become weary of the tireless backbiting on both sides.

Finally, he decided to stage a competition to establish once and for all which painters were the most accomplished and the worthiest of their time. The sultan decided to assign two of his empty cottages, which faced each other on the palace grounds, to the two groups of competing contestants. The Chinese were to occupy one cottage, while the Greek painters were to live and work in the one opposite. They had one month to present their projects to the sultan.

The Chinese were eager to begin work and asked for numerous colors of paint, immediately setting out to draw their designs on the walls of their house. The Greeks asked for nothing. They had brought with them special stones for polishing the surface of the walls. Shortly after arrival in their cot- tage, they began the grueling task of rubbing down the residue of many years of rot and decay that covered all the walls in their cottage.

It took the Greek painters countless hours of arduous work to remove the effects of many years of wear and tear on the aged walls, old paint and mildew that they scrubbed and polished over and over again. Meanwhile, their Chinese counterparts were busy applying layers and layers of paint, beautify- ing their own designs as they covered over what remained of the old paint.

The Greek painters were well aware of the art of the Chinese and were familiar with their methods. The Chinese, though, had no idea what the Greeks were up to. People were impatient to see what the great artists of their time had been working on and could hardly wait a day longer. After a month of labor, at last the artists were ready to show their masterpieces to the ulti- mate judge, the sultan.

The judging day was upon them, and both groups of painters impatiently awaited the sultan’s arrival. Musicians filled the palace grounds, and people danced and made merry while awaiting the final results to be called out. The sultan eventually arrived with his entourage and went directly to view the Chinese chef-d’oeuvre. The designs and the colors applied to the walls of the small cottage had transformed it into a grand palace of dreams! He had never seen such beautiful art in his life and was astounded. It took the sultan a very long time to detach himself from the beauty that surrounded him and to step outside the cottage.

Having seen what the greatest artists might possibly achieve, he was now exceptionally curious to see what the Greek painters had created. Reluctantly, he left the cottage of the Chinese painters and walked across to the other cot- tage, which was hidden from view by an enormous curtain. He ordered the curtain to be drawn back and instantly understood the miracle that the Greek painters had achieved.

Before the sultan stood the decrepit cottage, which in fact no lon- ger seemed old or dilapidated. The mildew and stains of the past had been patiently and laboriously removed. The artists had scrubbed, polished, and refined the walls to the extent that everything, including the Chinese paintings in the cottage opposite, was perfectly reflected onto them, exemplifying their purity. The work of the Chinese painters, in all its complexity and beauty, was manifested in the art of the Greek painters’ simplicity and transparency, thus rendering it unfathomably more glorious.

The sultan could not hide his amazement at how the Greek painters had managed to re-create beauty in its purest form, creating the perfect state. He had no doubt which group had the superior artists.

with him. One day, a friend bumped into him outside his home and told him that the old man next door had taken ill and that it would be kind to pay him a visit, as he had no relatives to drop in on him. The nearly deaf man somehow made out what his friend was telling him and promised to visit his neighbor that very same day.

How was he going to approach his sick neighbor, wondered the deaf man, especially now that he had become ill and weak and likely able to speak only in a whisper? But there was no way out of it; custom decreed that he pay the old man a visit and inquire after his health. He decided that he’d decipher what the patient was saying by reading his lips and respond accordingly. Nevertheless, just to be on the safe side, he prearranged his questions in his mind and his neighbor’s probable answers accordingly.

He decided that when he asked, “How are you feeling?” the sick neighbor would probably say, “Thanks be to Allah, I’m surviving.” Then he’d say to him, “That’s wonderful, thank goodness!” and continue: “What did you have to eat today?” The neighbor would probably reply, “I had a lovely vegetable soup, with a glass of cooling sherbet,” to which he would respond: “Bon appétit; how wonderful!” In addition, he would ask: “Which doctor has pre- scribed your medication?” and the patient would probably tell him the name of one of the local doctors, to which he’d confirm, “Fantastic, he’s the best in the trade.”

Thus, he was encouraged by his plan and immediately went next door to pay his visit. He sat next to the old man’s bedding, which was spread out on the floor, and kindly asked him: “How are you feeling, my dear neighbor?”

“I’m dying!” moaned the sick man.

“Thank God!” the deaf man said jovially, and continued with his next question, which he had duly prepared: “What did you eat last night?”

“Poison!” retorted the old man, already upset by the first answer. “Bon appétit!” the deaf man responded obliviously.

The sick man, made even more upset by the last comment, bit his lips to stop himself from swearing at his annoying visitor. The deaf man, though, continued with his inquiries: “Which doctor is treating you?”

“Azrael, the Angel of Death!” snapped the sick man.

“May he be blessed. His presence is always good news; whomever he visits is cured of all his pains and aches forever!”

Unaware of the damage he had done to his sick neighbor’s state of mind, the deaf man took his hand and shook it firmly before taking his leave, believ- ing that he had done his neighborly duty and brought the sick man much joy and relief.