Sheikh Chili, who suffered much torment from the shaitan, decided to find him, kill him and save the people from his machinations.
And then one day, when he was walking through the steppe, looking for the shaitan, a man came across him. They greeted each other, and the person they met asked:
-Where are you going?
“I’m looking for Shaitan,” answered the sheikh.
- For what? - asked the counter.
“I will kill him and free the people from him,” answered Sheikh Chili.
Then the oncoming person said:
- I am Satan.
The sheikh rushed at him and a fight ensued. Finally, Sheikh Chili defeated the shaitan and threw him to the ground. Then he took out a knife and wanted to kill him. But Satan stopped him:
- Wait, Sheikh. You can kill me, but first listen to what I have to say.
“Speak,” the sheikh ordered.
“You have no reason to kill me,” said the shaitan. “If you spare me, you will benefit from it.”
- What benefit? – asked Sheikh Chili.
“If you let me live, I undertake to put twenty rupees under your pillow every morning.” And I will do this until the end of your life,” said the shaitan.
As soon as Sheikh Chili heard about this, he immediately hesitated and thought: “Really, what good will it do me if I kill him? After all, he is not the only shaitan in the world; there are hundreds of thousands of shaitans. And if I have mercy on him, he will bring me twenty rupees every day.” And Sheikh Chili made an agreement with the shaitan, released him, and he left.
The next morning, Sheikh Chili lifted the pillow and saw that there were indeed twenty rupees under it. The Sheikh was very happy.
This went on for a whole week. But the sheikh did not tell anyone about this. “It’s amazing,” he thought, “how, without any difficulty, I began to own his treasury together with the shaitan.”
But then one day the sheikh woke up, put his hand under the pillow, and found no money there. The sheikh was surprised and thought that the shaitan probably forgot to bring rupees and that tomorrow he would bring it in two days at once. However, the next day there was no money under the pillow. Sheikh Chili waited another day - there was still no money. Then the sheikh got angry and went in search of the shaitan.
In the same steppe, in the same place, they met again.
- Hey, deceiver! - the sheikh turned to the shaitan. -What did you do to me?
-What did I do to you? - asked the shaitan.
“You promised to bring me twenty rupees every day, and I always found them under my pillow.” But for several days now there is no money in sight.
“O sheikh,” answered the shaitan, “this is not my father’s duty.” I brought you money for several days, and then I stopped doing it. If you're unhappy, let's fight.
Sheikh Chili was confident in his abilities: after all, he had already defeated the shaitan once. The opponents fought again. This time the shaitan lifted the sheikh, threw him to the ground, sat on his chest and took out a knife to kill him.
Then the sheikh said:
- Oh shaitan, you can kill me, but let me ask you one question.
“Speak,” agreed the Shaitan.
– When you and I met a week ago and faced off, I defeated you. Why, now that neither of us has changed, have you defeated me?
“The reason is,” answered the shaitan, “that for the first time you came out to fight me for the sake of a righteous destiny.” This time you went looking for me for money and personal revenge - and I easily defeated you.
The Sheikh understood why he was defeated and regretted that he had not carried out his intention the first time and killed the Shaitan.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru