According to this story, a king faced an important matter. He said: “If this situation turns out as I wish, I will give many dirhams to the ascetics.”
When his wish was fulfilled and his anxiety was relieved, he felt obliged to fulfill his vow. He gave a bag of dirhams to one of his trusted servants to distribute among the ascetics.
It is said that the servant was wise and alert. He searched all day and returned at night, kissed the dirhams, and placed them before the king, saying: “I searched for ascetics but did not find any!”
The king asked: “What is this story?! As far as I know, there are four hundred ascetics in this kingdom.”
The servant replied: “O Lord of the world! Those who are true ascetics do not take, and those who take are not true ascetics.”
The king laughed and said to his companions: “As much as I have devotion and respect for the God-fearing, this sharp-eyed one has enmity and denial, and he is right!”
An ascetic who takes dirhams and dinars
Find one more ascetic than him if you can
