One day a fisherman caught a copper vessel in the sea, sealed with a lead seal. It was some kind of strange jug - of an unusual shape, and for some reason the fisherman decided that priceless treasures were hidden in it. Moreover, he was unlucky with his catch that day, and the jug, even if there were no treasures in it, could have been sold to a coppersmith. On the stopper of this small vessel was inscribed a symbol unknown to the fisherman - the seal of Solomon, king and master. And inside him a formidable and powerful genie languished. Solomon himself imprisoned him in a copper prison and threw him to the bottom of the sea in order to save people from his machinations. This rebellious genius was to remain imprisoned until a person appeared who could subdue him and return him to the path of serving humanity. The fisherman, of course, knew none of this. In his hands was an object that he was going to examine and which could be useful to him. Covered with an amazingly delicate pattern, the jug sparkled and shimmered in the sun. “Of course, it contains the rarest jewels,” the fisherman rejoiced in advance.
Forgetting the saying: “A man can only use what he knows how to use,” the fisherman pulled out the stopper and, in a hurry to see the contents of the vessel, turned it upside down and shook it. There was nothing in the jug. He placed it on the ground in front of him and then suddenly noticed that a thin stream of smoke was creeping out of the neck. So she began to curl, grow and, a moment later, shot up to the sky in a terrible black column and turned into a huge and terrible creature, which roared in a booming thunderous voice:
“I am the lord of the genies, the owner of wonderful powers.” I rebelled against Solomon and, by his order, was imprisoned in this vessel. And now I will destroy you.
The fisherman fell to his knees in horror.
- Are you really going to kill your savior?! - he exclaimed.
“Now you will be convinced of this,” thundered the genie. “I am the product of an evil spirit, and although I languished in this prison for several millennia, my essence as a destructive spirit has not changed at all.
Only now did the man realize how cruelly he was mistaken, hoping to benefit from an unexpected catch and not even thinking that he could pay with his life for his negligence. He was already completely prepared for death, but suddenly his gaze fell on Solomon’s seal on the cork, and it dawned on him.
“You couldn’t get out of this jug,” he said to the genie, “can you fit in it?”
- How? - the monster roared, - you don’t believe me, the lord of the genies?!
With these words, the spirit again turned into a thin stream of smoke and disappeared into the vessel. Quickly grabbing the cork, the fisherman sealed the hole tightly and threw the jug into the sea.
Many years passed, and then one day another fisherman, the grandson of the first, cast his net in the same place and pulled out the same vessel. He put the jug on the sand and was about to uncork it, but he stopped indecision, because he remembered the advice he received from his father, and he from his, and this advice said: “A man can only use what he knows how to use.” Meanwhile, the spirit, awakened by tremors, raised a voice from its copper prison:
- Son of Adam, whoever you are, open the jug and free me, I am the lord of the genies, the owner of wonderful powers.
Remembering the advice bequeathed to him, the young man carefully took the jug to the cave, and he himself went to the top of the mountain to the sage. He told the wise man everything and asked what he should do. The sage replied:
“Your father gave you the right instruction, and you yourself must be convinced of its correctness, but first you need to know how to take it on.”
- So what should I do? - asked the young man.
- You probably already know what you would like to do?
“The only thing I want is to free the genie and receive from him magical knowledge or a lot of gold and emeralds - in a word, everything that the genie can give.”
“Have you thought that the genie, once free, may not give you all this or give you and then take it away, because you have no means of preserving his gifts, not to mention the fact that you do not know what dangers await you when you become the owner of countless riches, for “a person can only use what he knows how to use.”
- In that case, what do you advise me?
- Figure out how to force the genie to show his powers. Test its power, but first find a way to protect yourself. Seek knowledge, not wealth, because wealth without knowledge is useless, and it is the cause of all our misfortunes.
So, the young man went back to the cave where he had left the jug, pondering the words of the sage along the way. And since the young man was smart, he quickly developed his own plan. Picking up the jug, he shook it, and at the same instant the terrifying, albeit metal-muffled, voice of the genie was heard.
-In the name of the mighty Solomon, may peace be upon him, free me, son of Adam!
“I don’t believe you are who you say you are.” Could it be that you were the owner of such great power that you claim?
-You don’t believe me?! Don't you know that I can't lie?
- I don’t know that.
- But how can I convince you?
-Can you show your powers through the walls of the vessel?
“I can, but with the help of these powers I can’t get free.”
- That’s great. Then make sure that I know the truth about what I am thinking about now.
At that same moment, the fisherman learned where the saying came from, which he had inherited from his grandfather. He seemed to be transported back in time and saw everything that happened between his grandfather and the genie, and also realized how to convey to other people the way they could receive the same knowledge from the genie. He also realized that he could not get anything more from the genie. And then he did the same as his grandfather - he took the jug with the genie to the sea and threw it away.
Since then, the fisherman never returned to his former craft and spent his entire life explaining to people the dangers of trying to use something that a person does not know how to use. But since few people come across jars of jinn, his followers, not knowing any sage who could warn them in such cases, perverted what they called his “teaching” and endlessly repeated the story of their founder. After some time, the memory of him turned into a religion, and the fisherman’s followers began to display the most ordinary copper vessels in rich temples built specifically for this purpose. Deeply revering the fisherman, they tried to imitate him in everything. Even now, many centuries later, the jug still remains a holy symbol and a hidden secret for these people. They try to love each other because they love the ancient fisherman. And they gather on certain days, and dress in beautiful clothes, and perform an elaborate ritual in the place where he once settled and made his humble home. Zealous admirers flock in droves to the holy place. Unknown to them, the disciples of the same sage are alive to this day; The true followers of the fisherman are also alive. And at the bottom of the sea lies a copper jug with a sleeping genie.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru