Harun al-Rashid Speaks with God

One day, Bahlool visited Harun al-Rashid’s palace and found him engaged in supplication and prayer. Harun was saying, “O God, Your servant is never without purpose. Either he is blessed with Your grace and should offer gratitude, or he is afflicted with hardship and must practice patience.”

Bahlool interrupted him and asked, “If someone catches the caliph alone in a secluded place and commits an indecent act against him, would the caliph consider it a blessing to be grateful for, or a calamity to endure with patience?”

Harun was stunned by Bahlool’s sharp question and found himself speechless, unable to respond. Through his clever challenge, Bahlool exposed the gap between rhetoric and reality, prompting Harun to reflect deeply on the nature of true gratitude and suffering.