One day his wife began to reproach the mullah for his poverty.
“If you are a religious person,” she said, “you should ask for money in prayer.” Since religion is your occupation, you, like everyone else, should receive money for it.
“Okay, I’ll do that,” Nasreddin said.
He went out into the garden and shouted with all his might:
- Oh Lord! All these years I have served you without any remuneration. Now my wife says I should pay. Can I immediately receive one hundred gold pieces for my service?
At that moment, the miser who lived next to Nasreddin was on the roof of his house, counting his treasures. Wanting to laugh at Nasreddin, he threw him a wallet containing exactly one hundred gold dinars.
“Thank you,” Nasreddin said and hurried into the house. There he showed the money to his wife, who was greatly impressed by its appearance.
“Forgive me,” she said, “I never really believed that you were a saint, but now I am convinced of it.”
Over the next few days, the neighbor watched as luxurious things appeared in the mullah's house, and he began to feel uneasy. Finally, he decided to talk to Nasreddin himself.
- Know, friend, that I am a saint. What do you want? - Nasreddin said.
- I want my money back, it was I who threw your wallet, not God.
“You could only be a performer, but I asked God for the gold, not you.”
The miser lost his temper:
“Now we’ll go to the judge, and then we’ll figure out what’s what.”
Nasreddin agreed. When they went outside, he said to the miser:
“I am dressed in rags, and if the judge sees me like this, the external difference between us may sway him to your side.”
“Okay,” the miser grumbled, “put on my robe, and I’ll put on yours.”
After a few steps Nasreddin said:
- You ride, and I walk. If we go to court like this, the judge will think that the case should be decided in your favor.
“I already know who will win the case, regardless of appearance.” Get on my horse!
Nasreddin sat in the saddle, and his neighbor walked behind.
When their turn came, the miser told the judge everything.
- What can you say about this? - asked the judge.
- Your Honor, this man is stingy, and besides, he constantly suffers from hallucinations. He just imagined that it was he who gave me the money. In reality, they were sent down from above, and he only imagined that he gave them.
- How can you prove this?
- There is nothing simpler. His madness manifests itself in the fact that he believes that everything belongs to him, when in fact it is not so. For example, ask him who this robe belongs to,” Nasreddin fell silent, pointing to his new robe.
“This is my robe,” cried the miser.
“Now ask him on whose horse I came here to court,” Nasreddin continued.
“You came on my horse,” the plaintiff yelled.
“The question is settled,” said the judge.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru