Paradise Sold By the Yard

The chief Imam of the Vilayet of Broussa owed to a Jew money-lender

the sum of two hundred piasters. The Jew wanted his money and would

give no rest to the Imam. Daily he came to ask for it, but without

success. The Jew was becoming very anxious and determined to make a

great effort. Not being able to take the Imam to court, he decided to

try and shame him into paying the sum due; and to effect this, he

came, sat on his debtor's doorstep and bewailed his sad fate in having

fallen into the hands of a tyrant. The Imam saw that if this

continued, his reputation as a man of justice would be considerably

impaired, so he thought of a plan by which to pay off his creditor.

Calling the Jew into his house, he said:

"Friend, what wilt thou do with the money if I pay thee?"

"Get food, clothe my children, and advance in my business," answered

the Jew.

"My friend," said the Imam, "thy pitiful position awakens my

compassion. Thou art gathering wealth in this world at the cost of thy

soul and peace in the world to come; and I wish I could help thee. I

will tell thee what I will do for thee. I would not do the same thing

for any other Jew in the world, but thou hast awakened my

commiseration. For the debt I owe thee, I will sell thee two hundred

yards of Paradise, and being owner of this incomparable possession in

the world to come, thou canst fearlessly go forth and earn as much as

possible in this world, having already made ample provision for the

next."

What could the Jew do but take what the Imam was willing to give him?

So he accepted the deed for the two hundred yards of Paradise. A happy

thought now struck the Jew. He set off and found the tithe-collector

of the revenues of the mosque, and made friends with him. He then

explained to him, when the intimacy had developed, how he was the

possessor of a deed entitling him to two hundred yards of Paradise,

and offered the collector a handsome commission if he would help him

in disposing of it. When the money had been gathered for the quarter,

the collector came and discounted the Imam's document, returning it to

him as two hundred piasters of the tithes collected, with the

statement that this document had been given to him by a peasant, and

that bearing his holy seal, he dared not refuse it.

The Imam was completely deceived, and thought that the Jew had sold

the deed at a discount to some of his subjects who were in arrears,

and of course had to receive it as being as good as gold. Nevertheless

the Jew was not forgotten, and the Imam determined to have him taken

into court and sentenced if possible. His charge against the Jew was

that he, the chief priest of the province, had taken pity on this

Jew, thinking what a terrible thing it was to know no future, and as

the man hitherto had an irreproachable character, in consideration of

a small debt he had against the church, which it was desirable to

balance, he thought he would give this Jew two hundred yards of

Paradise, which he did.

"Now, gentlemen, this ungrateful dog sold this valuable document, and

it was brought back to me as payment of taxes in arrears due to the

church. Therefore, I say that this Jew has committed a great sin and

ought to be punished accordingly."

The Cadis now turned to hear the Jew, who, the personification of

meekness, stood as if awaiting his death sentence. With the most

innocent look possible, the Jew replied, when the Cadis asked him what

he had to say for himself:

"Effendim, it is needless to say how I appreciate the kindness of our

Imam, but the reason that I disposed of that valuable document was

this: When I went to Paradise I found a seat, and measured out my two

hundred yards, and took possession of the further inside end of the

bench. I had not been there long when a Turk came and sat beside me. I

showed him my document and protested against his taking part of my

seat; but, gentlemen, I assure you it was altogether useless; the

Turks came and came, one after the other, till, to make a long story

short, I fell off at the other end of the seat, and here I am. The

Turks in Paradise will take no heed of your document, and either will

not recognize the authority of the Imam, or will not let the Jews

enter therein.

"Effendim, what could I do but come back and sell the document to men

who could enter Paradise, and this I did."

The Cadis, after consulting, gave judgment as follows:

"We note that you could not have done anything else but sell the two

hundred yards of Paradise, and the fact that you cannot enter there is

ample punishment for the wrong committed; but there is still a

grievous charge against you, which, if you can clear to our

satisfaction, you will at once be dismissed. How much did the document

cost you and what did you sell it for?"

"Effendim, it cost me two hundred piasters, and I sold it for two

hundred piasters."

This statement having been proved by producing the deed in question,

and the tithe-collector who had given it to the Imam for two hundred

piasters, the Jew was acquitted.