One day the great Sultan Mahmud was on the streets of Ghazna, his capital. He saw a poor porter, exhausted under the weight of a huge stone, which he was dragging on his back, and, sympathizing with the unfortunate man, the Sultan, in a fit of noble feelings, exclaimed:
- Throw a stone, porter!
The porter immediately obeyed. And the stone lay there for several years, disturbing passers-by. Finally, the townspeople turned to the ruler, begging him to give an order to remove the stone from the road. But Mahmud, guided by statesmanship, answered them like this: “What was once done by order cannot be canceled by an equivalent order, for people should not think that royal decrees are dictated by a random whim. The stone will remain in the same place.”
The stone continued to lie where it had once been thrown, and after Mahmud's death, out of respect for the royal decrees, it was not removed.
This story was well known to everyone, and each person, in accordance with his abilities and understanding, saw in it one of three meanings.
Opponents of the monarchy believed that this incident once again proved the stupidity to which authority can reach when trying to establish itself.
People who worship power treated all decrees, even the most absurd, with great respect, and, of course, did not particularly bother themselves with reflection in this case either.
But those who understood what considerations the king was actually guided by did not pay attention to what those who were inattentive thought about him. For by ordering the bearer to throw the stone in a place where it would disturb everyone, and then publicly explaining why the stone should remain in its original place, Mahmud showed people who were able to understand him that they must submit to the passing power, but at the same time realize that those who lead based on unchangeable dogmas cannot bring people much benefit.
Therefore, those who learned this lesson increased the ranks of seekers of truth, and many came to the truth in this way.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru