An emperor was coming out of his palace for his morning walk when he met a beggar. He asked the beggar, “What do you want?”
The beggar laughed and said, “You are asking me as though you can fulfill my desire!”
The king was offended. He said, “Of course I can fulfill your desire. What is it? Just tell me.”
And the beggar said, “Think twice before you promise anything.”
“I will fulfill anything you ask. I am a very powerful emperor, what can you possibly desire that I can not give to you?”
The beggar said, “It is a very simple desire. You see this begging bowl? Can you fill it with something?”
The emperor said, “Of course!” He called one of his viziers and told him, “Fill this mans begging bowl with money.” The vizier went and got some money and poured it into the bowl, and it disappeared. And he poured more and more, and the moment he would pour it, it would disappear. And the beggging bowl remained always empty.
The whole palace gathered. By and by the rumor went throughout the whole capital, and a huge crowd gathered. The prestige of the emperor was at stake. He said to his viziers, “If the whole kingdom is lost, I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar.”
Diamonds and pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were becoming empty. The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. Everything that was put into it — everything! — immediately disappeared, went out of existence. Finally it was the evening, and the people were standing there in utter silence. The king dropped at the feet of the beggar and admitted his defeat. he said, “Just tell me one thing. You are victorious – but before you leave, just fulfill my curiousity. What is the begging bowl made of?”
The beggar laughed and said, “It is made up of the human mind. There is no secret. It is simply made up of human desire.”
This understanding transforms life. Go into one desire — what is the mechanism of it? First there is a great excitement, great thrill, adventure. you feel a great kick. Somehting is going to happen, you are on the verge of it. And then you have the car, you have the yacht, you have the house, you have the woman, and suddenly all is meaningless again.
What happens? Your mind has dematerialised it. The car is standing in the drive, but there is no excitement anymore. The excitement was only in getting it. You became so drunk with the desire thah you forgot your inner nothingness. Now the desire is fulfilled, the car in the drive, the woman in your bed, the money in your bank account – again excitement disappears. Again the emptiness is there, ready to eat you up. Again you have to create another desire to escape this yawning abyss.
That’s how one moves from one desire to another desire. That’s how one remains a beggar. Your whole life proves it again and again — every desire frustrates. And when the goal is achieved, you will need another desire.
The day you understand that desire as such is going to fail comes the turning point in your life.
The other journey is inwards. move inwards, come back home.
Moral: The beggar’s bowl represents the human mind’s endless craving, which can never be filled with worldly possessions. Islam teaches us to curb these desires by practicing gratitude (shukr), patience (sabr), and focusing on our ultimate purpose: worshiping Allah and preparing for the Hereafter. True contentment lies not in fulfilling every desire but in aligning our hearts with Allah’s guidance and being satisfied with what He has provided.
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:
“If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would love to have a second one. And nothing fills his mouth except dust (of the grave), but Allah forgives whoever repents to Him.”
[Sahih Bukhari]
Let this story remind us to seek fulfillment in our relationship with Allah, rather than in the temporary joys of the dunya.