A Tale of A "Qazi"/Judge

A Tale of A "Qazi"

Once there lived a ‘Qazi’ (judge) during the days of the famous Caliph Haroon al Rasheed of the “Alif Laila” (A thousands and one nights) of Baghdad. The Caliph summoned him on one occasion but the “Qazi” refused to come to the Caliph’s palace saying that a well does not go to the thirsty but it is the thirsty who has to go to the well to quench his thirst. The Caliph was furious and wanted to punish the “Qazi” but dared not take any open drastic action against him as the latter was very popular amongst the commoners. So he hit on a plan to wreak vengeance. Learning that the “Qazi” was a bachelor, he presented him with a good fat cow, which yielded a large quantity of milk. The “Qazi” could not refuse the Royal gift as it was unethical and un-Islamic to refuse a gift given without any clear ulterior motive or from one whose character and conduct is bad. The “Qazi” received the cow and kept it tied to a tree in a corner of his garden. As the cow was not milked, it mooed and mooed so loudly and so pathetically and so continuously that it disturbed his “ibadath” (religious service), and disturbed his neighbours’ peace. The “Qazi” cut short his meditation and took to the milking of the gifted cow. The milking of the cow also interfered with his temporal as well as spiritual duties. So he decided to employ a servant to look after the cow. To look after the servant properly, he decided to get married. And when he got married, he got entangled in the family guagmire. How truly has a poet remarked:

“Needles and pin; needles and pin; When a man marries, his worries begin.”

This is exactly what happened in the Qazi’s case. After and since he got married, he begot children and the size of his family increased, with the increase in the size of the family, his expenditure too increased, whilst the income remained the same. He wanted that the income should also increase, in proportion to the expenditure. Hence, he was obliged to run to the Caliph seeking his favours.

Moral: When a person becomes a slave to earthly pleasures, he or she becomes a slave to his or her fellow beings, losing, thereby, his or her independence, dignity, happiness and peace of mind.