Bahlool and the Deed of Heaven

Whenever Bahlool felt down, he would go to the riverbank, sit by the water, and watch it flow. The purity and freshness of the water would wash away his sorrow. If he had nothing to do, he would sit there and play with the mud like a child.

One day, he was playing with the mud and building a house along the riverbank. He made a small garden in front of the house and placed a few blades of grass and wildflowers in it. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Zubaydah, the wife of Harun al-Rashid, approaching with one of her servants. Bahlool continued his work.

Zubaydah stood over him and asked, “Bahlool, what are you building?”

Bahlool, with a serious tone, replied, “I’m building heaven.”

Knowing Bahlool’s usual playful nature, Zubaydah smiled and asked, “Are you selling it?”

Bahlool said, “Yes, I am.”

She inquired, “How much is it?”

Bahlool replied, “A hundred dinars.”

Zubaydah agreed, “I’ll buy it.”

Bahlool took the hundred dinars and said, “This heaven is yours. I’ll write the deed later and give it to you.”

Zubaydah smiled and left. Bahlool, pocketing the coins, headed to the city. On his way, he gave a coin to every poor person he met. By the time he had given away all the dinars, he returned home content.

That night, Zubaydah had a dream in which she entered a magnificent garden. There were palaces adorned with seven-colored jewels, and the flowers in the garden had a strange, wonderful fragrance. Beneath each tree, beautiful maidservants stood, waiting to serve her. One of the maidservants handed her a golden sheet and said, “This is the deed to the heaven you bought from Bahlool.”

When Zubaydah woke up, she was overjoyed and immediately told Harun al-Rashid about the dream and how she had bought heaven from Bahlool.

The next morning, Harun sent one of his servants to fetch Bahlool. When Bahlool arrived at the palace, Harun greeted him warmly and kindly.

Then Harun handed Bahlool a hundred dinars and said, “Sell me one of those heavens you sold to Zubaydah.”

Bahlool took the coins and handed them back to Harun, saying, “I won’t sell it to you.”

Harun, surprised, asked, “If you want more, I’ll give it to you.”

Bahlool replied, “Even if you offer a thousand dinars, I won’t sell it.”

Harun, now curious, asked, “Why not?”

Bahlool said, “Zubaydah bought that heaven without knowing what it was. But you know what it is, and now you want to buy it. I won’t sell it to you.”