Khoja Nasr-ud-Dín nearest neighbour was a Jew, a merchant of repute, and the Jew and the khoja became quite friendly. They were such close neighbours that they snared in common one chimney and one well.

They often spoke together, for the Jew had a very high opinion of the khoja, whose piety and solid wisdom he much appreciated. The Jew himself, though wealthy and a bit of a skinflint, was a pious man, as befitted one of the "peoples ot the Book," and he and the khoja had many tastes and opinions in common. Now it so happened that a practical joke severed for ever this pleasing intimacy, born of mutual confidence and esteem. It is related that every morning the khoja would pray in a loud voice to the Most High, entreating Him to take pity on his misery. In what was he not deserving? Why was he so poor?"

"O Allah!" the khoja used to say, "there are many men in this world who have more than they require and much to spare, though they neither give to the poor, nor care if they are guided by Thee. On the contrary they know Thee not, and they seek not after the joys of eternity. It is not envy, O Allah! It is dire need that compels me to ask for a portion of their great wealth, their superfluous share. Let my anxiety be lessened without any anxiety being caused unto them. Is it not written: 'As for the infidels, their wealth shall not profit them anything, nor their children, against God. They shall be the fuel of hell fire?' I have great need at the present moment of one thousand pieces of gold – one thousand pieces – and, O Allah! If Thou sendest me only nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces it will not be sufficient, and I shall be obliged to refuse the gift. Nay! I will not accept a single piece! One thousand altoons and not one less, I plead for."

The Jew listened for many days to this prayer which the khoja sent up the common chimney first thing every morning, and he wondered. Allah on one of these days inspired the Jew, and he thought about the khoja and wondered if that devout man, whose piety was well known, would really refuse nine hundred and ninety-nine altoons. And, strange to say, the Jew was tempted to try him. The ways of Allah are not the ways of man! Allah is mighty and wise.

The Jew thereupon counted out nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces of gold and dropped them down their common chimney just as the khoja was vehemently protesting, for the hundredth time, that he would never, never accept one altoon less than the even thousand. The khoja took up the bag and counted aloud the gold, piece by piece, and the Jew listened. When the khoja got to nine hundred and ninety-nine, "Be hold!" said he, "the Lord is endued with extensive mercies." Then after a pause he said: "Ey pek iyi! pek iyi! (Very good! very good!) He who sent me this sum will also send me the missing altoon. Allah is great! And there is no telling how He will send it, as there is no telling how He sent these nine hundred and ninety-nine most needful pieces."

The Jew, poor man, was horrified when he heard this, and, without more ado, he rushed to the khoja's door and endeavoured to explain that he had purposely dropped those nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces of gold down the chimney because he had heard the khoja swearing he would not accept one less than a thousand. He concluded by asking the venerable ecclesiastic to give him that bag of gold back again – quick. The khoja, who seemed greatly surprised at what the Jew said, coldly assured his irritated visitor that he had never in his life asked any man for a penny, let alone for such a large sum, but that if by chance the Jew had, on some previous occasion, lent him anything which the khoja had forgotten about, he was willing to go with the Jew to the court and to abide by the judgment of the kadi.

The Jew jumped at this offer and immediately said, "Yes! Come! let us go to the kadi!"

But the khoja said: "I cannot walk to the court at my age. You don't expect me to walk, do you?" and the Jew thereupon secured a mule for him. Even that was not enough, however. The khoja said that he must have a fur coat, as the weather was cold. Again the Jew rushed off and returned with a fur coat for the khoja, whereupon they proceeded together to the court.

The kadi listened to the case which was eloquently and truthfully put to him by the Jew, who ended by saying: "My altoons, nine hundred and ninety-nine in number, and the leather bag containing them, are both in his pocket, and I ask that they be returned to me."

The khoja, just as truthfully, gave his version of the case. He told the kadi how he had asked the Most High for many days to give him one thousand altoons, and how – praise be to the Most High! – his prayer had that very morning been answered – minus one altoon. "And who can say," added the holy man, simply, "but that the missing altoon will be given to me shortly? He who gave me so many gold pieces can surely give me one gold piece more. Allah-â Teshekkur ederim (I thank God). Allah is rich and merciful. Allah is bounteous and wise."

The kadi was struck dumb by the singularity of the case, and the khoja profited by his amazement in order to add that assuredly this man, the plaintiff, was demented. "I should not be at all surprised," quoth he, "If he next said that the mule on which I came to court is his also, and that the very coat on my back likewise belongs to him."

The Jew at once said, "But they are both mine. I got them for you at your own request."

Whereupon the kadi at once gave judgment in favour ot the khoja, being convinced that the Jew was not in his right mind. And when they left the court, the poor Jew was maltreated by the people for having had the audacity to lie to the kadi, and to malign the khoja, who had clearly been favoured by Allah and Allah alone. For the Lord is wise and knowing.