Angry Ahmad and the bag of Nails

By Mawlana Junayd Makda Sahib

Angry Ahmad and the bag of Nails

Once there was a boy named Ahmad who would get very angry when things didn’t go his way. He would clench his fists, stomp his feet, and sometimes even break things. His family and friends didn’t like being around him because of his outbursts. One day, Ahmad’s mother gave him a bag of shiny nails and told him to hammer one into the fence whenever he got angry. Ahmad found this very strange but followed his mother’s wise advice. At first, he hammered a lot of nails into the fence, and very quickly, the fence began to fill up with nails. This continued for a few weeks until one day, Ahmad decided to try something different. He chose to take deep breaths, drink some water, or even perform wudhu to help him calm down whenever he felt angry. As the days went by, he found himself staying more and more in control, and very soon, he went days and weeks without getting angry. As Ahmad controlled his anger, something amazing happened. People around him treated him better, and his relationships improved. His friends started inviting him to play more often, and his family expressed their happiness at seeing him happier and more in control. One day, Ahmad’s mother asked him to remove a nail from the fence for each day he went without getting angry. Ahmad eagerly agreed and started pulling out the nails, one by one. When he had removed all the nails, his mother asked him to look at the fence and see all the holes left behind. To his amazement, the fence was full of holes. “What do you see, my dear?” his mother asked. Ahmad thought for a moment and replied, ‘I see that my anger made these holes, and they’re not easy to fix.’ His mother smiled and said, ‘That’s right, Ahmad. When we let our anger control us, it can leave lasting marks on ourselves and others. But when we take the time to control our anger, we can avoid causing harm.’ Ahmad understood the important lesson his mother had taught him. From that day forward, he continued to work on controlling his anger. He realised that by staying calm and not letting anger take over, he could make his world a happier and kinder place.

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