BURIED TREASURE

At one time, John was employed as an imam in one of the villages close to his own. This particular village had an unusual tradition. The village folk used to save their meager earnings by putting their money into earthenware jars. When these jars became full, the villagers would bury the jars in their orchards. Every so often they would hold a ceremony where they would dig up the jars, count its contents and then re-bury the jars. When John learned of this tradition, he went in search of an earthenware jar he could use for the same purpose. Eventually, he found a jar which suited him, so he began filling the jar with pebbles and subsequently buried the jar and its contents in a vacant plot beside his house. His neighbor noticed what he was doing and called out, “John, you are supposed to fill your jar with money, not pebbles.” “My good man,” laughed John, “as long as it remains buried, what difference does it make if the jar contains money or pebbles?”