Story No. 6

Two dervishes from Khorasan traveled together as companions. One was frail, breaking his fast only every other night, and the other was strong, eating three times a day. As it happened, at the gate of a certain city they were arrested on a charge of spying. They shut them both in a house and sealed the door with clay. After two weeks it became clear they were innocent. They opened the door and found the strong one dead, while the frail one had come through alive. People were astonished at this. A wise man said: the opposite would have been the strange thing. That one was a heavy eater, could not endure hunger, and perished under the hardship. This other one was self-restrained, so naturally he bore his habit patiently and survived. When eating little has become second nature to someone, he takes hardship lightly when it comes his way. But if a person pampers his body in times of plenty, when scarcity hits, he dies of the hardship.