One day Abu Ali went to a fair and bought nine donkeys. He rode on one of them, and the donkeys followed him. After a while, Abu Ali thought of counting his donkeys. “I must make sure they all are here.” He turned around to count them. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Oh! Where is the ninth one?” Abu Ali cried out.
He jumped down from his donkey. He looked everywhere, behind the rock, around the trees. But there was no donkey to be seen. “I will count them again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine. Oh! Allah is great! My donkey has come back,” exclaimed Abu Ali.
So, Abu Ali climbed his donkey again and continued his journey. After riding a few miles, he decided to count his donkeys again. To his dismay, there were only eight! So again he looked around everywhere in all the places possible. Above the great rock, below the rock, inside a bush. “How is that possible?” Surprised, he scratched his head. It was a riddle. The more he thought, the more confused become!
Just then he saw his friend Musa walking along the road. He called him. “Oh, Musa help me to count my donkeys. When I turn around to count they are eight, but when I get down to look for the ninth he is always there!” he said.
Musa laughed loudly, “Abu Ali, I can see ten donkeys.”
“Ten? How can you see ten? I bought only nine,” asked poor Abu Ali. He was so confused.
“I can see eight donkeys behind you and you are sitting on the ninth one”, answered Musa.
“Of course! cried, Abu Ali. “How stupid of me but where is the tenth donkey?”
“He is sitting on top of the ninth donkey and his name is Abu Ali,” said Musa as he walked away laughing.