Once upon a time, a king sent his private guard to summon one of his advisors late at night. When the advisor arrived, looking terrified, the king said to him in a weary voice: "Listen, oh advisor: I have chosen you from among all my advisors because I know that you are the wisest and most intelligent of them all."
The advisor bowed and replied, "Thank you, my lord. I will do my best to live up to your expectations."
Leaning on his throne, the king continued, "You should know that I could not sleep last night because a question has been troubling me, and I want you to provide me with a definitive answer."
"Ask away, my lord, and I shall answer with God's permission," replied the advisor.
"Tell me," said the king, "which is better: luck or sanctity?"
Without hesitation, the advisor replied, "Of course, sanctity, my lord."
The king laughed and said, "I will refute your opinion with evidence, or you can prove your point with evidence."
The advisor agreed.
The next morning, they went to one of the markets, and the king stood observing the faces of his subjects until he spotted a very miserable porter. He ordered his guards to bring the porter to the palace, then commanded that the porter be fed, clothed in silk, and made a minister.
The advisor was astonished to see that the porter had become a minister. The king turned to him and asked, "Which is better now: luck or sanctity?"
The advisor replied, "Give me a chance, my lord, and I will prove to you that my opinion is correct."
The advisor went out to the market and stood observing until he saw a skinny, dirty, and exhausted donkey. He approached the donkey, started petting it, and the people around him looked on in astonishment. They gathered around him, and he said in a loud voice, "People, did you know that this donkey once carried one of God's prophets on its back? Its description is mentioned in the book, as narrated by so-and-so, the son of so-and-so. This donkey is destined for paradise. Within moments, people began to flock to the donkey, touching its back and filling its ears with offerings and vows. Some fed it, others washed its feet, some took a hair from its tail to bring good luck in marriage, and others rubbed against it hoping to be blessed with a child.
The donkey was then given a clean house to live in, servants to tend to its needs, and it was allowed to roam freely, eating and drinking from any home it desired. Everyone revered and blessed it.
The advisor returned to the king and asked, "Now, my lord, which is better?"
The king lowered his head, and the advisor smiled and asked, "Do you know, my lord, what the difference is between luck and sanctity?"
"Tell me the difference," said the king.
The advisor replied, "You, my lord, clothed this porter in the garments of health, wealth, and power. However, these are temporary because you can take them away at any moment. As for me, I clothed this donkey in sanctity, and no one, not even you, my lord, can take that away."
And so, how many donkeys have the ignorant clothed in sanctity, and they now roam freely at all levels of society, politics, economics, finance, military, security, and religion?
