In the name of the most compassionate It

ﺑﻪﻧﺎﻡ ﻣﻬﺮﺑﺎﻧﺘﺮﻳﻦ In the name of the most compassionate

It was just several days to the New Year holidays. Most of the students were absent. However, the professor showed up just on time and began teaching. "Sir! Enough is enough. Let's call it a session!" whispered a student some while after. The 50 -yearold professor removed his glasses from his face, sat down on his chair for the first time since the beginning of the class and said "Now that you have managed to stop me teaching, let me tell you a memory of mine. "

I was in my early twenties when I lived with my family in Mashad. My parents were diligent farmers and whenever my eyes fell on their tough sun-burnt hands I felt like kissing and smelling them. It was around the New Year. I had recently started my teaching career and had just got my first sallary. One morning I was going up the home stairs when I heard a muffled male weeping. The weeping got clearer as I approached (tears were now rolling from the professor's eyes).

It was my father. My mom was trying to soothe him saying "God is compassionate. God the Almighty won't let us down before our children. Besides, we don't have to give them gifts of the New Year if we don't afford to. " But my father said with a voice in sorrow "Our grandchildren are grown-up now. They have expectations from us. They shouldn't think that we…" ﻣیگﻔﺖ آﻘﺎ! ﺧﺪﺍ ﺑﺰﺭگ ، ﻣﺎﺩﺭ ﻫﻢ آﺮﺍﻣﺶ ﻣیکﺮﺩ ، پﺪﺭﻡ ﺑﻮﺩ ﻓﻮﻗﺶ ﺑﻪ ، ﺧﺪﺍ ﻧﻤیﺬﺍﺭﻩ ﻣﺎ پیﺶ ﺑچﻪﻫﺎ کﻮچیک ﺑﺸیﻢ ، ﺍﺳﺖ ﺧﺎﻧﻢ ﻧﻮﻩﻫﺎﻣﻮﻥ ﺑﺰﺭگ : ﺍﻣﺎ پﺪﺭﻡ گﻔﺖ ، ﺑچﻪﻫﺎ ﻋیﺪی ﻧﻤیﺩیﻢ . . . ﻧﺒﺎیﺪ ﻓکﺮ کﻨﻨﺪ کﻪ ﻣﺎ ، ﺷﺪﻧﺪ ﻭ ﺍﺯ ﻣﺎ ﺍﻧﺘﻈﺎﺭ ﺩﺍﺭﻧﺪ

Now the whole story was too clear for me to doubt why my father was crying. I fished in my pocket. There was 100 Tomans-all my salary. I stooped down, kissed his shoes which were lying there covered with mud due to work on the farming plot, and put the money on them. On the holidays of the New Year, all my brothers and sisters came along with their children. My father gave each of them, and my mother too, a New Year gift.

I asked "what is this for? " The principal said "It is from the headquarters. Well, you know, during the past few months that you have been here, students have shown great improvement, so I asked the center to consider a bonus for you. " I was so bewildered, but all of a sudden, uttered unconsciously "The cash must be 1000 Tomans and not 900, I think!“ "How do you know this? " asked the principal, surprised at my words. "Just a guess; that's all" I muttered in the same state of puzzlement. Actually the principal wondered how to react to my peculiar guess. However, he said that he would check the sum with the Headquarters and let me know.

The day after, the principal saw me and said "I verified it immediately after you left yesterday. And you are right! The actual sum has been 1000 Tomans and not 900. The deliverer of the parcel apparently has nicked 100 which I got back. But I have a condition to give it to you. " I asked "what is it? “ "Just tell me, how did you know the exact sum? Don't you say it was just a guess, which is absolutely ridiculous!"