Islamic Stories,- The Carpenter

A highly skilled carpenter who had grown old was ready to retire. He
told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building
business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss
the paycheck, but he neededto retire.
The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could
build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed to
this proposal but made sure that this will be his last project. Being
in a mood to retire, the carpenter wasnot paying much attention to
building this house. His heart wasnot in his work. He resorted to poor
workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to
end his career.
When the job was done, the carpenter called his employer and showed
him the house. The employer handed over some papers and the front door
key to the carpenter and said "This is your house, my gift to you."
The carpenter was in a shock! What a shame! If he had only known that
he was building his own house, he would have made it better than any
other house that he everbuilt!
Our situation can be compared to this carpenter. Allah Ta'la hassent
us to this world to build our homes in paradise by obeying His
commands. Now, we have to decide how well we wish to build the homes
where we will live forever.