A certain man was returning from the market riding a bull. On the way he saw a blind man. He sat in the sun and cried.
“Oh Allah, have mercy on me,” the blind man wailed, “I can’t see anything, and the sun is burning so mercilessly.” If I had seen, I would have found a place in the shade under a tree and rested from the heat.
The man dismounted and said to the blind man:
- O mortal, go, I will put you on a bull.
“May Allah be merciful to you,” answered the blind man and, with the help of the sighted man, climbed onto the bull.
And they rode on a bull: the sighted one in front, the blind one behind. Sitting in the saddle, the blind man began to feel the sighted man’s purchases, loaded on the bull.
- What is this? - asked the blind man.
“Salt,” answered the sighted man.
- And this?
- Palm fruits.
- And this?
- Soda.
- And this?
- Pepper.
- And this?
- Seasoning for the sauce.
- And this?
- Kimba pepper.
- And this?
- Ginger.
- And this?
- Grainy pepper.
The only thing the blind man did not feel was a small bag tied lower than the rest.
They arrived in the city, and the owner of the bull said:
- Well, blind man, get down. We have arrived, you will rest here, and I will move on.
But the blind man refused to get down and began to call for help. People came running.
- This sighted man wanted to take the bull from me! - shouted the blind man.
-What are you saying, blind man? For the sake of Allah, you must tell everything as it happened! — the sighted man was indignant.
“I’m telling the truth,” answered the blind man, “you want to take the bull away from me.”
The people listened to all this and decided to take them to the emir.
“Sighted,” said the emir, “you will answer first.”
“No,” he asked, “let the blind man speak.”
“Blind man,” asked the emir, “what happened to you?”
“I asked for alms and received a bull as a gift,” began the blind man. “I went to the market and bought salt, palm fruits, pepper, seasoning for the sauce, soda, kimba pepper, ginger and peppercorns. I put all this in bags and loaded it on the bull. Look, aren’t there eight bags of the purchases I mentioned?
People looked and saw that there were nine bags. Then the emir said:
“You both go and rest, and tomorrow we’ll figure it all out.” And the emir ordered to bring two large dishes filled with millet porridge, fat and boiled meat, vessels with sour milk, honey, liquid flour mash and two dishes with fried meat.
- Take all this to the sighted and the blind, to each his own. Try to quietly eavesdrop on what both of them say,” the emir told the servants.
Those who brought food to the blind man heard him say:
- Good start! I will eat porridge, fat, and meat, drink mash, sour milk and honey, and in the morning I will also get a bull.
The servants returned and reported to the emir.
“Wait, let’s listen to those who brought food to the sighted,” he said.
The servants came and said:
- Emir, listen to what the sighted man said: “Why do I need food? Is there any food that I can eat now? After all, they are taking away my bull.”
“Okay,” answered the emir, “go home and come back in the morning.”
In the morning, when everyone had gathered, the emir ordered to bring those dishes and vessels with refreshments that the servants took to the blind and the sighted. And then everyone saw that the blind man had left nothing, and the sighted man had not touched the food.
“Oh people, the owner of the bull is sighted,” the emir concluded. “The fact that they wanted to take the bull away from him upset him so much that he didn’t touch the food.” The blind man ate everything. Go and call them. Remember, the blind man said that he put his shopping in eight bags, but we saw nine.
They brought a blind man and a sighted man. A sighted person was asked:
- What happened to you?
“I went to the market and made purchases,” he answered. “The blind man said there were eight bags, but I say there are nine.” The ninth bag of tazargade herb (fragrant seasoning). It was hung lower than the others, and the blind man did not feel it, but he asked me about the others, and I told him what was in them.
“You’re lying,” the blind man shouted, “there are eight bags!”
“May the days of the emir last,” said the sighted man, “let them untie the ninth bag and take a look.”
The bag was untied. And everyone saw that there really was tazargade grass there.
“You, blind man, are lying,” said the emir. “The servants who brought you food heard you say that this is a good start, that you will eat all the food, and in the morning you will receive a bull.” The sighted person did not touch the food. Guards, grab the blind man and kill him, he is a thief.
But the sighted man asked:
- Emir, forgive him. He wanted to deceive me, but I don't want you to punish him.
“Okay,” the emir agreed, “leave him.” And you, sighted one, take your bull.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru