The Green Apple and the Seven Ears of Grain

In his book "Shortcut for a Better Life," Ziad Rayess discusses the significance of having a few key characteristics to succeed in one's line of work or community.

In addition to skills and knowledge, he notes that traits such as impartiality, reliability, and transparency play a crucial role in achieving success. This article tells the tale of the green apple and demonstrates how commitment to these values allowed a business to experience sustained success.

In his book "Shortcut for a Better Life", the writer Ziad Rayess mentions: To be successful in your community or in your field of work, you must embody certain essential traits. Among the most important is an ability to work with others.

After that come many other traits, some of which are acquired and some of which come from civilizational or cultural inheritance and adhering to ideological values and principles. Some of the most important are: impartiality, trustworthiness, and transparency. Many people in senior positions at work or in society are not there because of their academic background or work experience, but because they have the other traits listed above.

This is the story of the green apple:

More than twenty years ago, we submitted a tender to an official hajj pilgrimage commission to provide daily rations for the pilgrims in the Arafat and Muzdalifa areas, feeding approximately 60,000 pilgrims. We were awarded the contract, and one of the ingredients was a certain size of green apples. When the last shipment had been packaged, the supervisor came and said, “Some of the meals don’t have this apple. We couldn’t get them from any company in the country, even in a larger size. All that’s available is the smaller size, which is indistinguishable by eye from the size we need.”

Despite our persistence and efforts, we couldn’t get the right size, so we bought some apples in the size that was available. The incomplete meals were packed, then additional crates of apples were bought that equaled the difference in price. I placed them, just as they were, in the last shipment, and I sent a note about the incident to the delegation with the details of what we had done to get the required number of apples.

The delegation continued to approve us automatically for years after this, without us having to enter any competition with other companies. A few days ago, I was reading the verse: “The example of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is that of a grain that sprouts into seven ears, each bearing one hundred grains. And Allah multiplies ˹the reward even more˺ to whoever He wills” (Quran 2:261, trans. Mustafa Khattab). I remembered this incident, and I called the person who had been in charge at the time. I asked him how many years the commission had continued this automatic approval for. He said it had gone on for seven years, after which the people in charge of the commission itself changed and the arrangement ended.

The only thing that kept this goodwill going for seven years was a commitment to impartiality, honesty, trustworthiness, and transparency with others. It was not the company’s strength, appearance, or certifications. This attitude is the most important element of sustainable success.

Conclusion:

The tale of the green apple is proof of the power of qualities like impartiality, honesty, reliability, and transparency in achieving success. While academic qualifications and work experience are undoubtedly important, it is often these personal qualities that make or break one's career or business. By prioritizing these values in their interactions with others, individuals and organizations can build lasting relationships and enjoy long-term success.