The Ultimate Lesson: Sikander's Dying Regret
Sikander(Alexndar), when he returned to his homeland Unan, fell seriously ill. All his doctors told him that he would not survive for more than three days. A deadly disease had spread all over his body, and infections had formed throughout.
Sikander was deeply distressed and wished to meet his mother one last time in this final phase of his life. He pleaded with all his doctors and requested them to somehow cure him, just for 15 days, as it would take that long by ship to reach Unan from India after looting wealth from there.
All the doctors replied, “King, we are unable to cure the disease that has spread throughout your body.”
In desperation, Sikander offered half of his wealth to the doctors.
Again, the doctors refused, saying they could not grant him even 15 more days to fulfill his wish.
Then Sikander offered them everything—his entire wealth, his luxurious personal rooms in Unan, even the money on his ship. He begged them to find some way to keep him alive for just 15 more days.
But all the great doctors said, “We cannot save you or extend your life by even a few more days.” Sikander , upon hearing this, tapped his hand on his forehead in guilt and sorrow, thinking:
“All my life, I have been looting, stealing, and chasing wealth. I’ve spent every moment running after money—money that now cannot even buy me three more days to live. What a mistaken life I have lived.”
He reflected, “If I had followed the path of God and prayed to Him for more time, perhaps God would have blessed me with some more days to survive.”
Lying on his deathbed and waiting for the end, Sikander made one final announcement to his people:
“When I die, keep my hands out of the coffin during my funeral procession, and when people ask why my hands are outside, tell them:
‘Sikander (Alexendar) looted India and many other lands all his life, but now he cannot take even a single penny with him.’ This is the result of bad karma—after a lifetime of stealing and hoarding wealth, we leave this world empty-handed.”