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Awrā was a very beloved princess in the kingdom. She was distinguished by kindness, gentleness, and beauty. Her parents lived in a beautiful palace that contained everything she desired of things, except one single thing which she had longed for greatly since her childhood: knowing the moon. There were many kings who wished to realize the princess’s dream. They feared they would never be able to realize it, for there was an evil sorceress living in the kingdom. She had worked magic when the princess was a small child, and this magic made the princess fall asleep at night to sleep, distressed by the mere disappearance of the sun. She could never awaken at that time. ...

The colored butterfly perched on a branch in the flourishing garden among roses and beautiful flowers. She moved from flower to flower, from leaf to leaf, proud and joyful at what God had bestowed upon her of beauty and gracefulness. Then she began to speak to herself, saying: “How wonderful my body and its proportion and gracefulness, and how beautiful my colors that resemble all the colors of nature, and how sweet my two soft wings like silk. Without doubt I am the most beautiful thing God the Exalted has created in this garden, and its most wonderful. I am the queen of the garden.” ...

In ancient times lived two brothers, Mansūr and Yāsir, and they worked as fishermen. Each had his own boat on which he worked in fishing. Mansūr’s share was the small boat, while Yāsir was fortunate with the larger boat in size. Mansūr was the younger brother, and among his traits was that he was kind-hearted and extremely gentle. He helped the poor, the needy, the elderly, and those in need, presenting them with fish without compensation. As for Yāsir, he was characterized by harshness of heart and wickedness of nature. He was always mocking his brother because he presented fish to the poor and needy without receiving any compensation from them. He often described his brother as foolish for this reason. The affectionate Mansūr would feel pain in his heart after hearing this speech. He would say with compassion toward the poor: “They have no money, so from where can they bring it to eat?” Yāsir heard nothing from his brother except that he was not responsible for them. Mansūr would admonish him that people are brothers by nature and that the poor have rights upon those around them, and this is what our pure religion has commanded us. Yāsir persisted in his position more than before. ...

The little girl Salamā lost her doll. She searched for it in the field, among the trees, near the waterway, and in every place, but did not find it. On the way, she asked a sparrow and said: “Did you see my doll, O sparrow?” The sparrow shook its head and flew away. Salamā walked, weeping near a pond when a turtle emerged. She asked her: “Did you see my doll, O turtle?” The turtle said: “Doll, I do not understand anything you ask about.” It dived into the water. ...

We would gather around him one evening on the stone platform. He sat at the head of the place while tranquility encompassed the house. We would listen to him and enjoy immensely with his tale that was never forgotten—Mansūr the young merchant in his shop at the beginning of the market would face you with his handsome face, his calm smile, and his clear eyes, displaying his wares before you: “This fabric from India, that from Syria, and this natural silk from China.” The intelligent merchant was known for truthfulness, honesty, and excellent goods. The name Mansūr in the market was on all tongues. ...

Humility is a praiseworthy trait that we should all adorn ourselves with. It is one of the most important morals that bring friends closer to us and make us bound together without any feeling of grudge or resentment—especially since arrogance takes its place when the trait of humility is absent from us. The donkey Kurkūsh lived in the beautiful forest alongside his neighbors the animals, where they lived in adjacent houses. A neighbor has rights over his neighbor: not to be arrogant or proud toward him. But Kurkūsh was not like that. He would walk every day in the forest on the banks of its clear river, strutting in arrogance, saying to all the animals in the forest: “I am better than you all. I have a body with a strong constitution that endures hardships and carries loads without fatigue or boredom.” He would look at them all as he spoke to them, displaying his strength before them. ...

Nasreddin was leading a donkey and carrying on its back a bundle of wooden sticks, trying to cross the border, when Inspector Rakan stopped him for inspection and asked him: What is your name, man, and what is the nature of your work? Nasreddin answered: I am an honest smuggler and my name is Nasreddin. Inspector Rakan was surprised by Nasreddin’s strange response! He said to him: What are you saying, man? Do you admit you are a smuggler? Nasreddin said: Yes, I am. Inspector Rakan searched him well but didn’t find anything with him. ...

The lion would not leave his den on this day; he felt fatigue and exhaustion and did not desire, as was his custom every morning, to rise to the forest to fill it with his roaring. The hours passed while he remained stagnant in his place, lazy. Then it occurred to him to resort to the forest doctor, hoping he would find a cure for the weakness that had afflicted him. When the doctor examined him, he told him that his illness was not physical—all his organs were sound and healthy—but he was suffering from a sudden psychological illness and had to try to find happiness and peace of mind. If he knew the path to his happiness, he would be completely cured and return to his former state. ...

From a very long time ago, when all things were at their beginning—even plants and stars and almost all ancient things were extremely small—there was a school with a special class that all the students loved because it expressed joy better. The students studied colors in that class from the color white to the color black, passing through red and blue and brown and all the remaining colors. They prepared many colors to become more magnificent. ...

Each of us has flaws of a unique kind, but in this world nothing goes to waste. You may think you are useless, but somehow the flaws you possess can turn into a blessing you never imagined, as happened in the story of the cracked pot. In one of the Indian villages there was a water carrier named Mahindar. He had two large pots that he carried hanging on his shoulders along the road. One of them was cracked at the top, and water would drip from it along the way. When he reached home, he would find the cracked pot with only half the water. ...