The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night/The Fishes and the Crab

by Unknown

THE FISHES AND THE CRAB.

There was once a pond of water, wherein dwelt a number of fish, and it befell that the water of the pond dwindled and shrank away, till there remained barely enough to suffice them and they were nigh upon death and said, “What will become of us? How shall we do and of whom shall we seek counsel for our deliverance?” Quoth one of them, who was the chiefest of them in wit and age, “There is nothing will serve us but that we seek deliverance of God; but, come, let us go to the crab and seek his counsel, for indeed he is the chiefest and wisest of us all.” They all approved of the fish’s advice and betook themselves to the crab, whom they found squatted in his hole, without news or knowledge of their strait. So they saluted him and said to him, “O our lord, doth not our affair concern thee, who art our ruler and our chief?” The crab returned their salutation, saying, “And on you be peace! What aileth you and what is your want?” So they told him the strait in which they were by reason of the shrinking of the water, and that, when it should be altogether dried up, destruction would betide them. “Wherefore,” added they, “we come to thee, expecting thy counsel, so haply deliverance may be therein, for thou art the chiefest and most experienced of us.”

The crab bowed his head awhile and said, “Doubtless ye lack understanding, in that ye despair of the mercy of God the Most High and His care for the provision of all His creatures. Know ye not that God (blessed and exalted be He!) provideth all his creatures without stint and that He fore-ordained their means of livelihood ere He created aught and appointed to each of His creatures a fixed term of life and an allotted provision, of His divine providence? How then shall we burden ourselves with concern for a thing that is written in His secret purpose? Wherefore, it is my judgment that ye can do no better than to seek aid of God the Most High, and it behoveth each of us to make clean his conscience with his Lord, both in public and private, and pray Him to succour us and deliver us from our strait; for God the Most High disappointeth not the expectation of those who put their trust in Him and rejecteth not the suit of those who supplicate Him. When we have mended our ways, our affairs will prosper and all will be well with us, and when the winter cometh and our land is deluged, by means of our effectual prayer, He will not undo the good He hath built up. So it is my counsel that we take patience and await what God shall do with us. If death come to us, we shall be at rest, and if there befall us aught that calleth for flight, we will flee and depart our land whither God will.”

“Thou sayst sooth, O our lord,” answered all the fish with one voice. “May God requite thee for us with good!” Then each returned to his place, and in a few days, God sent them a violent rain and the place of the pond was filled fuller than before.

Return to King Jelyaad of Hind and His Vizier Shimas.

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