Abu Nawas and the Six Bearded Oxen

One day, King Harun al-Rashid summoned Abu Nawas to the palace. The king wanted to test Abu Nawas.

When Abu Nawas stood before the king, King Harun declared, "Hey, Abu Nawas. I want six bearded oxen that can speak. Can you bring them to me within a week? If you fail, I will cut off your head!"

"Very well, Your Majesty, I will uphold your command," replied Abu Nawas. Everyone in the palace who was present at that moment thought, "You're doomed, Abu Nawas."

Abu Nawas then excused himself to go home. Arriving home, he sat in silence, pondering the king's request. Abu Nawas stayed inside the house for a long time and did not come out.

A week later, he finally emerged. That day was the deadline for the task given by the king. Abu Nawas then went to a crowd of people. He then said, "Hey, young people, what day is today?"

The people answered, and he said that those who answered correctly would be released, but those who answered incorrectly would be detained. Apparently, not a single person answered correctly. Abu Nawas was angry with them.

"You can't even answer such a simple question. In that case, let's go before the king to find out the truth," said Abu Nawas.

The next day, the palace was filled with people who wanted to watch Abu Nawas's ability to bring six bearded oxen. Arriving before the king, he bowed and sat respectfully.

The king said, "Hey, Abu Nawas, where are the bearded oxen that can speak?" Abu Nawas then pointed to the six people he had brought, saying, "Here they are, Your Majesty."

"Hey, Abu Nawas, what are you showing me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Ask them what day it is today."

The king then asked, and the six people had different answers.

Then Abu Nawas said again, "If they were humans, they would know what day it is today. Especially if Your Majesty asked about another day, they would be even more confused. Are they humans or animals? These are the bearded oxen that can speak, Your Majesty."

The king was amazed at Abu Nawas's ability to escape punishment. The king then gave Abu Nawas a gift of 5,000 dinars.

Abu Nawas and the Real Mother

One day, the court judge was confused by two mothers fighting over a baby. Because both had strong evidence, the judge did not know how to determine who the baby's biological mother was.

Finally, he went before King Harun al-Rashid to ask for help so that the case would not drag on.

The king then stepped in to resolve the issue. However, he was instead driven to despair. Both women were stubborn and still wanted the baby.

Then, the king summoned Abu Nawas to the palace. After learning about the problem, he looked for a way to ensure that the baby's fate would not be neglected and that he could be reunited with his biological mother.

The next day, Abu Nawas went to court, bringing an executioner with him. Abu ordered the disputed baby to be placed on a table.

"What are you going to do to the baby?" asked the two mothers simultaneously.

"Before answering your question, I will ask one more time. Is there either of you willing to give the baby to his real mother?" said Abu Nawas.

"But this baby is my child," replied both mothers simultaneously.

"Very well then. Since both of you want this baby, I will have to cut this baby in half," replied Abu Nawas.

Hearing that answer, the first woman was very happy and immediately agreed to the proposal. Meanwhile, the second woman cried hysterically and begged Abu Nawas not to do it.

"Please don't cut the baby, just give him to that woman. I'm willing as long as he lives," she sobbed.

Abu Nawas was satisfied when he heard that answer. Finally, he knew who the baby's real mother was. He then gave the baby to the second woman, who was his biological mother.

After that, Abu asked the court to punish the first woman according to her crime.

This was because no mother could bear to see her child killed, especially in front of her. Finally, the problem was resolved, and the baby was reunited with his biological mother.

Abu Nawas, Sleeping Pills for King Harun al-Rashid

One night, King Harun al-Rashid had trouble sleeping. The night was getting late, and the king still did not feel sleepy. The king then called one of the palace guards. The king said, "Announce to all the people, whoever can make the king fall asleep will be given 10 gold coins!"

The palace guard then rushed to signal his subordinates to move quickly to announce the king's command to the people.

After that, two people who happened to have trouble sleeping that night came and heard the explanation from the palace guard. They were interested in participating in the competition.

The two participants failed to make the king fall asleep. The stories brought by the first two participants only made it harder for the king to fall asleep. Until Abu Nawas offered to participate in the competition.

After being allowed, Abu Nawas began to tell a story, "Your Majesty, once upon a time, there was an idle ant king. He entered the right ear of a sleeping person, came out again, entered again, came out again. Then he entered the left ear, came out again, entered again, came out again."

The king was annoyed to hear the story told by Abu Nawas. According to the king, Abu Nawas's story was not interesting and made the king feel bored, so he yawned and turned his body away from Abu Nawas. Slowly, the king closed his eyes and began to fall asleep.

The next morning, Abu Nawas entered the palace again, riding a carriage. 10 sacks were lifted into the carriage one by one. The palace gate guard shook his head when the carriage left the gate. Abu Nawas was fast asleep on a pile of gold sacks, snoring loudly.

Abu Nawas Hides Under the Bed When a Thief Enters His House

Once upon a time, one day, a thief entered Abu Nawas's house. Instead of chasing away or preventing the theft, Abu Nawas hid under the bed.

As a result, the thief was free to rummage through Abu Nawas's house. Seeing that, Abu Nawas's wife was angry.

So angry, his wife even mocked Abu Nawas. "You're a man, why are you afraid of thieves?" said his wife.

Instead of being offended, Abu Nawas replied that he felt embarrassed by the thief. Because there was nothing valuable in his house that could be stolen.

"I feel bad if he knows me, because there is nothing in this house that can be stolen," said Abu Nawas