Once upon a time in a distant coastal city, there lived a poor fisherman who had a strict routine: each day he would cast his net into the sea exactly four times—no more and no less. His catches were meager, but he accepted his lot with gratitude.
One morning, he set out earlier than usual. At his first and second casts, he hauled in nothing but mud and seaweed. The third haul yielded only old bones and broken shells. Resigned, he prayed quietly for mercy, then made his fourth and final cast. This time the net felt unbearably heavy. He grinned, certain he had finally caught a plentiful harvest.
But when he drew the net aboard, he found not fish but a copper jar sealed with a lead seal bearing the signet of the prophet Solomon. Puzzled, he examined the jar—it was strangely light. Curious, he pried open the seal. At once a great cloud of black smoke gushed forth, filling the sky. From the smoke took form a towering jinni, broad-chested and fearsome to behold.
The jinni’s voice boomed like thunder: “There is no god but Allah! Let me go, O fisherman!”
The fisherman trembled but managed to stammer, “I grant you safety, by the name of Almighty God.”
The jinni sneered. “I am one of the mighty jinn who disobeyed King Solomon. He trapped me in this vessel, sealed me with his ring, and cast me into the depths of the sea. Four hundred years I lay imprisoned. During the first century, I vowed to reward anyone who freed me; in the second, I swore to grant them great riches; in the third, three wishes. But when no one came, I swore in the fourth century to kill my liberator. Now I shall kill you.”
Horrified, the fisherman cried, “You repay my mercy with death? I saved you from that jar!”
The jinni laughed. “Such is my decree. No escape.”
Thinking swiftly, the fisherman said, “Wait—if you truly filled that vessel, show me how you can fit again.” Without hesitation, the jinni turned back into smoke and re-entered the jar. The fisherman seized his chance, slammed the lid shut, and jammed it tight.
From within came the jinni’s furious roar: “Open it, fisherman, by the name of God!”
But the fisherman shook his head. “I will not open it until you promise me mercy,” he called.
Realizing he was trapped once more, the jinni pleaded, “I swear, by God, I will spare you and grant you a great reward. Release me!”
The fisherman, still clutching the jar, carried it to the sultan and told him the entire tale. Intrigued, the sultan summoned the jar to his court.
On the way, the jinni begged the fisherman for freedom. Finally relenting, the fisherman opened the jar. The jinni emerged and led him to a quiet pool by the sea. “Cast your net here,” the jinni instructed.
The fisherman obeyed. He drew up his net and found within it a single, splendid fish whose scales shimmered white, red, blue, and gold. “Take this to the sultan,” the jinni said, “for he adores exotic fish. He will reward you handsomely.”
The fisherman did as he was told. The sultan was so pleased by the miraculous fish that he granted the fisherman a great fortune. From that day on, every fourth catch the fisherman drew from that enchanted pool brought another wondrous fish—gifts from the grateful jinni.
And so the fisherman prospered, ever mindful of how his wit saved him, and of the jinni’s grudging promise kept.
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