The Barber of Baghdad

In a certain city of Baghdad, there lived a barber named Alishakul. He was especially renowned in that city for his skill in shaving and hair-cutting. People came to him from faraway lands for his services. Gradually, his business flourished. But when his position became secure, his greed for money grew so strong that he began devising new schemes to cheat people and make easy profits. If a simple, unsuspecting person came to him, he would entrap him in clever talk and take everything he could.

One day, a wood-seller came to him with a load of wood on his donkey’s back, intending to sell it. Alishakul immediately thought of a plan to cheat him. After discussing the price, they agreed that the total price for all the wood on the donkey’s back would be one rupee.

The price fixed, the wood-seller unloaded the entire bundle of wood from the donkey’s back and then asked Alishakul for payment. At this, Alishakul said, “You haven’t unloaded all the wood yet. Take everything down, then I’ll pay.”

The man, surprised, said, “Why, I have unloaded everything. Look, there’s no more wood on the donkey’s back.”

Alishakul then pointed to the donkey’s wooden saddle and said, “What’s that? Our agreement was for all the wood on the donkey’s back. That saddle is made of wood too. It’s included in the price. You must give me the saddle as well.”

The man was taken aback, but Alishakul wouldn’t budge. He took the saddle by force and paid the man just one rupee.

The wood-seller went to some of the most influential men of the city to seek justice, but Alishakul had such power over them that no one dared speak against him. Seeing no other way, the poor man went to the city’s qazi (judge) with his complaint.

The qazi listened and said, “You’ve fallen into his trap. According to the terms of your agreement, he has acted lawfully, but in fairness, he has wronged you.” The qazi then whispered something into the wood-seller’s ear, and the man left happily.

A few days later, the man tied his donkey outside Alishakul’s shop and went in, saying, “Brother! I’ve come to you after many days. I have a companion with me. We both want haircuts, and I’ll pay you eight annas. Cut my hair first, then my companion will come in and you can cut his hair.”

Alishakul agreed and cut the man’s hair. Then the man brought in his donkey and said, “Now cut my companion’s hair.”

Alishakul was astonished. “What nonsense! You want me to cut a donkey’s hair? If I do that, my fellow barbers will cast me out of the guild.”

An argument broke out between them, and the wood-seller went back to the qazi with his complaint. The qazi summoned Alishakul, who admitted, “It’s true that we agreed I’d cut his companion’s hair, but we never said it would be a donkey.”

The qazi asked, “Why? Can a donkey not be a companion?”

Alishakul replied, “When I made the agreement, I didn’t understand it that way.”

The qazi said, “When you bought the wood from the donkey’s back, did the man realize you would also take the saddle as part of the deal? It’s the same here. You must cut the donkey’s hair according to your agreement, or you will face the consequences.”

Fearing the qazi’s ruling, Alishakul had no choice but to cut the donkey’s hair in front of the entire court.

This incident quickly spread through the land, and for cutting a donkey’s hair, Alishakul faced ridicule from his fellow barbers.