Long ago, in a village, lived two wise men side by side—one was the village Imam, and the other was a learned Pandit. Both were religious and knowledgeable, but their personalities were quite different. The Imam was serious and sensitive, while the Pandit was cheerful and rational.
One day, the Imam bought a rooster. His plan was that the rooster would crow at dawn, waking him up for prayer and Quran recitation.
The rooster did not disappoint. Every morning, it crowed loudly, and the Imam would wake up and begin his religious practices.
But after a few days, the Imam noticed something strange. Right after his rooster crowed, he heard the sweet sound of devotional songs and scriptures coming from the Pandit’s house. The Imam became angry. “The Pandit wakes up because of my rooster,” he thought. “That means he is benefiting from my rooster. He should share in the cost of its food!”
The next day, the Imam knocked on the Pandit’s door.
— “Pandit Ji, since you wake up because of my rooster’s crowing, you must pay half the cost of its food every month,” said the Imam.
The Pandit laughed and replied, “Your rooster is doing its job. I never asked it to wake me up!”
But the Imam was not satisfied and went straight to the King’s court to file a complaint.
The King was shocked to hear such a strange case. He said, “This is a very unusual matter. I need some time to think. Tomorrow in the royal court, I will give my final decision.”
The Pandit went home and shared everything with his wife. She listened and smiled, “Don’t worry. I will go to the court tomorrow and answer the Imam’s claim.”
The next day, the court was full. The Imam stood with a serious face. The Pandit’s wife arrived calmly and confidently before the King.
She said,
— “Your Majesty, we accept that we benefit from the rooster’s crowing. So, we are ready to pay half of the monthly food cost.”
The Imam happily said, “It costs 1000 gold coins a month. You have to pay 500.”
The Pandit’s wife said,
— “Alright. But we are not taking the rooster, only its crow. The sound comes into our property, so the Imam must pay rent for that.”
The King asked, “What kind of rent?”
The Pandit’s wife smiled,
— “Since the sound reaches our land, he must pay land rent. The rent is 1000 gold coins. He takes 500 from us and pays 500 to us.”
The King burst into laughter. “Brilliant logic! A perfect answer to a strange complaint. This is my final judgment.”
The Imam stood silently. He realized his cleverness had backfired. He bowed and said,
— “I am sorry. I was blinded by pride. Please forgive me.”
Everyone laughed. The King said,
— “This story will be remembered in our kingdom as a lesson—never make big claims over small matters.”
Thus ended a strange, yet wise trial.
Moral:
Pride and exaggeration never win. Logic and wisdom are always greater than any problem.