As Joha was traveling along on one of his trips, he passed by a Bedouin resting in the shade of a palm tree, eating meat with rice. When Joha arrived he said: "good afternoon." The Bedouin answered very briefly and did not invite him to eat, and instead of showing hospitality the Bedouin asked Joha: " Where are you coming from?"

Joha answered, " from where the tribe set its tents."

- So, have you seen my son Ali?
- Yes, he's the best of young boys, the most clever, he lays and runs…
- And how is Ali's mother?
- As beautiful as the moon, her neighbors all love and respect her.
- And how is my dog?
- Very active, running around the tent, preventing any thief from coming near.
- And how is my camel "Hojan"?
- He is the most beautiful of camels, and eats so much that he has developed another hum . After this conversation, Joha expected the Bedouin to invite him to eat, but the latter continued eating as if nothing had happened. Joha remained standing, as his dog came near wagging his tail. The Bedouin yelled at the dog saying: " My dog is much better than this one… " Joha answered:" Yes your dog is more beautiful and stronger had he been… "
The Bedouin asked, surprised:" What do you mean 'had he been' … has he died?"
Joha answered:" yes. One of the camel's bones stuck in his throat."
- Do you mean to tell me that they slaughtered the camel?
- The camel was running and he tripped over Um Suleiman's grave, and fell unconscious, so they slaughtered him.
- What? Um Suleiman is dead?
- Yes, God bless her soul, she died two weeks after Suleiman died."

The Bedouin cried, beating his head with both hands:" Oh my God, my son Suleiman has died!" And he ran towards the desert crying like a mad man.

Joha sat at the food, as the cries of the Bedouin started to subside in the distance, with his dog wagging his tail. As Joha started eating and feeding his dog, he said to himself: "That Bedouin could have avoided this heartache had he simply invited me to share his food in the first lace." From: Rushdi al Ashhab, Popular Stories from Palestine, Jerusalem: The Arab Studies Society, 1987.