Dschuha went in and out of the king's house and so it happened that the king once asked him: "Dschuha, you can do many things, can you even spend a whole icy winter night naked outside without warming yourself by a fire?"

"Of course I can!" said Dschuha.

"Well, if you succeed, you'll receive a royal gift from me."

Full of anticipation for the gift, Dschuha left the king. That same day, he hiked to a mountain peak, took off his clothes and waited freezing for the night to pass. Finally, morning came and Dschuha slipped into his clothes, half frozen, and hurried to the palace.

"Oh King, I spent last night outside, without clothes and without warming myself by a fire!" exclaimed Dshuha happily.

"Well, are you sure you didn't see a fire at all?" asked the king.

"No, my lord. I only saw a tiny light in the distance."

"Then it doesn't count!" cried the king, "surely you warmed yourself by it."

"But it was far too far away..." said Dschuha, but the king sent him away.

The matter annoyed Dschuha greatly. When summer came, he invited the king to a meal in the garden.  The king came with his ministers and sat down in Dschuha's gazebo.

"I'm cooking," said Dschuha and disappeared behind the trees, where he lit a fire. Soon smoke was rising and the king was looking forward to the meal. Dschuha hung the pots over the fire at the top of the trees, then returned to the king.

They chatted, lunchtime passed and the king asked: "Where is the food, Dschuha?"

"Oh, it will be a while yet," replied Dschuha.

Hours passed and the king lost patience and said, "Now I want to see for myself whether the food is cooked yet." He went to the fire with his ministers and saw the pots hanging high up in the trees. "How can the food be cooked like this, the fire is far too far away?" the king exclaimed indignantly.

"Yes, well, I thought that if I could warm myself by a light that was two hours away on a winter's night, then the food should also be cooked if the pots are two meters away from the fire," replied Dschuha with an innocent face.

Then the king understood the joke, laughed and said, "You've won, Duha! Put the pots on the fire and you'll get your present."

Soon everyone was eating the delicious meal together and Dschuha finally received the promised gift!

Märchen aus Palästina, Fassung Djamila Jaenike, nach: U. Assaaf-Nowak, Arabische Märchen, Frankfurt A. M. 1992, englische Fassung Lysander Jaenike ©Mutabor Märchenstiftung