The Knowledge!
Why is your price so high, young lady?”
A sultan heard that there was a slave girl in the market whose price was higher than that of a hundred other slaves.
He ordered that this slave be brought to him so he could see what made her so exceptional.
She stood before him with a dignity he had never seen in any slave.
He asked her: “Why is your price so high, young lady?”
She replied: “Because I am distinguished by my intelligence.”
Intrigued, he said: “I will ask you a question. If you answer correctly, I will set you free. Otherwise, I will have you killed.”
“What is the most beautiful garment, the most pleasant fragrance, the most delicious food, the softest bed, and the most beautiful country?”
The slave girl turned toward the people and said: “Prepare my things and my horse, for I will be leaving this palace as a free woman.”
“The most beautiful garment is the shirt of a poor man who owns only one, for it suits him both in winter and summer.”
“The most pleasant fragrance is that of a mother, even if she is merely a fire-stoker in a public bath.”
“The most delicious food is the one eaten when hungry, for even stale bread tastes delicious to someone who is starving.”
“The softest bed is the one on which you sleep in peace. If you are unjust, even a bed of gold will feel full of thorns.”
She walked toward the door, and the Sultan called after her: “You have not answered my last question…”
She turned and said: “The most beautiful country is the one that is free and not ruled by ignorant people.”
She had answered correctly, and thus she earned her freedom.
Yes, she was right: the most beautiful country is the one that is not governed by ignorant people.
