By Paulo Coelho
Nasrudin’s turban
Nasrudin appeared at court wearing a magnificent turban and asking for money for charity.
- you come here asking for money, but wear such an expensive ornament upon your head. How much was that extraordinary piece? - asked the sovereign.
- Five hundred gold coins - replied the wise Sufi.
The minister whispered: “That is a lie. No turban costs such a fortune.”
Nasrudin insisted:
- I have not come here only to ask for money, I am also here to negotiate. I paid that much money for the turban, for I knew that in the whole world only one king would be capable of buying it for six hundred coins, so that I can give the profit to the poor.
This sultan was flattered and paid the sum Nasrudin ask. On his way out, the wise man said to the minister:
- You may know the value of turbans, but I know how far vanity can lead a man.
Just like marriage
Nasrudin spent the entire autumn working his garden. The flowers had blossomed in the spring - and Nasrudin noticed a few dandelions appearing, which he hadn’t planted.
Nasrudin tore them up. But the pollen had already spread and others began to grow. He tried to find a weed killer which only killed dandelions. A specialist told him any type of poison would end up killing all the other flowers. In despair, he went to ask a gardener for help.
- It is like a marriage - said the gardener. - Along with the good things, a few little inconveniences always appear.
- What can I do? - insisted Nasrudin.
- Nothing. Although they are flowers you did not count on, they are still part of the garden.
Accepting compassion
- How do we purify the world?- asked a disciple.
Ibn al-Husayn replied:
- There was once a sheik in Damascus called Abu Musa al-Qumasi. Everyone honored him for his great wisdom, but no one knew whether he was a good man.
“One afternoon, a construction fault caused the house where the sheik lived with his wife, to collapse. The desperate neighbors began to dig the ruins; eventually, they managed to locate the sheik’s wife.
“She said: “Don’t worry about me. First save my husband, who was sitting somewhere over there.”
“The neighbors removed the rubble from the area she indicated, and found the sheik. He said: “Don’t worry about me. First save my wife, who was lying somewhere over there.”
“When someone acts as this couple did, he is purifying the whole world.”
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