The Diamond Cutter (story)

Once in the time of our 10th Imam, Imam Ali al-Hadi (A), a man came to him and told him that if the Imam (A) did not help him, he would be killed. The Imam (A) asked the man to explain. The man said that he was a jeweler who worked at the palace. Recently, the king, Mutawakkil, had received a rare and expensive diamond as a gift. The king had given the expensive diamond to the man. He wanted him to engrave a message on the diamond. The man continued, that when he went to write on it, the diamond broke into two pieces. Now, the man was scared that the king would be very angry when he found out what had happened, and probably order him to be killed. The man said that he could not think of what to do. In the end, he had come to the Imam (A) for help.

The Imam (A) prayed for the man, then told him not to worry, and that Allah would look after him. The next day when the king came to pick up his stone, the man was trembling because he was so scared. He didn't know what to say. However, matters turned out very differently from what he had feared! The king told the man that he had changed his mind and now wanted the diamond broken in half, one piece for each one of his two daughters, with the writing on each half of the diamond. How powerful Du'a can be! 1

A hadith from the Imam

Allah has made the world a place of calamities & the resurrection day the spot of rewards. And He has made the anguishes & calamities of life a media & way to the rewards of justice day. And made the reward of resurrection day the replacement & compensation for the troubles & anguishes of world (life). 2

1. Majlisi, Biharul Anwar, Chapter on Merits of Imam al-Hadi (A)
2. Tuhaf al-Uqul P 483
إِنَّ اللهَ جَعَلَ الدُّنيا دارَبَلوی، وَالآخِرَةَ دارَعُقبی وَجَعَلَ بَلوی الدُّنيا لِثَوابِ الآخِرَةِ سَبَباً، وَثَوابَ الآخِرَةِ مِن بَلوی الدُّنيا عِوَضاً.