Chapter One: On the Conduct of Kings

I heard of a king who ordered a captive put to death. In that hopeless moment the poor man began cursing and swearing at the king, for as they say: whoever gives up on life will say whatever is in his heart. When there is no escape left in a moment of need, the hand reaches out to grip the sharp blade's edge. When a person loses all hope, his tongue grows long, like a cornered cat that leaps at the dog. The king asked, 'What is he saying?' One of his good-natured ministers replied, 'Your Majesty, he is reciting: those who restrain their anger and pardon other people.' The king felt pity and spared his life. A rival minister said, 'It does not suit men of our rank to speak anything but the truth before kings. This man was cursing you and insulting you.' The king's face darkened at these words, and he said, 'His lie pleased me more than this truth of yours, for his aim served a good end, while yours was built on malice.' And the wise have said: a lie that brings peace is better than a truth that stirs strife. Whoever prompts the king to act on his word, it would be a shame to say anything but good. On the arch of Fereydun's palace it was written: This world, brother, stays with no one; fix your heart on the Maker of the world, and that alone. Do not lean or rely on the kingdom of this world, for it has raised many like you, then killed them. When the pure soul sets out to leave, what difference is dying on a throne or on the bare ground?

One of the kings of Khorasan saw Mahmud of Sabuktigin in a dream, his whole body crumbled and turned to dust, all but his eyes, which still moved in their sockets and looked around. The other wise men were baffled by its meaning, except for a dervish who understood it and said: he is still anxious, for his kingdom is now in the hands of others. So many famous people have been buried beneath the earth that not a trace of their existence remains upon it. And that worn out old man they laid beneath the soil, the earth so consumed him that not even a bone was left. The good name of fortunate Anushirvan lives on with kindness, though much time has passed since Anushirvan himself was gone. Do some good, you there, and treasure your life, before the cry goes up: so-and-so is no more.

I heard of a prince who was short and unimpressive, while his other brothers were tall and handsome. One day his father looked at him with disgust and contempt. But the boy, sharp and clear-sighted, understood, and said: Father, a short wise man is better than a tall fool. Not everything that is greater in size is greater in worth. The sheep is clean, and the elephant is a carcass. Sinai is the smallest of the earth's mountains, yet before God it is the greatest in rank and station. Did you hear how a lean, wise man once said to a fat fool: An Arabian horse, even if it is thin, is still better than a whole stable full of donkeys. The father laughed, the pillars of the court approved, and the brothers were stung to their souls. Until a man has spoken, his faults and talents stay hidden. Do not take every thicket for empty growth; a sleeping leopard may lie within it. I heard that around that time a fierce enemy rose against the king. When the two armies clashed, the first to ride into the field was this boy. He said: I am not the one you will see turning his back on the day of battle; I am the one you will find in the dust and blood, still a head held high. For the one who fights gambles with his own blood on the battlefield, while the one who flees gambles with the blood of the whole army. He said this and charged the enemy's ranks, cutting down several seasoned warriors. When he came before his father, he kissed the ground in service and said: You who thought my body was small, do not mistake bulk for skill. It is the lean-waisted horse that proves its worth on the day of battle, not the fattened ox. They say the enemy's forces were many and these few. A group of men made ready to flee. The boy shouted: Men, fight, or else put on women's clothes! At his words the horsemen grew bolder and charged all at once. I heard that on that very day they won the victory over the enemy. The king kissed his head and eyes, held him close, and each day favored him more, until he made him his heir. The brothers grew envious and put poison in his food. His sister saw it from an upper room and slammed the window shut. The boy understood, drew back his hand from the food, and said: It is impossible that the gifted should die and the ungifted take their place. No one seeks the shade of an owl, even if the fortune-bird vanished from the world. They told the father of this. He summoned the brothers and gave them the punishment they deserved. Then he assigned each of them a portion of land in distant regions, so that the strife settled and the quarrel ended; for ten dervishes can sleep under one blanket, but two kings cannot fit within one realm. If a man of God eats half a loaf, he gives the other half to the poor. A king may seize the realm of one land, yet still he schemes to take another.

