Nile Kids Presents...
I Love You
Like Salt!
Once upon a time, there was a man who had three sons: the
oldest
was Hassan, the middle son was Ali, and the youngest was Mohamed. The
father was a wise man. He loved his sons dearly, and they loved him
too.
One day, the father said to himself,
"I love my sons, but I want to see
how much they love me."
So he called his sons to come to him, sat them down, and asked, "My
dear sons, how much do you love me?"
The oldest, Hassan, said, "Father, I love you as much as all the
world's gold and silver!"
The father smiled and was very happy.
The middle son, Ali said, "Father, I love you as much as all the
world's money and riches!"
The father smiled again, and felt very proud.
The youngest son, Mohamed, said, "Father, I love you as much as - salt!"
The father frowned and said, "Salt?!! You love me as much as SALT? What
kind of love is that?" He was very angry and said to his son, "Since
you hate me that much, leave my home and never come back again!"
Mohamed was very, very sad. He didn't mean to hurt his father at all.
He loved his father, and now he had to live away from him and his
brothers forever...
Years passed, and the sons grew up and became men. They all got married
and had their own homes. One day the father was walking down the street
in a strange neighborhood, it was very hot and he became very thirsty.
So, he knocked on a house's door to ask for some water.
A man opened the door. It was Mohamed! But his father didn't recognize
him, because he hadn't seen him since he was a boy. But, Mohamed knew
it was his father, but didn't tell him.
The father said, "My friend, I am very thirsty and my home is very far
away, do you have water for me?" Mohamed said, "Oh, yes, Sir! Please,
come in!"
His father came in, and Mohamed asked him to sit down and rest his
feet, and gave him a big cup of nice, cold water to drink.
Then, Mohamed had a brilliant idea! He said to his father, "Sir, since
you are so tired, you must be hungry too. Why don't know have dinner
with us?"
The father was touched by the man's kindness and said, "Thank you so
much, kind Sir. I would love to."
So Mohamed went to his wife, who was making dinner, and said to her,
"Make a huge dinner with lots of delicious food, but no salt." His wife
was confused. She said, "What? Food with no salt? But it won't taste
good at all!" Mohamed said, "I know. Just make it without salt."
Later on that evening, dinner was served. Mohamed's wife made all kinds
of delicious food and Mohamed's father was VERY hungry by then. So they
all sat down to eat, when Mohamed's father took a bite of food. He made
a disgusted face and said, "My friend, I think you forgot the salt."
Mohamed said, "What? Oh, we don't need salt. Salt is not important."
The father said, "No- salt is very important! Without it, food has no
taste at all!"
Mohamed said, "So, you're saying that salt is important and valuable?"
The father yes, "Oh, of course! What would life be without salt?"
So Mohamed smiled and said, "So, why did you kick me out when I told
you I loved you as much as salt?"
The man's eyed widened and teared up. He got up and shouted, "Mohamed?!
Mohamed is that you?"
Mohamed said, "Yes, it is me father. You kicked me out of our home and
left me alone because I said I loved you as much as salt."
The father started crying and hugged his son closely and said, "Oh
Mohamed, I am so sorry! I didn't realize you loved me this much!
Please, please forgive me!"
Mohamed loved his father, so he hugged him and forgave him. They all
lived together happily ever after, and had many meals together
- with salt.