A thief entered the house of a pious man; after searching, he found nothing. He became disheartened. The pious man became aware and threw the mat he was sleeping on in the thief’s path so he would not leave empty-handed.

I heard that the men of God’s path

Do not …

Abdul Qadir Gilani, may God’s mercy be upon him, was seen in the sanctuary of the Kaaba with his face on the gravel, saying, “O Lord! Forgive me! And if I am indeed deserving of punishment, then on the Day of Resurrection, raise me blind so that I am not …

I saw a dervish rubbing his head on the threshold of the Kaaba, saying, “O Forgiving! O Merciful! You know what comes from the unjust and ignorant.”

I bring an excuse for my shortcomings in service

For I have no reliance on my obedience

Sinners repent from their sins

The …

One of the nobles asked a pious man, “What do you say about such and such a worshipper, about whom others have spoken disparagingly?”

He replied, “I see no fault in his outward appearance, and I do not know his inner secrets.”

Whoever you see wearing the garment of piety …

Alexander the Roman was asked, “How did you conquer the lands of the East and the West? Previous kings had more treasures, longer lives, greater kingdoms, and larger armies, yet they could not achieve such conquests.”

He replied, “With the help of God, the Almighty, I did not oppress the …

A king was given a Chinese slave girl. He wanted to be with her while he was drunk, but she resisted. The king became angry and gave her to a black servant whose upper lip extended beyond his nostrils and whose lower lip hung down to his chest. His appearance …

When Harun al-Rashid conquered the land of Egypt, he said, “Unlike that tyrant who claimed divinity out of pride in the kingdom of Egypt, I will not grant this land except to the most insignificant of my servants.”

He had a black servant named Khasib, who was extremely ignorant. Harun …

A group of wise men were discussing a matter of state in the presence of Khosrow, and Bozorgmehr, who was the chief among them, remained silent.

They asked him, “Why do you not speak with us in this discussion?”

He replied, “Ministers are like doctors, and a doctor does not …

Someone brought good news to Anushirvan the Just, saying, “I heard that God, the Almighty, has taken away your enemy.”

He replied, “Did you hear that He has left me?”

If an enemy dies, there is no cause for joy

For our own lives are not eternal either.

Two brothers, one served the Sultan, and the other earned his bread by the strength of his arm.

One day, the wealthy brother said to the dervish, “Why don’t you serve the Sultan to escape the hardship of labor?”

The dervish replied, “Why don’t you work to escape the humiliation …

I was sitting on a ship with a group of nobles.

A boat following us sank, and two brothers fell into a whirlpool.

One of the nobles said to the sailor, “Save both of them, and I will give you fifty dinars for each.”

The sailor jumped into the water …

One of the sons of Harun al-Rashid came to his father, angry, saying that the son of a certain officer had insulted his mother.

Harun asked his state officials, “What should be the punishment for such a person?”

One suggested execution, another suggested cutting out his tongue, and another suggested …