One young man, leaving for distant countries, brought a hundred rupees to the old man. He gave them to him for safekeeping and left.
How much or how little time has passed is unknown. But when the young man returned to his homeland and asked the old man to return him a hundred rupees, he answered with an evil laugh:
– Your naivety pleases the jackals. I didn't take any money from you. Go your own way!
The young man was completely confused, but kind people taught him. “Go, they say, to the judge and complain about the cunning old man!” So the young man did.
The judge summoned the old man and asked:
– Did you take money from the young man who is sitting right in front of you?
The old man began to cry, fell to his knees, and prayed:
– Great Allah sees that I didn’t take any money! Am I really going to lie with my gray beard?!
Then the judge asked the young man:
- Do you have any witnesses?
The young man shook his head negatively.
- Fine. Where did you give the old man money? - Yes, under one tree.
“Go to that tree and tell him that I’m calling him in for questioning.”
The young man begged:
- How can I tell this to the tree, O wise judge?
- Here's my seal for you. Threaten him! Say that if he doesn’t come, he’ll blame himself later.
The young man trudged sadly to the tree, and the old man, hiding a smile in his beard, remained waiting for him.
Half an hour passed. The judge looked at the sun and asked the old man:
- Well, did he reach that tree?
“Not yet,” the old man answered humbly.
“Yes, yes,” the judge smiled. Another hour passed.
- Well, has he come to the tree now? – asked the judge.
“He has come,” answered the old man.
“Yes, yes,” the judge smiled.
Finally, the young man returned, gave the seal to the judge and said sadly:
“The tree did not go with me, O wise judge.”
- The tree came, oh honest young man! - the judge objected.
- How did it come? - exclaimed the old man. - Why didn’t I see him? Or do I have no eyes?
To this the judge answered him like this:
-You have eyes. But remember, I asked you if the young man had reached the tree, and you told me “no”?
The old man nodded his head.
– Do you remember how I asked you if the young man was returning, and you said “yes”? If you didn’t take money under that tree, then how could you know where it was and how long it took to get to it?!
The old man spat angrily on the ground, pulled out a hundred rupees from his pocket and threw them at the young man’s feet.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru