Behlool liked to visit the graveyards. "People here are good friends," he used to say. "They do not backbite."
Once, he sat in a corner of a graveyard. With a long stick he started prodding at some of the old skulls which were scattered around.
Harun Rashid, the king, passed by and saw him.
"O Behlool! What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing very important," said Behlool, "I am just trying to find out whether the skulls belong to kings or paupers. They are all the same."
"And what is the stick for?" Harun asked.
"Well, I am measuring the earth," replied Behlool.
"Measuring the earth? What are your findings?" Harun joked.
"It is one and the same, O king," Behlool retorted. "Three arm lengths for me, in spite of my poverty, and three arm lengths for you, in spite of your pomp and wealth."
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Beautiful Islamic Stories
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