The story of a stingy man

The King and the Miser

In an old time, there lived a miserly man, and from his excessive stinginess, he was always thinking of a way to get money, or a way to keep anyone away from him who asked him for even a little money and because of his extreme stinginess, he toured the villages village by village, until he found a village with all its inhabitants generous, so he resolved Among them, he pretended that he was very poor, so he was the focus of their pity and sympathy, and they always gave him alms and gave him alms, so that he used to eat and drink and get his clothes from them, and one morning people saw something strange, as the man closed the door of his house overlooking the villagers, and opened a door in his house He makes his face to the empty land, and despite this, the people continued to offer him what they used to offer .. When they knew his story, they burst out laughing, because he got a goat that gives a lot of milk, so he was afraid that someone would ask him for something from his goat’s milk, so he moved away from them at the door of his house.

And although some people transmitted among them that he was very rich, he dug all the ground of his hut and deposited his silver and gold dinars there, but the people were smiling with pity, and kept giving him while they lamented his condition, and one day one of the knights was lost, very hungry and thirsty, so when He approached that village, he was eager to reach it, and he hurried to the nearest house whose door was to the wilderness, and when he reached it, he wanted to dismount to seek his need from his owner, who was the miser himself. The miser saw him and hurried to him shouting:

"Don't get off your feet, man. There is nothing in my house to give you." No food or drink, not even sticks straw.

The knight was shocked, and the pain and extreme fatigue appeared in his face, and because he was about to die, he did not open his mouth and did not speak to him, but twisted the neck of his horse and entered the village, and stood in front of one of the houses, and was completely surprised by what happened, as the owner of the house and his family came out to welcome the knight very welcome, and they hastened To help him get off his horse, they tied his horse, and they brought him the water from which his horse drank, and the water with which he washed his face and hands, and they gave him food and drink, and left him to rest and sleep without asking him a single question.

And when he woke up rested, full and well-fed, he asked them about the direction of the big city, so they guided him, and from that moment he mounted his horse and set off, and he was very surprised that, until this moment, they had not asked him who he was. And why was that the case? How did he arrive?

After a few days, the whole village was amazed, and they all went out looking at that knight, who was accompanied by a group of knights, as if he was an army, and they were driving with them horses and donkeys laden with many goods, and they all stopped at a door. Their house is tired, hungry and thirsty.. It is the king who owns the house. He made a big feast to which he invited all the people of the village. After the owner of the house thanked the king, the king approached him thanking him and acknowledging his favor, and when he learned that all the people of the village were like him, he approached them one by one..and he says:

Praise be to God that there are people in my kingdom like you and your generosity, and at this moment... after the people ate and were filled with joy and happiness, the king and everyone heard sounds of crying and beating, and soon they recognized the crying of the miser, so the king sent for him to him, and quickly recognized him.. and asked him:

- what's wrong man?

He did not speak.. except that a woman approached the king and answered him while she was laughing:

- He says: All these gifts are his money.. They belong to him, and people plunder them.