kaana thalaathatu ikhwatin yamshuuna fii aṣ-ṣaḥraa’i fara’aw aathaara jamalinThree brothers were walking in the desert, and they saw the tracks of a camel.
qaala al-awwalu haadhaa al-jamalu aʿwaruThe first said, "This camel is blind in one eye."
qaala ath-thaanii wahuwa aʿraju ayḍanThe second said, "And he is also lame."
qaala ath-thaalithu wayaḥmilu ʿasalan wazaytanThe third said, "And he is carrying honey and oil."
qaabaluu rajulan yabḥathu ʿan jamalihi fa’akhbaruuhu bimaa qaaluuThey met a man who was looking for his camel, and they told him what they had said.
ẓanna ar-rajulu annahum saraquu al-jamala wa’akhadhahum ilaa al-qaaḍiiThe man thought they had stolen the camel and took them to the judge.
sa’alahumu al-qaaḍii kayfa ʿaraftum walam tarawhuThe judge asked them, "How did you know, when you have not seen him?"
qaala al-awwalu ra’aytu annahu ya’kulu al-ʿushba min jaanibin waaḥidin faqaṭThe first said, "I saw that he ate grass from one side only."
qaala ath-thaanii wakaanat iḥdaa rijlayhi tatruku atharan akhaffaThe second said, "And one of his feet left a lighter print."
qaala ath-thaalithu wara’aytu an-namla ʿalaa al-ʿasali al-maskuubi wadh-dhubaaba ʿalaa az-zaytiThe third said, "And I saw ants on the spilled honey and flies on the oil."
ʿarafa al-qaaḍii annahum adhkiyaa’u walaysuu luṣuuṣanThe judge knew that they were clever, not thieves.