameen asked.

"The mind. If you know how to use it properly." He paused. "And do you know what is the most dangerous thing a human has?" he asked again.

"What?" Hameen replied in the same manner.

"The mind! If you don't know how to use it properly, it can destroy not only others but also yourself." Hameen understood what Salar was referring to – he was talking about him. They weren't just father and son; they were two of the sharpest minds in the world.

At the age of forty-five, Salar had established the framework of an interest-free Islamic financial system. Now, after solidifying its foundation, he was building the structure. He took risks, embraced challenges, and knew how to find and create new paths. Even while battling a brain tumor, he lived each day of his life with purpose. The world knew his name and respected him. Whenever he spoke at any forum, finance gurus from around the world listened to him in silence and with full attention. Even if he didn't accomplish any other major feats, Salar Sikandar had already attained legendary status in the world of finance.

Hameen Sikandar was a nine-year-old boy whose first business venture, started without any investment but solely based on interpersonal skills, had thrived but within three months, it failed miserably, taking his reputation at school down with it.

 He had returned every penny of the remaining 175 dollars, not only apologizing verbally to everyone but also writing an apology letter to each person, which he drafted himself. These were the most humiliating moments of Hameen Sikandar's life. 

Just a few days earlier, he had lost the national-level stardom he had gained, but this experience made Hameen reflect seriously for the first time. It forced him to think. There was one thing he hadn't told his father that night: he wanted to pursue business in life. He wanted to create a bigger and more successful name than his father. 

He wanted to become the richest man in the world. Hameen Sikandar had this dream while returning the money to his classmates, and he now had to figure out how to make it come true.

"Mummy! I want to learn to read the Quran," Erik said at the dinner table that night, sitting with his family after many days. Caroline's boyfriend was also present when Erik said this to Caroline during the meal.