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The Taxi Driver

The taxi driver and I shared one thing in common: indulging in the art of listening and understanding. From Sharjah he cruised at a constant speed towards Dubai. Studying his profile from time to time I saw that he was about 54, a sparse, almost ordinary man in clean, plain clothes, but there was in his voice that undefinable tone and in his eyes a twinkle, reflecting the state of a man who has found a treasure.
We talked of spiritual things from various viewpoints. Midway, he asked me what I do for a living and I told him I'm in advertising. I told him, “You don’t look like a taxi driverHe smiled enigmatically and said, "The taxi is just an excuse to enable me to do something else, something worthwhile."
When I probed deeper he turned and gave me long hard look, as if sizing me up.
“I think you are a good man; and a good man can always do more good.” he observed laconically and then lapsed into silence.
Then, of a sudden, he asked, “What is your name?”
“Idries.”   I replied.
“AlHamdulillah!” he exclaimed, and then “My other business, Idries, is Sadaqa”.
“Sadaqa?   What’s ‘sadaqa’ business?” I ventured, although I wasn’t unaware of what Sadaqa meant. ‘Sadaqa’ is what is given voluntarily for the sake of Allah. But Sadaqa— an occupation?
He smiled again, a serene smile. "You know my friend, in the world of mathematics, you can add, subtract, divide and multiply in precise quantities. You cannot increase what you have, by dividing it or giving it away.   But, in the spiritual world, things work differently.
“The more you give of what you value, the richer and more prosperous you become. Whether you give of your wealth, or your time, or your love, your care and wisdom, you can never impoverish yourself by giving generously.   The Almighty returns our generosity with multiples.”
I took a deep breath, trying to digest what he’d said.
He looked at me sharply, "Sounds unbelievable, but its true. What do we really own? It is how we spend what is entrusted to us....