Caliph Harun al-Rashid had two sons. One, named Amin, was the son of his wife, and the other, named Mamun, was the son of his maidservant. The caliph wanted power to pass to the maid's son after his death, but his wife opposed this. One day Harun al-Rashid said to her: “Let’s test the minds of both - whoever turns out to be smarter will rule.”
And they sent trusted people to one and the other and instructed them to ask their sons, each separately, the same question: “Why don’t you take power into your own hands?”
Hearing these words, the son of Harun’s wife promised the king’s confidant a high post and the position of chief adviser. But when the same question was asked to the servant’s son, he grabbed the inkwell standing nearby and, hitting his confidant on the head, exclaimed:
- Oh, fool! You talk about the death of the Caliph, and you also demand a reward! Yes, I would rather agree that we all perish, and our caliph remains healthy, for there are many people like us, but where can we get another caliph like ours?
Having learned about this, the caliph's wife agreed that the maid's son, and not her son, should rule the caliphate.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru