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# There Is a Parable
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/est-takaia-pritcha-2/
- Published: 2025-12-10T06:32:09.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:27:45.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: The East, Monarchies, Humour

There is a parable. Harun al-Rashid liked to wander about at night. One evening he strayed into a dark hovel in which an elderly woman was offering up a prayer for his health.

“How pleasant!” he said. “How shall I reward you?”

“You see, you are a good deal worse than your father, so I want you to stay in good health for as long as possible, because the one who comes after you will be worse still,” the old woman replied.