One day, a huge caravan set out from Iraq, containing more than one hundred and fifty camels carrying on their backs many goods of different shapes and types, strange and unique as well. It also included dozens of travelers from merchants, sellers, and others who went with the caravan in search of livelihood.
After that huge caravan reached a place with some shade, the merchants and everyone in the caravan went to take some rest, for fatigue had reached its utmost extent. Indeed, everyone went to the shade and slept until they woke up again after a period of time to the sound of one of the merchants shouting that his money had been stolen.
As soon as everyone heard the merchant’s shout, they gathered around him to know what had happened. The man told them that he had tied his horse to one of the palm trees, then went to eat some food before doing like everyone else and going to sleep a little. He put the bag of money under his head before going to sleep.
But when he woke up, he did not find his money. One of the merchants asked him about the amount inside the bag. The man told him that it contained one thousand gold dinars. The merchant told him to be reassured and encouraged him to go with him to the caravan leader to tell him what had happened, hoping they might find a solution with him.
The two men went to the caravan leader indeed. The man told him the incident as it had happened. The leader listened to them and told them that the caravan would not move until they found the stolen money. Here one of the travelers shouted, suggesting that everyone be searched. Another traveler responded that they all carried gold money and that they would certainly be similar. Another said, “Certainly the man will recognize them from the shape of his bag.” But another answered, “The thief may have thrown the bag away and kept the gold money, and of course they will not be able to distinguish them.”
Here the caravan leader intervened and shouted at them to leave him alone while he prepared the confession rope. Everyone was astonished and looked at him, wondering what he meant by the confession rope. He told them that he would prepare it and they would see it now. Indeed, everyone left, thinking about what the leader meant by this confession rope.
Here the caravan leader returned to the camp, set up his tent, and began preparing it however he wanted. Then he came out to them, calling them, and said, “Look now at that tent.” Everyone came and looked inside the tent, and behold, it was an ordinary tent with nothing special.
He said to them, “That tent is the confession rope tent. If you look inside, you will find a rope passing from the beginning of the tent to its end. All of you will hold this rope, pass through it inside the tent from its beginning to its end, and swear that you did not take the dinars. As for the truthful one, he will come out without any harm befalling him. As for the thief, the rope will wrap around his body and bind him tightly.”
So everyone entered one after another. When they all came out, the leader told them to raise their hands before him. Behold, the leader had greased the rope with black soot without telling them. As for the truthful one, he held the rope and passed through it without anything happening to him. As for the thief, he feared that the rope would wrap around his body, so he walked without touching the rope, and his hands were not stained with the black soot. Here the leader knew who was the thief who had stolen the gold dinars, obtained them from him, and returned them to their owner.