There was once upon a time a certain sultan who observed that two beggars were regularly to be found outside his palace, and that one always cried, “O Allah, Thou art bountiful!” while the other continually cried, “O Allah, give victory to the sultan!”
Summoning his wazir, the sultan said, “Give each one of these beggars a roast chicken, but see that the bird you give to the one who wishes me victory is stuffed with gold pieces.”
The wazir did as he was bid, and the one who had invoked Allah the bountiful accepted the bird with gratitude and was turning to take it home to his wife when the other beggar stopped him. “Buy this chicken from me,” he said. “I am in need of money, not rich food.”
The first beggar said, ‘”But the only coin I have is a penny, and a chicken is worth much more than that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said the second beggar. “I will take the penny, and you can have the chicken.”
And so it was that the first beggar went home with two chickens, and discovered that he had also received a small fortune. Therefore he was able to stop begging, and instead opened a small shop where he sold roast chickens.
The other beggar, having spent the penny he received for the roast chicken, returned to the palace and again called all day long, “O Allah, give victory to the sultan!”
Hearing him, the sultan again sent him a roast chicken stuffed with gold, and when the beggar received it, he ran to the shop of the first beggar and sold it there for a few coins. Once these were spent, he again took up his post outside the palace, calling, “O Allah, give victory to the sultan!”
Hearing him yet again, the sultan said, “Now, what is this? I have made this fellow rich twice over, and still he is begging? Bring him to me!”
When the beggar came before the sultan, the monarch said, “I have twice made you rich, and still you are begging. Why is this?”
The beggar replied, “Majesty, I have received from your gracious hand two roast chickens, no more, and those I sold to another beggar who used to be here, but who now is rich and has a shop.”
And then the sultan. said, “Wallahi! I see. Now Allah has shown that it is better to praise His bounty than to pray for my prosperity!”
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Een fabel over ontvangen zonder herkennen. De bedelaar die Allahs overvloed prijst, ontvangt wat hem gegeven wordt; de bedelaar die voor de sultan bidt, verkoopt het goud dat hij al in handen had.
“Een mens kan niets ontvangen, tenzij het hem uit de hemel gegeven is.”
— Johannes 3:27
“Het oog is de lamp van het lichaam. Als uw oog zuiver is, zal uw hele lichaam licht zijn.”
— Matteüs 6:22
“Het horende oor en het ziende oog — beide heeft de HEERE gemaakt.”
— Spreuken 20:12
Mullah zou misschien glimlachen: “Ik dacht dat ik de wijze was die de les begreep — totdat ik mij herinnerde hoeveel kippen ik zelf heb verkocht zonder het goud te zien.”