Bahlool and the Debtor

One day, a man approached Bahlul and said, “Oh wise Bahlul, I have a debt I cannot repay. My creditor comes to my house every day, humiliating me in front of everyone. What should I do? He won’t leave me alone.”

Bahlul replied, “Well, then, pay him back.”

The debtor said, “I don’t have the money right now.”

Bahlul smiled and said, “When he comes tomorrow, just answer ‘yes’ to everything he says. He’ll figure it out and leave.”

The next day, the creditor came to the debtor’s house and knocked on the door. The debtor opened it, and the creditor greeted him. The debtor replied, “Yes.”

The creditor asked, “Where is my money?”

The debtor answered, “Yes.”

The creditor, confused, said, “Do you not have it?”

The debtor replied, “Yes.”

The creditor, growing frustrated, said, “So you mean to say you don’t want to repay me?”

The debtor answered, “Yes.”

Angered by the debtor’s straightforward and shameless responses, the creditor, realizing he could do nothing, lowered his head and left. He never came back.

The debtor, relieved, praised Bahlul for his wisdom. Later, when he became financially stable, he repaid his debt in full.

110. Bahlul and the Creditor

A man was owed a sum of money by a friend who continually avoided repayment. Every day, the debtor would say, “Come back tomorrow, and I’ll pay you.” The promised “tomorrow” never came, and the creditor, tired of the endless delays, sought Bahlul’s advice.

Bahlul told him, “Wait until the debtor goes on a trip. Then go to his children and accept whatever terms they offer regarding repayment.”

The creditor agreed and waited. When the debtor finally left for a journey, the creditor seized the opportunity to visit the debtor’s son. The son, busy planting trees at the time, decided to be clever. He said, “You’ll have to wait until these trees grow, bear fruit, and we sell the fruit. Only then will we repay your debt.”

The creditor, with no other option, said, “Fine, but write this agreement down, ensuring no earlier date for repayment is possible.” The son agreed, wrote the agreement on a piece of paper, signed it, and handed it to the creditor.

Some time later, the debtor returned from his trip. His son proudly told him, “Father, I’ve resolved the matter with that man who kept asking for his money.”

The father asked, “What did you do?”

The son explained, “I told him we’ll pay him once the trees I planted grow and bear fruit. He agreed, and I even wrote it down for him.”

The father was horrified and said, “You fool! I had been postponing the payment indefinitely with my ‘tomorrow’ promise—a promise that would never come due. But these trees will bear fruit in just a few years, and now I’ll have to pay him when that happens!”

Indeed, when the trees eventually bore fruit, the creditor returned, citing the written agreement, and finally received his payment. Overjoyed, he prayed fervently for Bahlul, whose wisdom had helped him recover his rightful money.