A band of Arab robbers had settled on a mountaintop and blocked the caravan route. The townspeople were terrified by their schemes, and the king's army had been defeated, because they had seized an impregnable stronghold on a peak and made it their refuge. The rulers of the surrounding lands took counsel on how to end this menace, saying that if this gang kept on like this for long, resistance would become impossible. A tree that has only just taken root can be pulled up by the strength of a single man. But leave it standing for years, and you couldn't tear it out with a winch. A spring at its source can be dammed with a spade; once it swells to a river, an elephant can't cross it. It was agreed to set someone to spy on them and wait for the right moment. When the robbers had ridden out against some group and left their base empty, a few battle-hardened, experienced men were sent to hide in a mountain ravine. That night the robbers came back from their raiding, laden with loot; they took off their weapons and set down their gear and plunder. The first enemy to fall upon them was sleep. When a good part of the night had passed, the disk of the sun sank into darkness, like Jonah swallowed in the belly of the fish. The brave men sprang from ambush, bound each man's hands to his shoulders, and at dawn brought them before the king. He ordered them all put to death. As it happened, among them was a youth in the first bloom of his life, the down of his cheeks just breaking into green. One of the ministers kissed the foot of the throne, pressed his face to the ground in intercession, and said: This boy has not yet tasted the garden of life or enjoyed the springtime of his youth. I hope your generosity and noble nature will grant me the favor of sparing his blood. The king frowned at these words; it did not sit well with his lofty judgment, and he said: One born of a bad root will never catch the light of the good; training an unworthy soul is like piling walnuts on a dome. It is better to cut off the corrupt line of these people and tear out the root of their stock, for putting out a fire yet leaving an ember, or killing a snake yet keeping its young, is no work for the wise. Even if the cloud rained down the water of life, you would never pick fruit from the willow branch. Don't waste your days on a base man, for you can't get sugar from a reed of matting. The minister heard this and, willingly or not, agreed, praising the king's sound judgment. He said: What my lord, may his reign endure, has said is the very truth: had this boy grown up among those villains, he would have taken on their nature and become one of them. But I hope that, raised among good and righteous people, he may be shaped by them and take on the ways of the wise, for he is still a child, and the traits of rebellion and defiance are not yet fixed in him. As the saying goes: Every child is born on the pure disposition; it is his parents who make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Zoroastrian. Lot's own wife kept company with the wicked, and the house of prophethood was lost to her. The dog of the Seven Sleepers, for a few days, followed the good, and became almost human. When he had said this, a group of the king's companions joined him in pleading, until the king let go of his desire for the boy's blood and said: I pardon him, though I do not think it wise. Do you know what Zal said to the hero Rustam? Never treat an enemy as small and helpless. We have often seen how a spring, small at its source, swells until it sweeps away camel and load. In short, they raised the boy in comfort and luxury and appointed tutors to educate him, until he learned fine speech, ready answers, and the etiquette of serving kings, and everyone found him admirable. Once, the minister mentioned to the king a hint of the boy's virtues, saying that the training of wise men had had its effect on him and driven the old ignorance out of his nature. The king smiled and said: In the end a wolf's cub becomes a wolf, even if it grows up among human beings. A year or two passed. A gang of local ruffians attached themselves to him and formed an alliance, so that when the chance came he killed the minister and both his sons, carried off untold wealth, took his father's place in the robbers' cave, and turned rebel. The king bit his finger in astonishment and said: How can anyone forge a fine sword from bad iron? A worthless man, O sage, cannot be made worthy by training. The rain, whose nature is beyond dispute in its gentleness, grows tulips in the garden and weeds in the salt marsh. Salty ground yields no hyacinth; don't waste your seed and labor on it. Doing good to the wicked is just like doing wrong to good men.

At the gate of Ughlumush's palace I saw a colonel's son who had extraordinary intelligence, shrewdness, understanding, and insight; even from childhood the marks of greatness showed clearly on his brow. Above his head, from his sharp mind, a high star was shining bright. In short, he became a favorite of the sultan, for he had beauty of both face and inner nature, and the wise have said: wealth lies in skill, not in money, and greatness in reason, not in years. Those of his own rank envied his position, accused him of treachery, and tried in vain to have him killed. What harm can an enemy do when your friend is kind to you? The king asked: what is the reason for their hostility toward you? He replied: under the shadow of my lord's fortune, may his kingdom endure, I have satisfied everyone except the envious man, who is never satisfied unless my blessings vanish, while I wish my lord's fortune and good luck to grow. I can manage not to wound anyone's heart, but what can I do about the envious man, who suffers from his own self? Die and be free, you envious one, for this is a pain whose torment can only be escaped through death. The ill-fated wish, in their longing, that the fortunate should lose their wealth and rank. If the bat's eye cannot see by day, what is the fault of the fountain of the sun? If you want the truth, a thousand such eyes are better blind than the sun turned black.

They tell of one of the kings of Persia who stretched out his hand to seize his subjects' wealth, and began to oppress and abuse them, until his people fled the land because of his cruel schemes, and, worn down by his tyranny, chose the road into exile. As the population dwindled, the revenues of the province fell, the treasury ran empty, and enemies pressed hard against him. Whoever wants a rescuer on the day of disaster should strive to be generous in the days of ease. If you fail to cherish the servant who wears your ring in his ear, he will leave; be kind, be kind, or the loyal one will turn into a stranger. One day, in his court, they were reading the Shahnameh, the fall of Zahhak's kingdom and the reign of Fereydun. The vizier asked the king: 'Do you know how Fereydun, who had no treasure, no realm, and no army, came to hold a kingdom?' The king said: 'As you heard, a people gathered around him out of devotion and gave him strength, and so he gained a throne.' The vizier said: 'O King! If the gathering of people is what makes a kingdom, why do you scatter your people? Have you no wish to remain a king?' It is better to nourish your army with real care, for a sultan's mastery rests upon his army. The king asked: 'What makes army and subjects gather around a ruler?' The vizier said: 'A king needs generosity, so they will gather to him, and mercy, so they may live safely under the shelter of his rule, and you have neither of these.' One who rules by oppression cannot truly reign, any more than a wolf can shepherd a flock. A king who lays the foundation of tyranny digs away at the very wall of his own kingdom. The counsel of his well-meaning vizier did not suit the king's contrary nature; he frowned at these words and threw the man into prison. Before long the sultan's cousins rose in revolt and demanded their father's kingdom. The people who had been driven to despair and scattered by his cruelty now rallied around the cousins and gave them strength, until the kingdom slipped from his grasp and passed to them. A king who allows oppression against those beneath him will find, in his hour of hardship, that his supporter becomes his mightiest enemy. Make peace with your subjects and sit safe from the enemy's war, for the subjects of a just king are his army.

A king boarded a ship with a foreign slave who had never seen the sea and had never felt the ordeal of a voyage. The slave broke into weeping and wailing, and his whole body trembled. No matter how kindly they treated him, he would not calm down, and the king's pleasure was spoiled by him. They could think of no remedy. A wise man aboard the ship said to the king: If you permit, I can find a way to quiet him. The king said: That would be the height of kindness and grace. He ordered the slave thrown into the sea. After the man had gone under a few times, they seized him by the hair and pulled him back toward the ship. He clung to the rudder with both hands, and when he climbed aboard he sat down in a corner and grew calm. The king was amazed and asked: What was the wisdom in this? The wise man replied: At first he had never tasted the misery of drowning, so he did not know the worth of the ship's safety. In the same way, only someone who has suffered a hardship knows the value of well-being. You are full, so barley bread has no appeal for you; but the one you find ugly is my beloved. To the maidens of paradise, even the borderland Aaraf feels like hell; but ask those in hell, and Aaraf is paradise to them. There is a difference between the one who holds his love in his arms, and the one whose two eyes stay fixed on the door, waiting.

They said to Hormoz: 'What fault did you find in your father's ministers that you had them imprisoned?' He said: 'I found no clear fault, but I saw that they feared me beyond all measure and did not fully trust my promises. I was afraid that, out of fear for their own safety, they would move to destroy me. So I acted on the words of the wise, who have said: Fear the one who fears you, wise man, even if you could defeat a hundred like him in war. The snake strikes at the shepherd's foot precisely because it fears he will crush its head with a stone. Haven't you seen how, when a cat is cornered, it claws out the very eyes of a leopard?'

