Precise justice
You can do what you want, but can you want what you want? This reminds me of a story:
Two merchants came to Nasrudin the cadi to obtain justice. One, Selim explained:
“Before I left for a long and dangerous voyage earlier this year I wanted to keep my money, three hundred gold curush, safe. I went to my old time and respectable acquaintance Ahmed, here present and asked him to keep my money until I come back. Ahmed, I said, hold my money for one year. If I don’t come back, pray for me and do with it what you want. But if I do come back, as I hope, before that time, you will give me back what you want and keep the rest. Do you agree? He did. Allah be praised, I came back after only six month and asked for my money. Ahmed, says that he wants to keep two hundred and eighty for himself and he will give me back twenty curush, following our agreement. I don’t know how to put it in plain words but this is not fair.”
Ahmed made clear that he was in his right, since a contract is a contract. “I was to give him what I want,” he reminded.
Nasrudin rested his forehead on his palms and meditated for a long time about the fickleness of words and the useful power of interpreting them. In the end he decided:
“A contract must be respected to the last letter. You Ahmed want to take two hundred and eighty curush. Selim requested, and you agreed that you give him what you want and keep the rest. My decision is this: You Ahmed, will give Selim the two hundred and eighty curush which you want and keep the rest which you don’t want.”
“Before I left for a long and dangerous voyage earlier this year I wanted to keep my money, three hundred gold curush, safe. I went to my old time and respectable acquaintance Ahmed, here present and asked him to keep my money until I come back. Ahmed, I said, hold my money for one year. If I don’t come back, pray for me and do with it what you want. But if I do come back, as I hope, before that time, you will give me back what you want and keep the rest. Do you agree? He did. Allah be praised, I came back after only six month and asked for my money. Ahmed, says that he wants to keep two hundred and eighty for himself and he will give me back twenty curush, following our agreement. I don’t know how to put it in plain words but this is not fair.”
Ahmed made clear that he was in his right, since a contract is a contract. “I was to give him what I want,” he reminded.
Nasrudin rested his forehead on his palms and meditated for a long time about the fickleness of words and the useful power of interpreting them. In the end he decided:
“A contract must be respected to the last letter. You Ahmed want to take two hundred and eighty curush. Selim requested, and you agreed that you give him what you want and keep the rest. My decision is this: You Ahmed, will give Selim the two hundred and eighty curush which you want and keep the rest which you don’t want.”
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