Juha and the Judge's Donkey
"Peace and blessings upon the Chosen Prophet! O honored guests, our story today is about a man named Juha, whose wit outmatched the minds of judges and whose little donkey became a tale for the ages.
Once, in an ancient Moroccan city, there lived Juha, a simple man of modest means, but a man whose head was filled with clever tricks. In that city, there was a judge—a tyrant who consumed people's rights without a second thought, believing himself to be the smartest soul under the sun. This judge had a donkey he cherished above all else, feeding it almonds and walnuts as if it were a royal prince.
One day, Juha decided it was time to teach the judge a lesson he would never forget, and to bring some joy to the townspeople who were weary of oppression. Juha went to the judge, entering with a fake air of dignity, and said: 'O Honorable Judge, I have heard your donkey is exceptionally bright. I possess a secret art—I can teach your donkey to speak, read, and debate like a scholar!'
The judge, whose greed and arrogance blinded his senses, widened his eyes and asked: 'Are you telling the truth, Juha? My donkey can learn to speak?' Juha replied with absolute confidence: 'Indeed, my lord. But this knowledge requires time and resources. I need ten years and a thousand gold dinars to buy special books and premium fodder.' The judge, in his excitement, gave him the gold and the time, warning: 'Be careful, Juha! If ten years pass and the donkey does not speak, I will hang you in the town square!'
Juha left, pulling the donkey behind him with the gold in his pocket and a grin on his face. His friends were terrified and said: 'Juha, have you lost your mind? How can you teach a donkey to speak? The judge will kill you in ten years!' Juha laughed coolly and replied: 'My brothers, ten years is a long time... in ten years, either I will die, the judge will die, or the donkey will die!'
Juha began to live his best days with the judge's money. But his wit didn't stop there. To further mock the judge, he would take the donkey every day and place a book in front of it, hiding a few grains of barley between the pages. The donkey learned that to eat, it had to turn the pages with its tongue.
Months passed, and the judge summoned Juha, demanding: 'Show me, Juha, what progress has the donkey made?' Juha brought the donkey and placed a large, thick book before it. The donkey, being hungry, began flipping the pages rapidly with its tongue, searching for the barley. When it found nothing, it brayed loudly: 'Hee-haw! Hee-haw!'
Juha turned to the judge and said with pride: 'Do you see, my lord? He is now reading the book page by page, and he is debating with me about what he has read! However, he is speaking in the tongue of donkeys, which I must now teach you to understand as well!' The judge stood there, mouth agape, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The whole city realized that Juha had outsmarted the tyrant using nothing but a donkey's hunger.
And so, my friends, Juha taught us that excessive greed leads to one's downfall, and that a clever mind can defeat great power with nothing but wit and patience. Our story has traveled from house to house, and Juha remains the master of laughter and the cleverest of them all."