One of the Arab kings lay sick in old age, all hope of life abandoned, when a horseman arrived and brought good news: 'By God's grace we have taken such and such a fortress; the enemies are captured, and the soldiers and people of that region have all submitted to your command.' The king let out a cold sigh and said: 'This is no good news for me; it is good news for my enemies,' meaning the heirs to his kingdom. On this hope my precious life was spent, alas: that what my heart longed for would come knocking at my door. The hope I held did come true, but what good is it? For there is no hope that a life gone by will ever return. The hand of death has beaten the drum of departure. My two eyes, say farewell to my head. My palm, my forearm, my arm, all of you, bid each other goodbye. Now that I have fallen, and my enemy has his wish, my friends, at last, pass by me and pay your last respects. My life slipped away in ignorance. I failed to take warning; you take warning instead.

I was keeping vigil beside the tomb of the prophet Yahya (John), peace be upon him, in the great mosque of Damascus, when one of the Arab kings, a man notorious for his injustice, happened to come on pilgrimage. He prayed, made his petitions, and asked God to grant his need. Poor and rich alike are servants at this threshold of dust, and the richer they are, the more needy they become. Then he said to me: since dervishes have high aspirations and are sincere in their dealings, join your prayers to mine, for I fear a formidable enemy. I told him: show mercy to your weak subjects, and you will suffer no harm from a strong enemy. With mighty arms and the strength of a powerful hand, it is wrong to crush the fist of a helpless wretch. Does he not fear, the one who shows no pity to the fallen, that if he himself stumbles, no hand will reach out to help him? Whoever sows the seed of evil and expects a good harvest has cooked up empty fancies and built on false hopes. Take the cotton from your ears and give people their due, and if you refuse them justice, there is a Day of Justice ahead! The children of Adam are limbs of one another, for in creation they are made of a single essence. When fate brings pain to one limb, the other limbs cannot stay at rest. If you feel no sorrow for the suffering of others, you do not deserve to be called a human being.

In Baghdad there appeared a dervish whose prayers were always answered. Word reached Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, who summoned him and said: 'Say a good prayer for me.' The dervish said: 'God, take his life.' Hajjaj said: 'For God's sake, what kind of prayer is that?' The dervish replied: 'It is a good prayer for you and for all Muslims.' You who hold power and torment those beneath you, how long can this marketplace of yours last? What good is ruling the world to you? Better that you die than go on hurting people.

One of the unjust kings asked a holy man: which act of worship is the most excellent? The man replied: for you, a midday nap, so that for at least that one breath you harm no one. I saw a tyrant sleeping at noon. I said: he is a menace; better that sleep has taken him. For someone whose sleep is better than his waking, living so badly, better that he were dead.

I heard of a king who spent one whole night in revelry, and at the end of his drunkenness he kept saying: There is no sweeter moment for us in the world than this, when I fret over neither good nor ill, and grieve for no one. A dervish who had been sleeping outside in the cold spoke up and said: You whose good fortune has no equal in the world, suppose you have no sorrow: does my sorrow mean nothing to you either? The king was pleased. He tossed a purse of a thousand gold coins out through the window, saying, 'Hold out your skirt, dervish.' The man replied, 'How can I hold out a skirt when I have no clothes at all?' The king's pity for the poor man's plight grew even greater, so he added a robe of honor to the gift and sent it out to him. In no time the dervish squandered the money and the goods, spent it all, and came back as poor as before. Wealth finds no rest in the hands of the free, any more than patience settles in a lover's heart, or water stays in a sieve. When the king was in no mood to be bothered with him, they reported the situation. He was upset and frowned at the man. From this, people of wit and experience have said: one must beware the sharp temper of kings, for their attention is mostly fixed on the great affairs of the realm, and they cannot bear the pressing of common folk. A king's bounty is forbidden to the man who, when opportunity comes, fails to look after it. Until you see an opening for your words, do not cheapen yourself with idle talk. He said: 'Drive out this brazen, spendthrift beggar who wasted so much wealth in so short a time. The public treasury is meant to feed the needy, not to be a meal for the devil's brothers.' The fool who burns a candle of scented camphor in broad daylight will soon find, when night comes, there is no oil left in his lamp. One of his wise counselors said: 'My lord, I think it best that such people be given a modest allowance paid out in small portions, so they will not squander it. But the punishment and dismissal you ordered do not suit men of high spirit: first to lift someone up with kindness, then to wound him with disappointment.' You cannot open your door to the greedy, and once it is open, you cannot slam it shut with harshness. No one ever sees the thirsty of Hejaz gather round a well of salty water. Wherever there is a spring of sweet water, people and birds and ants all gather round.

One of the earlier kings grew slack in caring for his realm and kept his army poorly supplied. Inevitably, when a fierce enemy attacked, everyone turned their backs and abandoned him. When a king withholds his treasure from his soldiers, they too withhold their hands from the sword. I reproached one of those who had betrayed the king, a man who had once claimed his friendship, and said: 'You are base, ungrateful, and low; a man with no sense of honor, who turns from his old master at the slightest change of fortune and casts aside the debt of many years of favor.' He answered: 'If you would forgive me out of kindness, you might understand: in this battle my horse had no barley, and my saddle-cloth was in pawn. A king who is stingy with gold toward his soldier cannot expect that soldier to be generous with his life.' Give the soldier his gold and he will lay down his life; withhold it, and he will lay his path across the world in flight. When the warrior is well fed, he strikes and charges with force; but with an empty belly, all his fighting turns to running away.

One of the king's ministers was dismissed from office and joined a circle of dervishes. The blessing of their company took hold in him, and his mind found peace. Later the king felt kindly toward him again and offered him the post back. He refused, and said: To be out of office among the wise is better than to be busy with power. Those who sat down quietly in the corner of safety shut the mouths of dogs and the tongues of people alike. They tore up the paper and broke the pen, and escaped the reach of every fault finding tongue. The king said: But surely we need a capable, wise man fit to manage the affairs of the kingdom. He replied: My king, the very sign of a capable, wise man is that he refuses to take on such work. The phoenix is nobler than all other birds for one reason: it feeds on bones and harms no living thing. They asked the lynx: Why did you choose to stay close by the lion? He said: I eat the leftovers of his kill, and under the shelter of his might I live safe from my enemies. They said: Now that you have come under his protection and admit gratitude for his favor, why not draw nearer, so he takes you into his inner circle and counts you among his loyal servants? He answered: Even so, I am not safe from his sudden violence. A fire worshipper may tend the flame for a hundred years, but if he falls in for one moment, it burns him. It happens that the king's boon companion is showered with gold, and it also happens that his head is taken. The wise have said: Beware the shifting moods of kings, for at one moment they take offense at a greeting, and at another they reward an insult with a robe of honor. And it is said that too much jesting is a virtue in courtiers but a flaw in the wise. Keep to your own worth and dignity; leave the games and jesting to the courtiers.

One of my friends came to me complaining of hard times: I earn little and have many mouths to feed, and I can no longer bear the weight of poverty. More than once it has crossed my mind to move to another land, where I could live whatever life I please without anyone knowing my good fortune or my failures. Many have slept hungry and no one knew who they were; many have breathed their last and no one so much as looked. But then I dread the gloating of my enemies, who would mock me behind my back and read my efforts to provide for my family as a lack of honor, saying: Look at that spineless man who will never see the face of good fortune, who chooses ease for himself and abandons wife and child to hardship. As you know, I have some skill in accounting; if through your standing a fixed position could be found for me, one that would set my mind at rest, I would spend the rest of my life unable to repay such kindness. I said: Serving a king, my brother, has two sides, hope and fear, hope of bread and fear for your life. It goes against the wisdom of the wise to court that danger for the sake of that hope. No one comes to a poor man's door demanding taxes on his land and orchard. Either be content with worry and grief, or lay your very heart before the crows. He said: You have not spoken to my situation, nor answered my question. Have you not heard that whoever practices treachery, his back trembles at the reckoning? Honesty earns God's pleasure; I have never seen anyone lose their way on the straight path. The wise say: four people are tormented by four others, the bandit by the king, the thief by the watchman, the sinner by the informer, and the prostitute by the vice inspector. But one whose accounts are clean has nothing to fear from the auditor. Do not overreach in your duties, if you wish that when you fall, your enemy finds little room to strike. Be clean yourself and fear no one, my brother; launderers beat only the dirty cloth against the stone. I said: Your case is like the fox who was seen running for his life, stumbling and beside himself. Someone asked him: What danger has so frightened you? He said: I have heard they are seizing camels for forced labor. The man said: You fool, what does a camel have to do with you? What resemblance is there between you and it? The fox said: Quiet! If my enviers say out of spite that I am a camel, and I am seized, who would care to secure my release and investigate my case? And by the time the antidote is brought from Iraq, the snakebitten man is already dead. You too have such merit, faith, piety, and honesty, but the fault-finders lie in wait and the accusers sit in their corners. If they twist your good character into its opposite and you fall under the king's reproach, would you have any chance to speak? So I think the wisest course is to guard the kingdom of contentment and give up ambition for high office. In the sea there is boundless profit, but if you want safety, it lies on the shore. My friend heard these words, grew angry, frowned at my story, and began speaking bitterly: What sense and competence is this, what understanding and wisdom? The saying of the wise proved true: friends prove their worth in prison, for at the dinner table even enemies seem like friends. Do not count as a friend the one who, in your prosperity, boasts of loyalty and calls you brother. I call him a friend who takes his friend's hand in distress and helplessness. I saw that he was upset and taking my advice as spite, so I went to the chief minister, on the strength of an old acquaintance between us, described his situation, and vouched for his ability and worthiness until they gave him a modest post. Some time passed; they saw the kindness of his nature and admired his good judgment, so his work advanced and he rose to a higher rank. His star of fortune kept climbing until he reached the peak of favor, becoming a confidant of the court, one entrusted and relied upon. I rejoiced at his good fortune and said: Do not fret over closed doors or keep a broken heart, for the water of life flows within the darkness. Let no one in affliction cry out in despair, for the Merciful has hidden kindnesses. Do not sit sour at the turning of the days, for patience, though bitter, bears sweet fruit. Around that time I happened to travel with a group of friends. When I returned from the pilgrimage to Mecca, he came two stages out to meet me. I saw him looking distressed, dressed like a beggar. I asked: What has happened? He said: Just as you warned, a group grew envious and accused me of treachery, and the king, may his reign endure, did not trouble to uncover the truth. My old comrades and close friends fell silent from speaking the truth and forgot our long friendship. Do you not see how, before a man of power, people press their hands to their chests in reverence? But if fortune throws him down, the whole world sets its feet upon his head. In short, I suffered all kinds of punishment until this week, when the good news of the pilgrims' safe return arrived; that freed me from my heavy chains and restored my inherited estate. I said: That time you would not accept my counsel, when I told you that serving kings is like a sea voyage, dangerous yet profitable: you either seize the treasure or die within the spell. Either the merchant gathers gold with both hands to his chest, or a wave one day casts him dead upon the shore. I did not think it wise to scratch the wound within him further with blame and rub salt into it. I limited myself to these words: Did you not know you would end up in chains, since people's advice never reached your ears? Again, if you cannot bear the sting, do not put your finger in the scorpion's hole.

A few wandering dervishes were among my companions, outwardly upright and devout. A certain nobleman thought highly of this group and had granted them a fixed allowance, until one of them did something unbecoming a dervish. The man's good opinion soured and their fortunes collapsed. I wanted to find some way to secure my friends' livelihood, so I set out to see him. His doorkeeper would not let me in and treated me harshly, but I forgave him, for wise men have said: Do not hover around the door of a prince, a minister, or a king without a proper connection. When a dog and a doorkeeper find a stranger, one grabs his collar and the other his hem. As soon as the nobleman's close attendants became aware of my situation, they welcomed me with honor and set a high seat for me. But out of humility I sat lower down, and said: Let me stay your lowly servant, so I may sit in the ranks of the servants. He said: 'Good heavens! What place is there for such talk?' 'If you sit upon my head and eyes, I will bear your weight, for you are precious.' In short, I took my seat and spoke of this and that, until the matter of my friends' misstep came up, and I said: What fault did the ever generous Lord ever see, that he lets his servant grow low in his own eyes? To God alone belong true greatness and the right to judge, for he sees the sin yet keeps the bread flowing. The ruler was greatly pleased by these words and ordered that my friends' means of living be restored as before, and that they be paid for the days their allowance had been cut off. I gave thanks for the favor, kissed the ground in service, apologized for my boldness, and as I was leaving, said: Since the Kaaba became the shrine of every need, people travel to see it from distant lands, across many miles. You must put up with the likes of us, for no one throws stones at a tree that bears no fruit.

A prince inherited vast treasure from his father. He opened his hand in generosity, gave freely, and poured his wealth without stint on soldiers and common people alike. A box of aloeswood gives no scent to the nose; put it on the fire, and it smells like amber. If you want to be great, be generous; for a seed will not grow until you scatter it. One of his shortsighted courtiers began to advise him: 'The kings before you gathered this wealth with great effort and set it aside for a purpose. Stop this behavior, for troubles lie ahead and enemies lie behind; you must not be caught empty-handed when you are in need.' If you give away a treasure among the common folk, only a trifle reaches each household head. Why not take a single grain of silver from each, so that in time a treasure gathers back to you? The king turned his face away in disgust at these words, rebuked him, and said: 'God Most High has made me the owner of this kingdom so that I may enjoy it and give it away, not to be a watchman who merely guards it.' Korah, who had forty houses full of treasure, perished; Noushirvan did not die, for he left behind a good name.

They say that once, when the just king Nushirvan was hunting, they roasted the game he had caught, but there was no salt. A servant went to a village to fetch some. Nushirvan said: Pay for the salt, so that it does not become a habit and the village is not ruined. They asked: What harm can come from so little? He replied: The foundation of injustice in the world was small at first, but each newcomer added to it, until it grew to what we see today. If a king takes a single apple from a peasant's orchard, his servants will pull the whole tree up by its roots. For five eggs a tyrant king allows himself to seize, his soldiers will skewer a thousand chickens on their spits.

I heard of a heedless official who ruined the homes of the common people to fill the king's treasury, unaware of the sages' words: whoever offends God to win a crowd's favor, God sets that very crowd against him to wreck his life. The scorching fire does not do to wild rue seeds what the smoke rising from a wounded heart can do. They call the lion the chief of all beasts, and the donkey the lowliest. Yet by common agreement a load-bearing donkey is better than a man-devouring lion. The poor donkey, though it lacks all discernment, is prized because it carries its load. Load-bearing oxen and donkeys are better than people who torment others. Let us return to the tale of the heedless minister. The king learned of his vile character from the evidence, put him to torture, and killed him with every kind of punishment. You will never win the king's approval until you have won the hearts of his servants. Do you want God to forgive you? Then do good to God's people. They tell that one of his former victims passed by, gazed at his ruined state, and said: Not everyone with the strength of a high office should devour people's wealth recklessly by his power. You can force a coarse bone down your throat, but it will tear your belly when it lodges at the navel. The wicked tyrant does not last, but a lasting curse remains upon him.

They tell of a bully who threw a stone at a pious man's head. The dervish had no chance for revenge, so he kept the stone until a day came when the king grew angry at the man and threw him into a well. The dervish went and struck the stone against his head. The man said: 'Who are you, and why did you throw this stone at me?' He replied: 'I am so and so, and this is the very stone you threw at my head on such and such a day.' The man asked: 'And where have you been all this time?' He answered: 'I was afraid of your rank and power. Now that I have found you in a well, I saw the opportunity as a prize.' When you see a worthless man favored by fortune, the wise choose to yield the field to him. When your claws are not sharp enough to tear, better not to pick a fight with wild beasts. Whoever grapples with an arm of steel only bruises his own poor wrist. Wait until time itself ties his hands, then dash out his brains to your friends' delight.

One of the kings suffered from a terrible illness better left undescribed. A group of Greek physicians agreed that there was no cure for this disease except the gall of a human being with certain specific traits. The king ordered a search. They found a farmer's son who matched the physicians' description. His father and mother were summoned and satisfied with boundless wealth, and the judge ruled that spilling the blood of one subject was lawful for the king's health. When the executioner moved in, the boy raised his face to the sky and smiled. The king asked him, 'What is there to laugh about at a time like this?' The boy said, 'Children lean on their fathers and mothers, and if wronged they bring their case before the judge and seek justice from the king. But now my father and mother have handed me over to be killed for the trash of this world, the judge has ruled for my death, and the king sees his own welfare in my destruction; I see no refuge except God, mighty and glorious.' To whom can I cry out against your hand? Even from you, before you, I would beg for justice. The king's heart broke at these words, and tears filled his eyes. He said, 'My own death is better than spilling the blood of an innocent.' He kissed the boy's head and eyes, embraced him, gave him immeasurable wealth, and set him free. And they say that within that very week the king was healed. I am still turning over that line an elephant driver once spoke on the bank of the Nile: 'If you knew the state of the ant beneath your foot, you would see it is like your own state beneath the elephant's foot.'

One of the slaves of Amr Layth had run away. His men went after him and brought him back. The vizier held a grudge against him and ordered him killed, so that the other slaves would not dare do the same. The slave laid his head on the ground before Amr and said: Whatever happens to me, if you approve, it is right. What claim can a slave make? The verdict belongs to the master. But because I was raised on the bounty of this household, I do not want you to be held accountable for my blood on the Day of Judgment. Give me leave to kill the vizier first; then, in retribution for him, order my blood to be shed, so that you will have killed me justly. The king laughed and asked the vizier: What do you think is best? The vizier said: Lord of the world, for God's sake, and as alms for the grave of your father, set this shameless rascal free, so that he does not drag me into disaster. The fault is mine, and the saying of the wise is sound, who have said: When you picked a fight with the man throwing clods of dirt, you broke your own head through foolishness. When you shot an arrow at your enemy's face, know this: you set yourself up as his target.

The king of Zuzan had a steward, generous of spirit and pleasant of company, who served everyone to their face and spoke well of them behind their backs. One day something he did displeased the sultan, who confiscated his property and punished him. But the king's officers, remembering his past kindness and grateful for it, treated him gently while he was under guard and never subjected him to harshness or torment. If you want peace with an enemy, then whenever he insults you behind your back, praise him to his face. In the end, words fall from the mouth of a spiteful man; if you don't want his speech bitter, sweeten his mouth. Part of what the king demanded was paid off, but for the remainder he stayed in prison. It is told that one of the neighboring kings sent him a secret message: 'The kings of that land failed to value a man of your worth and dishonored you. If your noble self, may God grant your release, would turn toward us, we would do everything possible to honor you, for the nobles of this realm long to meet you. We await your reply.' The steward learned of this and, fearing danger, at once wrote a brief reply as he thought wise on the back of the page and sent it off. One of the king's men found out and informed him: 'The one you imprisoned is corresponding with the neighboring kings.' The king grew troubled and ordered the matter uncovered. They seized the messenger and read the letter aloud. It said: The good opinion of great men exceeds any merit of mine, and the honor of the acceptance they offer, this servant cannot accept, for I was raised on the bounty of this house, and one cannot betray one's benefactor over some small setback. As they have said: The one who shows you kindness at every moment, forgive him if once in a lifetime he wrongs you. The king was pleased by his loyal and grateful nature. He gave him a robe of honor and wealth, and apologized: 'I wronged you by punishing you though you were innocent.' The steward said: 'My lord, in this matter your servant sees no fault in his master. It was God's decree, may He be exalted, that some misfortune should reach this servant; and better it came by your hand, since you have shown this servant past kindness and many favors.' And the wise have said: If harm reaches you from people, do not grieve, for neither comfort nor pain truly comes from people. Know that the enmity of foe and love of friend are from God, for the hearts of both are in His hands. Though the arrow passes through the bow, the wise see it as coming from the archer.

I heard that one of the Arab kings told his officials: Double the salary of a certain man, since he keeps watch at the court and stands ready for orders; while the other servants busy themselves with play and amusement and are careless in their duties. A wise, thoughtful man heard this and a cry burst from within him. They asked, 'What did you see?' He said, 'The ranks of servants at the court of God, may He be exalted, follow this very pattern.' If someone comes to serve the king two mornings, on the third the king will surely look on him with kindness. Greatness lies in accepting the command; refusing the command is the sign of being cast out. Whoever bears the face of the upright keeps his head bowed in service at the threshold.