The Story of the Kammar
Al-Oqilat Trustworthiness Astonishes the Merchants of the Levant
An Al-Oqilat merchant regularly dealt with a trader in Damascus. The trader would give him a kammar—a leather money belt—filled with gold pounds to invest in trade, after which he would return the capital and profit. On one occasion, the Aqili took the belt and did not return. The trader missed him and feared that some misfortune had occurred.
The Damascene trader travelled to Najd and knocked at the Aqili’s door. He found him secluded at home, exhausted and distressed. Asked what had happened, the Aqili answered in a faltering voice: “When I left you, I was carrying the belt with one thousand pounds inside. I bathed at the Al-Salihiyah hammam and forgot it there. When I returned, it was gone. How could I tell you, when you might not believe me?”
The Damascene Trader’s Reply:
The trader smiled and said: “Less than an hour after you left that day, a man I did not know came to me and handed over the belt without a single pound missing. I rewarded him and charged the reward to your account. My friend, honest wealth is never lost. Had we ever doubted you Al-Oqilat, we would not have entrusted our property to you.”