Bahlool and “New Sleeves, Eat the Rice

At one point, Bahlul decided to become a street vendor. He prepared everything he needed and began his work. One day, he bought a load of pomegranates, placed them on his donkey, and went to a nearby village. He left the pomegranates at a friend’s house, tied his donkey, and went out for a while.

When he returned, he noticed that his friend’s wife had stolen some of the pomegranates. At the same time, his donkey began braying loudly, seemingly to indicate that it was hungry and needed fodder.

Bahlul seized the moment and, using the donkey’s braying as a pretext, said, “Oh, you foolish donkey! Why are you braying? Are you saying, ‘She took some’?”

The donkey continued to bray, and Bahlul, pretending to address it, said, “Yes, yes, she took some! What of it? It was our friend’s wife, not a stranger, who took them. Besides, she’ll feed you some hay soon.”

But the donkey wouldn’t stop braying, and Bahlul shouted angrily, “What’s your problem? She’s allowed to take some! And anyway, what business is it of yours?”

The friend’s wife, realizing that Bahlul had caught on, felt deeply ashamed. To make amends, she brought out enough hay to feed the donkey, as well as an amount of money worth several times the value of the stolen pomegranates.

The donkey immediately stopped braying, and Bahlul turned to it and said, “Is this what you wanted all along?”