Once upon a time there lived a man, a simple artisan, named Azili, who was persuaded to give all his savings - a hundred silver coins - to a dishonest merchant, who promised to invest them in a business and make a good profit.
However, when Azili came to the merchant to find out news about his money, he said: “Azili? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Money? There was no money. Get out before I call the police and accuse you of trying to take my money by threats...”
The poor artisan did not know how such things were done: he did not ask for a receipt and did not make sure that there were witnesses to his transaction. Azili returned to his hut, realizing that he could not help himself.
That evening he decided to pray. Going out onto the roof of his home, he raised his hands to the sky and said: “Lord, I pray for justice, let the money come back to me in any way, because I don’t know how to do this, but I really need it now.”
It so happened that one disgusting-looking dervish passed by and heard his prayer. As soon as Azili finished praying, the dervish approached him and said: “I will help you. Every thing needs a carrier, and perhaps the answer to your request comes through me!”
At first, Azili recoiled from this man, because he had a reputation as a man with the evil eye, and Azili already had enough problems.
“You will probably be interested to know, although you will not believe it,” continued the dervish, “that although people hate me, I do good, just as many of those whom people love do evil. I am taking up your cause.”
Having said this, the dervish left. Soon after this, Azili was standing near the merchant’s shop, wondering how to return the money, when a dervish suddenly appeared and shouted: “Oh, Azili is my old friend! This evening I am waiting for you at my home. I have finally decided to explain to you some of my secrets and will reveal to you a lot of valuable things that I know, rest assured, your life will completely change.”
Azili did not even know where this dervish's house was, let alone be chosen to convey important secrets. Because of the dervish's reputation as an evil person, he felt out of place.
The merchant, attracted by the noise, left his shop. The arrival of the dervish with the “evil eye” frightened him, and the news that Azili was this man’s student plunged him into panic.
In the evening of the same day, when Azili was sitting at home, a dervish came to him. “Well,” he said, “how much money did the merchant give you back?”
“He gave me five times more than he took,” answered Azili, very puzzled by what had happened.
“Well,” said the dervish, “remember, there are many things which are thought to act as a force of good, but which are in fact based on bad things. Likewise, there are many things which are supposed to act as a force of evil, but in fact sometimes they are good things. A bad man like your merchant would not listen to warnings from a good man, but if you bring into play the possibility of a threat from a man even worse than himself, he will be helpless against The sages say correctly: “Good does not come from evil. But you must be sure that it is truly evil before you make informed decisions."
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru