Page:Tales from the Gulistan (1928).pdf/196

On the Advantages of Silence

used to shout superfluous prayers in the mosque of Sinjâr, and in a voice which displeased all who heard it. The owner of the mosque, who was a just and virtuous Amir, not desirous to give him pain, said: "My good fellow! In this mosque there are old Muezzins, to each of whom I pay five dinârs monthly; but to thee I shall give ten, if thou wilt go to another place."

The man agreed and went away; some time afterwards, however, he returned to the Amir and said: "My Lord! Thou hast injured me by turning me away for ten dinârs from this place, because where I next went, they offered me twenty dinârs to go to another locality, but I refused."

The Amir smiled and said: "By no means accept them, because they will give thee even fifty dinârs. No one can scrape the mud from gravel with an axe, as thy discordant shouting scrapes the heart."

with a disagrecable voice happened to be reading the Qurân, when a pious man passed near, and asked him what his monthly salary was. He replied: "Nothing."

He further inquired: "Then why takest thou this trouble?"

He replied: "I am reading for God's sake."

He replied: "For God's sake do not read. If thou readest the Qurân thus thou wilt deprive the religion of splendour."