He hurried to the beach

The next day, the fisherman got up early and went out fishing again with his net.

He hurried to the beach, cast his net and prayed, "O God! Bless me to catch more fish, let the children not hungry! Don't embarrass me in front of Abdullah the flatbread man." He prayed, then cast in his net, and repeated it again and again. But late in the evening he had not caught a fish. He was disappointed and full of sorrow and thought, "How embarrassing it must be to go home and pass Abdullah's gate, the bread seller! Where do you go home from? Better get past him before Abdullah, the flatbread man, sees me."

As soon as he reached the oven, Abdullah, the flatbread seller, saw him and called out, "Abdullah, the fisherman, what happened to you? Didn't you catch any fish? That's all right. Just take some flatbread and pocket money and pay me back when it's convenient."

Abdallah the fisherman was very embarrassed. He walked up to Abdallah the flatbread seller and said, "I didn't catch any fish today, so I'm sorry to see you."

"You needn't worry. Didn't I tell you to wait till you got lucky?" Abdullah, the bread seller, gave him bread on credit and lent him another five pieces of pocket money.

The fisherman was very grateful and thanked Abdullah, who sold the bread. He took the bread and the money home and told his wife where the bread and the money came from. When the wife heard this, she thanked Abdullah for his kindness and said, "Allah is merciful. If Allah wishes, he will grant you the right to pay back the money you owe Abdullah."

Fisherman hope, diligent, every day to the seaside fishing, but nothing. Forty days passed, and they still had not caught a single fish. Abdullah, the bread seller, helped them to survive. Abdullah, the flatbread seller, never asked him for fish, nor pressed him to pay his debts, but always gave him flatbread on credit and lent him his pocket money calmly, and whenever the fisherman asked him to settle his account, he always said:

"It's not time for the bill, till you get lucky." The fisherman had to pray for him and ask Allah to protect him.

The fisherman was extremely disappointed.

On the forty-first day, he said angrily to his wife, "I don't fish anymore. I'll find another job."

"Why is that? The wife asked vaguely.

"I can't seem to make a living out of the sea. I don't know how long this situation will last. I can't lift my head in front of Abdullah the bread seller, Allah. Every day I go to the beach to fish. I have to pass his stove, and there is no other way to go. When I passed by his stove on my way home, he always gave me flatbread on credit and lent me pocket money. When will it end?"

"Praise Allah! Thanks to him, Abdullah, the bread seller, took pity on you so that you could survive. What have you got to complain about?" His wife disagrees with his idea.

"But my debts are piling up, and he will inevitably come to collect them."

"Did his words hurt you?"

"No! In fact, he did not want to pay. He told me to wait till you were lucky."

"In that case, it's nothing. If he asks you for a debt, say to him, 'I shall show you my thanks when my fortunes improve. 'Won't that do it?"

"But when will the good fortune we hope for come?"

"Rest assured, Allah is merciful." His wife comforted him.

"Yes, you are right." The fisherman gained confidence.

The fisherman and the merman