Justice and society

A group of mice gathered to discuss how to get rid of a cat that had been terrorizing them.

They put forward many ideas, but could agree on none. At last, a young mouse suggested fastening a bell around the cat’s neck.

Whenever the cat approached, they would hear the bell and have time to escape. The mice greeted the plan with enthusiastic applause.

Then an old mouse, who had been listening quietly in a corner, spoke up:

“That is a clever idea, and I’m sure it would work. But there is one thing I’d like to know: who is going to put the bell on the cat?”

Moral: Making a plan is easier than carrying it out. Even the cleverest idea is of little use unless someone can put it into practice.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

How full the world is of wonders and delicate beauty... In every flower, in every whisper of the wind, in the color of the sky, there is a hidden wisdom. This beauty is like a silent trust placed in the human soul. Sadly, however, people sometimes disrupt this harmony with their own hands, burning not only the land in the flames, but also hopes, destinies, and memories.

War damages not only the land but also the light within us. Every life lost is, in truth, a part of the world falling silent. Yet our purpose in existence is not to destroy, but to protect, create, and sustain life.

Perhaps the greatest question is this: When will humanity find its strength in sustaining life rather than destroying it? When will the earth be filled with the sound of peace rather than silence? Perhaps then the world will be not only beautiful, but also a place that is cherished.

Moral: Humanity is elevated by protecting life and serving peace and goodness. The more we devote our strength to sustaining life, the more beautiful the world becomes for us all.

Etibar Siracsoy

Long ago, an elderly woman in a certain city had her home robbed. Distraught, she went to the king to seek justice.

After hearing her story, the king asked angrily:

“How could you sleep so soundly that you didn’t even notice a thief entering your house?”

The woman replied:

“We thought you were awake, Your Majesty. That is why we slept peacefully in our house.”

Moral: When the people trust the state, they live at ease. When people know their ruler is keeping watch, they can sleep peacefully in their own homes.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Mix earth with water and it becomes mud. Mix it with blood and it becomes a homeland.

Moral: What turns land into a homeland is the blood shed for it. It is more than a place; it is the sacred land for which we sacrifice.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Let no one weep,

or let those who are always laughing not laugh.

Either let no one have this affliction called money,

or let the wealthy learn to share.

Either let no one speak of their love,

or let them give the definition of true love.

Either let these holidays not be celebrated at all,

or let no one be left without meat on the holiday.

Moral: Humanity is created when joy, bread, and love are shared. If one side laughs and the other side cries, there is no justice there.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

This event was recorded in the city of Frankfurt in 1506. A merchant lost a purse containing 800 guilders on the road. A carpenter passing that road by chance found it. Deeply religious, he told no one he had found it and kept it safe, certain that whoever had lost such a sum would come looking for it.

One day, after a church service, a monk announced that a visiting merchant had lost 800 guilders and offered a reward of 100 for their return.

The carpenter brought the purse to the monk.

When the merchant collected it, however, he offered only five guilders. The carpenter asked him to honor his promise. To avoid paying, the merchant claimed the purse had contained 900 guilders and accused the carpenter of taking part of the money. The monk stepped in and defended the carpenter, saying he knew him and that he was an honest man, but when the argument grew heated he took them both to the city court.

The judge asked the merchant to swear on the Gospel that he had lost 900 guilders. He did so without hesitation. The carpenter also laid his hand on the Gospel and swore that he had found 800 guilders.

Everyone waited impatiently. The judge said that everything was as clear as day and announced his decision:

“The carpenter found 800 guilders. The merchant lost 900. Clearly, this cannot be the merchant’s purse. Since its owner has not been found, the carpenter may keep the 800 guilders. The merchant is free to continue searching for his 900.”

Moral: Greed traps a person. The stingy person who denies the truth eventually becomes a victim of his own lies; justice is on the side of the righteous.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

“It is better to shear the wool of rams than to skin lambs.”

This saying is associated with Azmzadeh Asad Pasha, who was the governor of Damascus province during the Ottoman period. The story goes like this:

One day Asad Pasha’s treasury was empty and he was in great difficulty. His advisers, as a way to fill the treasury, proposed an extra tax on the weavers of Damascus. “How much would it raise?” he asked.

“Fifty or sixty bags of gold.”

Asad Pasha objected: “These people are already struggling to make ends meet. How will they pay this tax?” The advisors said: “They will sell the gold and jewels in their houses, Pasha,” and tried to persuade him.

“I can raise it by a better way,” the pasha replied.

His advisers fell silent.

The next evening, he summoned the mufti to a private meeting.

“Mufti Effendi, According to information we have obtained, in your private life you act contrary to the sharia and drink alcohol secretly at home. I must report this to Istanbul, but thought I should tell you first.”

The mufti pleaded with him and offered a thousand mecidiyes to keep the matter quiet. The pasha refused. The mufti offered twice as much. The pasha refused again. In the end they settled on six thousand.

The next day he called in the judge. “Reliable sources tell me you accept bribes and use your office for personal gain.”

The judge began to beg and, like the mufti, bargained with Asad Pasha: “Sir, do not remove me from my post, or I shall be disgraced among the people.” He too agreed to pay six thousand mecidiyes.

Then Asad Pasha invited the treasurer, the chief of security, the merchants and the wealthy to a meeting one by one.

By the end, he had collected two hundred bags of gold. He called his advisers together. “Have you heard of any new tax on the people of Damascus?” They had not.

“Although I imposed no tax, I have collected not fifty but two hundred bags of mecidiye gold.”

“How did you do it?”

The Pasha replies: “It is better to shear the wool of rams than to skin lambs.”

Moral: It is more just to take the unjust profit of the wealthy than to rob the poor. The burden should be placed on the strong, not the poor.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

A Bedouin riding through the desert came across a man who could barely stand, his lips parched with thirst. The man begged for water. The Bedouin dismounted and gave him a drink. As soon as he had finished, the stranger shoved the Bedouin aside, climbed onto the camel, and rode away.

Realizing that he could not recover his camel, the Bedouin shouted after the thief:

“Take the camel! It’s yours. But never tell anyone what happened here.”

Puzzled by this request, the thief stopped, looked back, and asked why.

“If you tell anyone, the story will spread,” the Bedouin replied. “Then no one will ever again help the needy people they meet.”

Moral: Sometimes a person hides what happened to him to protect others’ faith in human kindness. One piece of bad news can close the doors of thousands of good deeds.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

A king went into the city in disguise to see how his people lived. He walked through the markets, learning the quality of the goods, the prices, and the shopkeepers' livelihood.

The king entered the first shop at the beginning of the street. He greeted and said:

“Half a batman of butter, half a batman of honey, and some cheese, please.”

The shopkeeper greeted him warmly and weighed out the butter, not knowing he was the king.

“I can sell you the honey and cheese too,” he said, “but this is my first sale today. My neighbor has not yet had one. If you buy the rest from him, I would be very pleased.”

Pleased, the king paid and crossed the street. There he asked for half a batman of honey and cheese. The elderly shopkeeper weighed the honey, then said:

“Thank Allah, thanks to you, I’ve also made my first sale today. Would you buy your cheese next door? That shopkeeper is still waiting for his.”

The king, who was very impressed by what he saw, went to the shop next door and made his purchase, and said:

“With such high morality in this nation, one could conquer the world,” he said, leaving the market delighted.

Moral: True strength is not in weapons, but in the people's honesty and integrity. Winning hearts, not taking land, is the true victory.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.

Haji Bektaş Veli:

Why hatred when there is love?

Why war when there is peace?

Why quarrel when there is brotherhood?

Why enmity when there is friendship?

Why intolerance when there is tolerance?

Why captivity when there is freedom?

Why injustice when there is justice?

Moral: When the path of love, peace, brotherhood, and justice is open, turning to hatred, strife, and injustice is a person's own choice, and the responsibility is theirs.

Stories are taken from open Internet sources; illustrations were created with AI.