Donation of gold to the poor
When Hafid realizes that his days are ending due to old age, he commands his servant, Erasmus, to convert all his wealth into gold and donate to the less fortunate in poverty. Hafid is very wealthy and lives in luxury in the Damascus palace. The previous year's business was the most successful, and it is when he made his largest share of the fortune. Ironically, Hafid wants the entire fortune to be given to the poor. Erasmus is shocked, and he reminds his boss that it will not be appropriate to donate everything. However, Hafid reminds Erasmus of the power of giving back to society. More importantly, Hafid now prepares Erasmus to become the next successful man in town.
Poverty to riches
The people who knew Hafid while growing up believed that he would not go far because he lived in poverty, and there was no hope that he would make it in life. Ironically, Hafid was of a different view because he believed that nothing was impossible. When Hafid matured, he shocked his critics by becoming the most successful merchant after his boss, Pathros. Therefore, the success of Hafid is an irony for many who never thought it could be possible for a poor boy to achieve great success.
The irony of tithing
The paradox of tithing is that no matter how rich one is, he will never get financial satisfaction, but those who give 10% get great satisfaction even if they have little money. Pathros reminds Hafid of the importance of giving because giving means you have enough, and you can share the surplus with the need. But those who do not give are never satisfied because they always think they do not have a surplus to share with others. People expect those who don't tithe to be financially satisfied, but the harsh reality is that they will never get satisfied, and their life will be miserable despite having a lot of wealth.
