Reliable Dogs

Short story:
بئس القرى التي كلابها أصدق من أهلها..
“Miserable is the state of a village,
whose dogs are more reliable than its people!”

The story goes as follows:

A woman was married to a man, but he neglected her and did not fulfil her rights.
She took him to court, but her husband denied even knowing her!
She said: “I have conducted an Islamic marriage with him, such and such were the witnesses!”
The witnesses were brought in, but they also denied knowing her.
The judge asked the woman: “Does your husband have dogs in that house?”
The woman said: “Yes.”
The judge asked the husband and the witnesses: “If dogs testified in this matter, would you accept their testimony?”
They agreed.
The judge said: “Take her near the dogs, if they bark at her, she is a stranger. If they don’t bark at her, she belongs to that house.”
Her husband and the witnesses felt ashamed because they knew they would get exposed.
The judge ordered that they should be punished and said: “Miserable is the state of a village whose dogs are more reliable than its people!”

هناك قرية امتاز أهلها بالكذب وشهادة الزور ، في هذه القرية تزوج رجل بامرأة سراً وكان زواجاً شرعيا أمام شيخ وبحضور شهود..
وبعد فترة اختلف الزوجان وطردها الزوج من المنزل وسلبها حقوقها فذهبت للقاضي مشتكية٠
وقالت : تزوجني زواجاً شرعياً ويشهد بذلك فلان وفلان٠
طلب القاضي حضور الزوج والشاهدين فانكر الزوج والشهود معرفتهم بهذه المرأة أو أنهم رأوها سابقا٠
نظر القاضي للشاهدين جيداً وللزوجة أيضا وسألها : هل عند زوجك كلاب؟
أجابت: نعم
قال: هل تقبلين بشهادة الكلاب وحكمهم؟
قالت: نعم
قال: خذوها فإن نبحت الكلاب عليها فهي تكذب وإن رحبت بها فهي صاحبة الدار٠
ارتبك الشاهدان واصفرت وجوههم.
فقال القاضي : اجلدوهم فإنهم يكذبون٠
بئس القرى التي كلابها أصدق من أهلها..