A group of Arab thieves had settled on a mountain and blocked the caravan route, and the people of the towns were terrified of their traps, and the Sultan's army was defeated. Because they had taken a strong refuge on a mountain peak and made it their shelter and abode. The administrators of the surrounding lands were consulting on how to repel their harm, saying that if this group continued in this manner for a while, resistance would become impossible.

A tree that has now taken root,

Can be uprooted by the strength of one person.

And if you leave it like this for a while,

You will not be able to uproot it from its base, even to the sky.

The source of a spring can be stopped with a shovel,

But when it is full, not even an elephant can cross it.

The decision was made to appoint someone to spy on them and wait for an opportunity when they had raided a group and the place was empty. Several experienced and battle-hardened men were sent to hide in a mountain pass. One night, when the thieves returned, having traveled and brought back loot, they took off their weapons and put down their belongings and spoils. The first enemy that attacked them was sleep. After a portion of the night had passed,

The disc of the sun was lost in darkness,

Jonah went into the mouth of the fish.

The brave men emerged from their ambush and bound their hands one by one and brought them to the king's court in the morning. He ordered them all to be killed. By chance, among them was a young man whose early youth was just blossoming and the greenery of his cheek's garden was newly sprouting. One of the ministers kissed the foot of the king's throne and pleaded for mercy, saying: This boy has not yet tasted from the garden of life and has not benefited from the prime of youth. The expectation is from the generosity and divine character that he will bestow favor upon his servant by forgiving his blood.

The light of good people does not affect one whose foundation is bad,

Educating the unworthy is like placing walnuts on a dome.

Cutting off the lineage of their corruption is more important and uprooting their ancestry, for extinguishing a fire and leaving embers, and killing a viper and keeping its young, is not the work of wise men.

Even if the cloud rains the water of life,

You will never eat from the branch of a willow tree.

Do not spend time with the base,

For you will not eat sugar from a reed mat.

The minister heard this speech. He approved willingly or unwillingly and praised the king's good judgment and said: What the Lord, may his kingdom endure, has said is the very truth, that if you had been raised in the company of those bad people, you would have adopted their nature and become one of them, but this servant hopes that he will be trained in the company of the righteous and acquire the character of the wise, for he is still a child and the nature of rebellion and obstinacy has not yet settled in him, and it is reported: Every newborn is born on instinct, then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.

Lot's wife became a friend with the wicked,

And her family's prophecy was lost.

The dog of the Companions of the Cave for a few days

Followed the good and became a man (worthy).

He said this, and a group of the king's courtiers joined him in intercession until the king forgave his blood and said: I have forgiven him, although I did not see it as expedient.

Do you know what Zal said to the brave Rostam?

One cannot consider the enemy insignificant and helpless.

We have seen many times that the water of the spring of wisdom,

When it increased, carried away camels and loads.

In short, the boy was raised in luxury and comfort, and teachers were appointed to educate him until he learned good speech, appropriate responses, and the etiquette of serving kings, and he became pleasing in everyone's eyes. Once, the minister was speaking about his appearance in the presence of the king, saying that the education of wise men had influenced him and removed the old ignorance from his nature. The king smiled and said:

In the end, the wolf's offspring will become a wolf,

Even if it is raised with humans.

A year or two passed in this way. A group of local rabble joined him and made an agreement that when the opportunity arose, he would kill the minister and both his sons, seize immense wealth, and sit in the thieves' cave in place of his father and become a rebel. The king began to bite his hand in astonishment and said:

How can anyone make a good sword from bad iron?

A base person cannot be reformed by education, O wise one.

Rain, in whose gentle nature there is no disagreement,

Grows tulips in a garden and thorns in a salt marsh.

Barren land will not produce hyacinths,

Do not waste seed and effort on it.

Doing good to the wicked is like

Doing evil in place of good men.