The Man Who Would Not Tell a Lie

A retelling for children, based on the life of Hájí ‘Alí-‘Askar-i-Tabrízí, from Bahá'í Chronicles.

There once lived a merchant named ‘Alí-‘Askar, a man everyone in his city trusted. People knew that if ‘Alí-‘Askar said a thing was true, then it was true. He loved Bahá'u'lláh with his whole heart, and he had brought his whole family and many friends to the Faith.

One day he packed up a small bundle of goods to sell and traveled to another town to earn money for his family. It was not very much — just a little. But on the way, thieves came and stole every bit of it.

Now here is where the story grows strange. A powerful official heard what had happened, and he saw a chance to get rich. The thieves had been caught, and it turned out they had plenty of money. So the official sent for ‘Alí-‘Askar and told him a secret plan.

The official told him that when the court asked how much had been stolen, he should name a huge amount — far more than it really was. The thieves were rich, the official said, and the two of them could share the extra money.

‘Alí-‘Askar shook his head. What had been stolen was only a little, he said, and he could not report something that was not true. When the court questioned him, he would give the facts exactly as they were. That was his duty, and only that.

The official could not believe his ears. He leaned in close and urged him again, calling it a golden chance that the two of them could profit from — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he should not let slip through his hands.

But ‘Alí-‘Askar answered that he could never square such a thing with God. He asked the official to let him be, for he would tell the truth and nothing but the truth.

Then the official grew angry. He began to shout and to threaten. Did ‘Alí-‘Askar want to make him out a liar and a laughingstock? He warned that he would have him jailed, have him banished, and spare him no torment — that he would hand him to the police, call him an enemy of the state, and have him put in chains and marched to the border.

And do you know what ‘Alí-‘Askar did? He smiled. Calmly he answered that he had already given up his life for the truth, and had nothing else to give. The official was asking him to lie and bear false witness, he said — but he would not turn his back on what was right, no matter what was done to him.

The official saw at last that nothing in the world could make this honest man tell a lie. So ‘Alí-‘Askar simply went home, and he never even complained about his stolen goods. But people heard the story, and they were amazed.

‘Alí-‘Askar faced many other hardships in his life. He and his family were made prisoners for the sake of God, and he spent years in a faraway prison. Yet through all of it, he was thankful. To him the prison felt like a palace, and he was almost never heard to say anything except words of thanks and praise. Bahá'u'lláh once spoke of him with great love and said, "I am pleased with him." And ‘Abdu'l-Bahá was often his close companion.

‘Alí-‘Askar could have had a pile of money if he had only bent the truth a little. Instead he kept something far more precious: he stayed honest, even when it was hard and even when it was dangerous. Telling the truth is not always easy — but it is always worth more than gold.

This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Hájí ‘Alí-‘Askar-i-Tabrízí".

editors, B. C.. *Bahá'í Chronicles*. https://bahaichronicles.org/haji-ali-askar-i-tabrizi/