Bahlool and the Village

One day, Bahlool was sitting in a graveyard when Harun al-Rashid passed by and saw him. Harun asked, “Why don’t you go to the village?” Bahlool replied, “Those who are in the village, where do they eventually go?” Harun said, “They come here.” Bahlool responded, “Then this is where the village is.” Harun laughed and said, “You madman, you speak wisely.” Bahlool replied, “If I were mad, I would turn the eternal into the temporary, just as you have done.”

In this story, Bahlool’s words are a commentary on the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death, pointing out that everyone, no matter their status, eventually ends up in the graveyard.