My third brother's name was al-Fakik, the Gabbler, and he was blind. One day fate brought him to a fine large house, and he knocked at the door hoping to speak with the owner and ask for charity.

The master of the house called out, "Who is at the door?" but my brother said nothing. The man called out again more loudly, "Who is there?" Still my brother did not answer. At last the master came to the door and opened it, asking, "What do you want?" My brother replied, "Something for the sake of Almighty Allah." "Are you blind?" asked the man, and my brother said, "Yes." The man said, "Hold out your hand." My brother extended his hand, thinking the man would give him something, but instead the man took hold of it and led him into the house. He carried my brother up stair after stair until they reached the roof of the house. All the while my brother thought he would surely be given food or money. Then the man asked him, "What do you want, O blind man?" My brother answered, "Something for the sake of the Almighty." The man said, "May Allah open another door for you!" "Then why didn't you say this when I was downstairs?" asked my brother. The man replied, "Why didn't you answer me when I first called?" "What do you intend to do for me now?" asked my brother. "There is nothing in the house to give you." "Then lead me down the stairs." "The way is open before you." So my brother rose and made his way down the stairs. When he was nearly at the bottom, only twenty steps from the door, his foot slipped. He fell to the bottom and broke his head. Bleeding and dazed, he went out, not knowing which way to turn.

Soon he came upon two other blind men, his companions, who asked him, "What did you get today?" He told them what had happened and added, "O my brothers, I wish to gather some of my money and use it to help myself." What my brother did not know was that the house master had followed him and was listening to everything they said. My brother went to his lodging and sat down to wait for his companions. The house owner entered quietly behind him, unseen. When the other blind men arrived, my brother said to them, "Lock the door and search the house to make sure no stranger has followed us." The man, hearing this, quickly grabbed hold of a cord hanging from the ceiling and held on to it. The blind men searched everywhere but found no one. They came back and sat beside my brother, then brought out their money. They counted it and found it came to twelve thousand dirhams. Each man took what he needed, and they buried the rest in a corner of the room. Then they set out food and began to eat.

Soon after, my brother heard strange jaws chewing beside him. He said to his friends, "There is a stranger among us," and he reached out and caught the hand of the house master. At once, all three blind men fell upon the intruder and beat him. When they were tired of beating him, they shouted, "O men! A thief has entered our house to steal our money!" A crowd gathered around them, and the beaten man clung to them, complaining as they complained. He shut his eyes like them so that no one would doubt he was blind, and he cried out, "O men, I appeal to Allah and to the Governor, for I have something important to reveal!" The watch soon arrived and, seizing all four men including my brother, brought them before the Governor. The Governor asked them, "What is your dispute?" The house master said, "You will see for yourselves—we will say nothing unless you use torture. Begin by beating me, then beat that man, our leader," pointing to my brother.

They threw the man down and beat him with four hundred strokes on his buttocks. The pain was so great that he opened one eye. As they beat him harder, he opened the other eye. The Governor cried, "What is this, you cursed wretch?" The man replied, "Grant me a pardon, and I will confess! We four are not truly blind. We pretend to be blind so that we can enter homes and see the unveiled faces of women and seduce them. In this way we have gained great wealth—twelve thousand dirhams in all. I demanded my share of three thousand, but they beat me and took my money. I seek refuge with Allah and with you—better that you have my share than they. If you beat the others as you beat me, they will open their eyes and confess too."

The Governor ordered my brother to be brought to the whipping post. He said to him, "You scum of the earth! How do you abuse the gifts of Allah and pretend to be blind?" My brother cried, "Allah, Allah! By God, among us there is none who can see!" They beat him until he lost consciousness. The Governor said, "Leave him until he comes to, then beat him again." Each of the companions received more than three hundred strokes. All the while the false blind man kept saying to them, "Open your eyes or you will be beaten more!" At last he said to the Governor, "Send someone with me to bring you the money, for these men will not open their eyes for fear of shame before the people." The Governor sent men with him to retrieve the money. He gave the man his supposed share of three thousand dirhams and, keeping the rest for himself, banished the three blind men from the city.

But I, O Commander of the Faithful, went out after my brother and caught up with him. I questioned him about what had happened, and he told me everything I have just told you. I brought him secretly back into the city and gave him a daily allowance for food and drink in complete privacy. The Caliph laughed at my story and said, "Give him a gift and let him go," but I said, "By God, I will take nothing unless I have also told the Commander of the Faithful what happened to my other brothers. I am truly a man of few words and spare of speech." The Caliph agreed to hear