Prince, and he asked him: How are you, O Prince?
And the prince answered: As you like.
The Bedouin said: If it was as I like, I would be in your place and you would be in my place.
The prince and the dignitaries laughed.
Fish Is Sold Here
A man opened a fish shop, and above the door of the store he hung a small panel on which he wrote: Fish Sold Here.
A customer came and said to him: Why did you write the word “here”? Aren’t fish sold in other places?
So he deleted the word “here.”
Then came another customer, who said: There’s no need for the word “sold,” since people understand that you don’t give the fish away for free.
So he deleted the word “sold.”
Then came another and said: There is no need for the word “fish,” since people see it and smell it.
So he took down the panel.
The Intelligent Boy and the Caliph
Ahmad was a smart boy from a poor family. All people—elders, men, and women—liked him for his acumen and intelligence. His name became famous, and word of him reached the Caliph Harun al-Rashid. He ordered that Ahmad be brought to his palace in Baghdad. In the welcoming hall, in the presence of his ministers, he turned to him and asked: What do you want me to give you?
I want you to give me your advice and your knowledge, so I can become wise like you, Ahmad said.
The Caliph smiled and ordered to be brought rings made of gold and rings made of silver, and put them in front of the boy and said to him: What is the thing that you like most? Choose whatever you want.
The Caliph is what I like most, but I will choose these rings, and he put his hand on the golden rings.
The Caliph laughed when he heard his wise answer. He gave him the rings and instructed the ministers to take care of his education and studies until he became a man.
Reza Abbasi (1565—1635). The Princely Youth and the Dervish. Isfahan, Persia, in the second quarter of the 17th Century. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Poor Ruler
One day the Caliph informed his ministers that he wished to tour the cities of the state. The Caliph wishes to know the conditions of the citizens in order to help the poor and the needy, he said.
When the Caliph arrived in the first city, he wanted to know the names of the poor, and he found among these names that of the governor of the city.
The Caliph was surprised and ordered him to be brought, and asked him: You have a large salary and yet you are poor?
I give away my salary to the poor of the city in order to prevent them from being hungry, and none remains for me.
The Caliph was pleased with the governor’s actions and doubled his monthly salary and gave charity to the poor.
The Bedouins, Dwellers of the Desert
In the old times many Bedouin tribes lived on the Arabian Peninsula. In each tribe were many families—in them were fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. The Bedouins lived in tents, and their lives in the desert were difficult because of the high temperatures, little rain, and lack of trees. For this reason, the Bedouins moved from place to place in the desert, seeking water and grass. Because of the difficult life in the desert, the Bedouins grew accustomed to the lack of food and water. In spite of being poor, they would welcome guests generously and help the needy and the weak. Among their customs is drinking coffee and serving it to their guests.
The camel is the most important animal for the Bedouins, as they both ride on it and drink its milk. Thus the nickname of the camel is “the ship of the desert.”
The King and the Miller
A king visited a wheat mill that belonged to an old miller. He saw the donkey that turned the grindstone to grind the wheat and noticed that the miller put a string of bells around the donkey’s neck. The donkey was moving and the bells were ringing with a beautiful sound.
The king asked the miller: Why did you attach a string of bells around the donkey’s neck?
Sometimes when I feel tired I close my eyes, and if the bells stops making noise, I know the donkey has stopped moving, the miller said.
And if the donkey stops and begins to toss his head back and forth, don’t the bells sound? asked the king.
The miller answered him, smiling: And where would the donkey get the mind of a king?
The Caliph and the Old Man
One day the Caliph and his minister passed by a seventy-year-old man who was planting palms. The Caliph asked him: Do you think you will eat from the fruit of these palms, though you know that it doesn’t yield until after many years?
The old man answered: They planted and we eat, and we plant and they will eat.
The Caliph was amazed at the old man’s wisdom and gave him hundred dinars. The old man took the money and said: Look, O Caliph, the palms have already paid off.
The Caliph laughed at the clever old man’s answer and gave him another hundred dinars. A smile filled the old man’s face, and he said: Each plant gives fruit once a year except my plant. It gave fruit twice.
The admiration of the king increased at the cleverness of the old man, and he ordered to another hundred dinars to be given to him. The king turned to his minister and said: Let’s go quickly from here. Otherwise, he will take all of our money because of his wisdom and presence of mind.
Detail of A Discussion Between a Mullah and an Old Man, Muhammad Zamanc.1664 and 1665, ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, Folio from the Davis Album, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1915: bequeathed by Theordore M. Davis.
