I remember reading an Arabian comic story of Aboo Kasim and his shoes. Aboo Kasim was a miser, who didn’t want to spend money for a second pair of shoes. So, he constantly mended his shoes on his own by striking nails and stitching wherever required. As time passed, the leather-bound shoes turned to a skeleton with nails sticking outside from all sides. People could easily recognize Aboo Kasim’s shoes, whether it is in Mosque, or in courts and they made fun of him too. When the ridicules turned unbearable, Aboo Kasim decided to give up his shoes and buy a new one.
He bought a new pair of shoes and gave up the old one in front of the mosque and came back relieved. But remember, any kid in Baghdad recognized Aboo Kasim’s shoes. They saw his shoes lying abandoned, and brought it back to him.
Fed up, he threw his old shoes out of his house and sat relieved. No, not yet.. his bonding with the old shoes was not to be ended so fast. A stray dog bit it, and the nails on the shoes struck in its mouth. With the unbearable pain, the dog jumped onto the roof of Aboo Kasim’s neighbour’s house and dropped the shoes. The shoes fell on the head of an old woman, and she had to be hospitalized. People didn’t have to search much for the culprit. Any kid in Baghdad would identify Aboo Kasim’s shoes. The judge summoned him to the court, and decided on a penalty, ie, bear the hospital expense of the injured.