One day Nasreddin's neighbor came knocking at his door.
"Nasreddin," he said in a very serious tone of voice, "something terrible has happened! Your bull has gored my cow, and now she is dead. You will have to pay me some compensation for the cow."
"My dear sir," replied Nasreddin calmly, "I am very sorry for your loss, but you surely cannot hold me responsible for what an animal has done. It is doubtless the will of God that this has happened, and I will pay you no compensation for a crime that I did not commit myself."
The neighbor smiled slyly and said, "Oh, did I say it was your bull? My apologies. What I meant to say was that it was my bull which gored your cow."
Now greatly distressed, Nasreddin shouted, "What a disaster! If your bull has gored my cow, then you must pay me compensation without fail! There can be no doubt about that at all!"
