Once upon a time, long ago, in Old Baghdad there lived a man named Hasan, who was content with his lot all his life. He led a modest life, according to his needs, and kept a small shop in which he worked with his mother.
But time passed, and he felt dissatisfied with the course of his life. “Is this all?” he asked himself, and wondered, reflecting, especially in the evenings, “isn’t he really worthy of something more?
Since he sometimes spoke these thoughts out loud, this gave rise to some of his God-fearing neighbors to consider him a freethinker and dissatisfied. They said: “Discontent is a form of ingratitude, and aspiration is a form of greed; Hassan is subject to condemnation by any sane person!”
People listened to these accusations, listened to his constant complaints, and Hasan soon discovered that no one could stand his company for too long. Even those who agreed to listen to his ideas found them strange, and Hasan considered them empty and narrow-minded people.
And then Hasan took the habit of leaving his shop and sitting near the intersection at the end of the street, thinking about his desires, and hoping to meet a wise man who could help him.
And it so happened that Caliph Harun al-Rashid, the Commander of the Faithful, in the company of the faithful minister Jafar and the executioner eunuch Masrur, on one of his secret night walks noticed a cowered figure at the crossroads.
“There is something interesting in this man for us,” he said to his companions, and to Hassan he said: “Can we talk to you, since we are travelers who have finished our business in this city and we have no friends here?”
- Willingly. And since you are travelers, I invite you to my home, where we can spend time in a more pleasant environment than here at the crossroads
The four proceeded to Hassan's house, in which everything was prepared for receiving guests, although they rarely visited Hassan, and spent a pleasant evening there.
- Friend Hassan! - said the disguised Caliph. - Now that we have gotten to know each other better, tell us about yourself, your joys and sorrows and your desires.
— Guest of honor and good traveler! In general, I am a simple person, but there is one thing that I desire and one thing that I hate. I desire to become the Commander of the Faithful, the Caliph himself, and I hate the arrogant and narrow-minded priests who have made it their profession to harass all those who are not as hypocritical as they are!
Then, improving the moment, the Caliph slipped a powerful drug into Hassan’s drink. A few seconds later he lost consciousness and the mighty Masrur carried him to the Caliph's palace. When he came to, he found himself dressed in royal robes and lying on silk pillows in the Caliph's palace, while servants massaged his arms and legs.
- Where am I? - he shouted.
- In your palace, oh Lord! - the servants answered, for Harun himself told them so.
At first he could not believe that he had become the ruler of the faithful; he bit his finger, thinking that he was dreaming. Then he thought that he had been bewitched by a genie, the king of genies no less. However, little by little, as his orders were carried out, he began to believe that he really was Harun al-Rashid.
He gave the order by which all the priests were destroyed; the soldiers' pay was doubled; compulsory military service has been abolished; a dam was built on the Tigris River; everyone who wanted to leave the city was delayed, as were those who wanted to enter the city - all this was the result of his surroundings and lack of instinct as a ruler, so that if his orders were carried out, the life of the kingdom would be seriously disrupted.
Political advisers believed that he should form alliances, military advisers believed that he should prepare for war. Merchants asked for higher prices, citizens asked for a more liberal administration. The sages warned of the dangers of both decisions.
Hassan listened to them all and fell under the influence of this and that. And all this happened within one day, starting with his unexpected awakening.
All this time, Caliph, Jafar and Masrur watched his actions from a shelter specially equipped for this purpose. Finally Harun said:
“This is not the person we are looking for; a man who would meet all the possibilities and all the difficulties of power, so as to rule for the good of everyone, including himself. Free him!
And Hasan was again given a potion, dressed in old clothes and transported to the crossroads from which it all began, where he woke up after a while shouting: “I am the Caliph, and I demand that you obey me!”
When he finally woke up, he thought that he had seen the most amazing dream of his life. But he was never able to see him again.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru