Before eighty years, there was a university called Al Salmiya in the south-north of Bagdad. It
was well-known because of the great knowledge it had, and people from around the world came
to it to specialize in different fields of study. The best tutor in that university was called Abu Al
Amer. He was one of the best thinkers in Iraq, and he was famous for his wisdom which allowed
him to taught the best students from all over the world. One of his best students was called
Mohammed; a very educated and brilliant but poor student. And though he was poor, he had an
ambition that one day he would be one of the foundations of knowledge in Iraq. In a sunny hot
afternoon, Mohammed went to the grocery store to buy something to eat. Unfortunately, because
he was poor, he had only 1 and a half cent. He bought some bread with one cent and he told the
grocer, “Could you give me the radish with half cent.”
“But it is worth one cent”
“ I don’t have it, I have only my knowledge. I will enlighten you with an equation or a solution
for a troublesome issue that you’re struggling with in your life.”
“If your knowledge have any benefit, it would have helped to complete the rest of the money that
you need to buy radish” he continued, “you can go, take that knowledge, mixed it with water and
drink it to satisfy your hunger”
These words were like a sharp axe that hit his heart and cut it in half. After that discussion, he
retreated; ashamed of the knowledge he had: “ I am very stupid to waste my life in studying
something that it doesn’t even help me to buy radish, I will leave the university and find a job
that will help me to live a proper life and then people will respect me.”
After days, Abu Al Amer missed his best student and said, “ my students, can you tell me where
Mohammed is”
“ He left university to find a job to help him overcome his poverty”
“ where is his house? I want to meet him”
“ Teacher, don’t disgrace yourself to convince him to return, he chose his future by himself”
“I don’t want to know the reason for leaving the university, I just want to talk to him.”
He took his address and visited him. Mohammed was very embarrassed when he saw the pity in
his eyes. the teacher asked his student about what happened to him. He was crying and retelling
what happened to him
The teacher said, “You need money? Take my ring and sell it to make your life better”
“It was not the money what made me leave the university. It is because I hate knowledge since it
doesn’t help me to have a better life.”
“I’m not giving you this ring to convince you to go back to your classes but to make you happy
at least”
Because the teacher was very wise, he convinced the student to take the ring and sell it. The
buyers where very skeptic about the owner of the ring. He told them that it was a gift from his
teacher. After seeing his teacher who told them that he was actually the owner of the ring before
giving it to his student, they agreed to buy it. And the student went back to his teacher and
thanked him.
The teacher said to his student, “Where did you go when you wanted to sell the ring?”
“ I went to the jewelry store.”
“Why did you go there?”
“Because they know how to measure its value better than anybody else”
“Then why did you accept the evaluation of a grocer when he evaluated your knowledge? Does
he know its value? Nobody does, unless he knows its real value.” He continued” And I evaluated
you as the greatest student that I have ever taught. NOW, GO BACK TO THOSE WHO KNOW
YOUR VALUE.”