Ibn Saud ben Alekh, a respectable and dignified merchant, was attending a camel auction in the main square when he was overcome by the most terrible intestinal cramps.
Finally, unable to contain himself, he let out a giant fart, which was so noisy and so pungent that the people around him looked aghast and stepped back in a circle.
Overcome with shame, Ibn Saud went straight home, packed, and turned his back on his birthplace. For many years he led a nomadic life, wandering from town to town, but as old age approached, so did the longing to return to his hometown. By this time he was aged and stooped, his hair and beard long and gray. He was confident that no one would recognize him and link him to that mortifying moment.
So he returned to the town and headed straight for the main square, where he immediately noticed that the mosque now boasted a spectacular turquoise and gold-leaf facade.
Turning to the passerby, he commented on the magnificent mural. "Peace to you, my son," greeted the old man, "can you tell me when it was completed?"
"Let me think," replied the man. "Yes, that would be seven years, five months, and twenty-two days after Ibn Saud ben Alekh cut that big fart in the square."