Caliph Omar used to sneak out of his house and wander the streets of his city in disguise in order to be able to see for himself that laws and justice were being observed. Later his example was followed by Harun al-Rashid of Baghdad.
One night the caliph heard some kind of chant. I listened, and it turns out they were singing in the next house. And he wanted to know what was happening there. He climbed onto the fence of the house, looked out the window, and the owner was sitting there, drinking wine and singing songs.
The caliph, like a hurricane, burst through the neighbor’s window and shouted menacingly at the midnight drunkard:
- How dare you indulge in a passion prohibited by the Koran? Do you really think that the cover of night will hide your sin from the eyes of the Omniscient?
But the drunkard, not at all embarrassed, looked up at Omar and, barely moving his heavy tongue, said:
- O Caliph of Islam! I committed a sin and I do not deny it, while you, who accuse me, sinned three times! So what punishment awaits you?
Omar was embarrassed, took a step back, recovered and asked:
- What are my sins?
And he told him:
- The Prophet forbade peeking, you have committed a crime here. The Koran says: “Enter a house only after you have greeted those in it,” and here you have transgressed. Since ancient times, it has been customary for all devout Muslims to enter a house through the door, and you also violated this custom.
Omar had to admit that he too was a sinner.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru