One of the well-known anecdotes told among the Arabs is that the ruler of Egypt summoned the poets one day, and they came across a poor poet with an empty jar in his hand, going to the sea to fill it with water. He accompanied them until they reached the prince’s house, and he was very generous and kind to them. When he saw the man among them with the jar on his shoulder, in shabby clothes, he said:
Him: Who are you? And what do you need?
The man recited: When I saw the people set off for your raging sea, I brought my jar...
The prince said:
Fill his jug with gold and silver...
Some people envied him and said: This is a poor madman who does not know the value of this money, and he might destroy and waste it.
The Caliph said: It is his money, do with it as he pleases. So his jar was filled with gold, and he went out to the door and distributed the money to all the poor. The prince was informed of that.
So he summoned him and asked him about that.
He said: The good people give us their money... and we give the money of the good people generously.
The prince was impressed by his answer, and ordered that his jar be filled ten times with gold and silver...