A Sufi parable from Ghazali Bakr ibn Abdallah told about a man who was close to one ruler. Standing near him, he often said: “Reward the one who does good with more good, for the one who does evil will be satisfied with it.”
Someone was jealous of this man’s position and his words and slandered him before the ruler, saying to him: “The one who is near you and says such and such claims that the ruler stinks.” The ruler was surprised:
- How is this possible?
Then the envious man said:
- Call him and tell him to come closer, he will plug his nose with his hand so as not to feel the bad smell.
The ruler said:
- Well, go ahead, I have to check it out.
The man left the ruler and invited the person he had denounced to his house. There he fed him dishes with garlic, after which the man left him and went to the ruler as usual.
The ruler said:
- Come closer!
And the man covered his mouth with his hand, fearing that the ruler would smell the garlic, and the ruler thought: “Now I see that so-and-so was telling the truth.” Then he wrote a letter in his own hand - and he did this only when he wanted to reward or thank someone - to one of his courtiers: “When the bearer of this letter comes to you, kill him, skin him, stuff him with straw and come to me.”
The man took the letter, went out and met the one who reported him. He asked:
-What kind of letter is this?
“The ruler wrote it with his own hand to reward me,” answered the ruler’s servant.
- Give it to me.
- Take it, it's yours.
And he went with a letter to the courtier, who said to him:
“It says here that I must kill you and skin you.”
“This letter is not about me,” the envious man shouted, “let the Lord judge my case before the ruler reviews it!”
But the courtier replied:
— What is written by the ruler is not revised.
He tore off his skin, stuffed it with straw and sent it to the ruler.
Then the ruler’s servant came to him, as usual, and spoke his words. The ruler marveled at this and asked:
- What about the letter?
The man told him everything.
“He told me that you claim that I stink,” said the ruler.
“I didn’t say that,” the man replied.
- But why did you cover your mouth with your hand?
“Because he fed me food that had garlic in it, and I didn’t want the smell of it to reach you.”
The ruler said:
“You speak the truth, return to your place, for the one who committed evil will be satisfied with it.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru