Story 13

They asked Hatam of Tai: In all the world, have you ever seen or heard of anyone more generous than yourself? He said: Yes. One day I had slaughtered forty camels to feast the Arab chiefs, and then I stepped out to a corner of the desert to relieve myself. There I saw a thornpicker who had gathered a bundle of brushwood. I said to him: Why not come to Hatam's feast, where a whole crowd has gathered at his table? He answered: Whoever eats bread earned by his own labor owes no debt of gratitude to Hatam of Tai. I judged that man, in spirit and nobility, to be greater than myself.