Juha, His Son and the Little Grey Donkey

This is a funny old tale told by Arab families for hundreds of years, from Syria and Iraq to Egypt and Morocco. It is about Juha, the kind and clever man who always makes people laugh and think.

Once upon a time, in a small town with white stone houses and tall palm trees, there lived a man named Juha. Juha had a round, smiling face, a big white turban, and a laugh that sounded like a happy drum. He also had a son called Hassan, who was seven years old, and a little grey donkey with soft ears and a very patient heart.

One bright morning, Juha said, "Hassan, today is market day. We will take our donkey to the big market in the next town. We will buy figs, bread and a new blanket for Grandma."

Hassan clapped his hands. "Can I ride the donkey, Father?"

"Of course," said Juha. "Your legs are short and the road is long. Climb up!"

So Hassan sat on the donkey, and Juha walked beside him, holding the rope. The sun was warm, the birds were singing, and the donkey went clip-clop, clip-clop along the dusty road.

Soon they passed a group of men sitting under a fig tree. The men looked at them and shook their heads.

"Look at that!" said one man. "The young boy rides like a prince, and his poor old father walks in the dust! Children today have no respect!"

Hassan's cheeks turned pink. He jumped down quickly. "Father, you ride. I don't want people to think I am rude."

Juha smiled and climbed onto the donkey. Hassan walked beside him, holding the rope. Clip-clop, clip-clop.

After a while they passed some women carrying water jars by a well. The women looked up and frowned.

"Shame on that man!" said one woman. "He sits up high like a sultan, and his little son must run on tired legs. What a selfish father!"

Juha scratched his beard. "Hmm," he said. "Hassan, come up here with me. We will both ride."

So Juha lifted Hassan, and the two of them sat on the little grey donkey together. The donkey sighed a small donkey sigh, but he kept walking. Clip-clop... clip... clop.

Then they passed a farmer working in his field. The farmer leaned on his spade and called out, "Oh, you two! Have you no kindness? Two people on one small donkey! The poor animal will be too tired to stand!"

Juha and Hassan looked at each other. They climbed down at once. Juha patted the donkey's neck. "I am sorry, my friend," he whispered.

"Now what do we do, Father?" asked Hassan.

"We will both walk," said Juha. "Then nobody can complain."

So the father walked, the son walked, and the donkey walked, all three side by side, with nobody on top. Clip-clop, step-step, clip-clop.

But soon they passed some young men laughing by the road. "Ha ha!" they called. "Look at these silly people! They have a strong donkey, and they walk in the hot sun! Why do they even have a donkey? To take it for a walk like a pet bird?"

Hassan stopped in the middle of the road. He looked very confused. "Father," he said, "when I rode, people were unhappy. When you rode, people were unhappy. When we both rode, people were unhappy. And now we both walk, and people are still unhappy! What should we do? Should we carry the donkey?"

Juha laughed his big drum laugh. He laughed so hard that his turban wobbled. Then he sat down on a smooth rock by the road and pulled Hassan onto his knee.

"My dear son," he said, "today our little donkey has taught us a great lesson. Listen carefully. We tried to make everybody happy, and what happened?"

"Nobody was happy," said Hassan.

"Exactly," said Juha. "Every person sees the world from his own window. One person thinks this, and another thinks that. If we change what we do every time someone talks, we will walk in circles all day and never reach the market."

Hassan thought about this. "So we should not listen to anyone?"

"No, no," said Juha gently. "We should always listen with kind ears. Sometimes people give us good advice, and we should thank them. But then we must use our own good minds and our own good hearts. We must ask: What is fair? What is kind? What is right for us and for our donkey?"

Hassan looked at the donkey. The donkey looked back with his big brown eyes.

"Well," said Hassan slowly, "I am small and my legs get tired. You are strong, but you are older. And the donkey can carry one person easily, but not two."

"Very wise," said Juha. "So what shall we do?"

Hassan smiled. "I will ride for a while, and then you will ride for a while. We will take turns. And at the top of the hill, we will both walk so the donkey can rest."

"That," said Juha, "is the best plan in the whole world."

And that is exactly what they did. When people by the road said things, Juha simply waved and smiled and said, "Peace be upon you, friends! Have a lovely day!" And he kept going.

They reached the market just before noon. They bought sweet figs, warm round bread, and a soft red blanket for Grandma. They even bought a bunch of fresh carrots for the little grey donkey, who crunched them happily all the way home.

That night, Grandma wrapped herself in the new blanket and asked, "How was your trip?"

Hassan giggled. "Grandma, today we learned that you can never please everybody. But you can always try to be fair and kind, and then you can be happy with what you choose."

Grandma laughed and kissed his forehead. "Your father is a funny man," she said, "but he is a wise one too."

Outside, under the bright stars, the little grey donkey closed his eyes and dreamed of carrots.

The lesson: Listen kindly to others, but you cannot please everyone. Use your own good mind and heart to choose what is fair and right.