Caliph Abdul-Aziz possessed a pearl of exquisite beauty, and he had it set in a ring of gold. All the courtiers of the Caliph's court admired this marvelous pearl.
A famine then swept through the country, and the people were in distress, so the Caliph decided to sell the priceless pearl to feed his people.
"But you will never acquire such a pearl again!" his courtiers warned him.
"I can't drink from this pitcher while my people have nothing but poison," the Caliph replied. "Better to see my gold ring without its pearl than to see my people in distress."
You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Internet Archive, Sacred Texts, and Hathi Trust. You can read more about Caliph Abdul-Aziz at Wikipedia.
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