Heedless Choices

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وَكَانَ مِنْ غَفَلَاتِهِمْ

And among their inattentiveness:

أَنَّ رَجُلًا اشْتَرَى دِبْسًا عَسَلَ التَّمْرِ مِنَ السُّوقِ

A man bought date molasses from the market,

فَ حَمَلَهُ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ

and carried it to his home,

فَلَمَّا وَصَلَ وَجَدَ أَنَّ الدِّبْسَ قَدْ تَسَرَّبَ مِنَ الْكِيسِ

When he arrived, he found that the molasses had leaked from the bag,

فَ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْبَائِعِ يَشْكُوهُ

so he went to the seller to complain.

فَ قَالَ لَهُ الْبَائِعُ لِمَاذَا لَمْ تَحْمِلْهُ مَقْلُوبًا

The seller said to him: Why didn't you carry it upside down?

فَ قَالَ الْمُشْتَرِي وَكَيْفَ أَحْمِلُهُ مَقْلُوبًا

The buyer said: How could I carry it upside down?

قَالَ تَقْلِبُ الْكِيسَ حَتَّى يَكُونَ مَوْضِعُ التَّسَرُّبِ مِنْ فَوْقُ فَلَا يَقَعَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ

He said: Turn the bag so that the leaking spot is on top, and nothing will fall out of it.

فَ فَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ ذَلِكَ

The man did this,

فَلَمَّا وَصَلَ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ وَجَدَ الدِّبْسَ قَدْ سَالَ كُلُّهُ

When he reached his home, he found all the molasses had spilled.

فَ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْبَائِعِ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ حَمَلْتُهُ مَقْلُوبًا كَمَا قُلْتَ فَسَالَ كُلُّهُ

He returned to the seller and said: I carried it upside down as you said, and it all spilled.

فَقَالَ الْبَائِعُ أَنْتَ أَحْمَقُ كَانَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَحْمِلَهُ مَقْلُوبًا وَأَنْتَ تَسِيرُ عَلَى رَأْسِكَ حَتَّى لَا يَسِيلَ

The seller said: You are foolish; you should have carried it upside down while walking on your head so it wouldn't spill!

فَ ضَحِكَ الْحَاضِرُونَ مِنْ غَفْلَتِهِمَا

So the bystanders laughed at their forgetfulness.