Bahlool and the Just God

One day, the caliph asked Bahlool, “Why don’t you thank God? Since I became your ruler, the plague has disappeared from among you.” Bahlool replied, “God is too just to send two disasters upon His servants at the same time—one is your tyranny, and the other is the plague.”

Bahlool uses this witty reply to highlight the injustice of Harun al-Rashid’s rule, implying that the ruler’s oppression is just as harmful as the plague.