In Baghdad there once lived a young man named Abu Hassan, who loved to invite a different stranger to dinner each night, simply for the pleasure of a new face and conversation. One evening, he happened to meet an unusually dressed man — never suspecting this was Caliph Harun al-Rashid himself, wandering the city in disguise to see how his people were faring.

The caliph was charmed by Abu Hassan's generosity and witty conversation, and asked what he wished for most in life. Laughing, Abu Hassan replied, «I'd love to be caliph for just one day, to know what it feels like to rule!» The caliph smiled, then secretly slipped a sleeping powder into his drink and ordered his men to carry him, still asleep, to the palace.

Abu Hassan awoke the next morning inside the caliph's own palace, surrounded by servants who treated him exactly like the real ruler, leaving him convinced he was either dreaming or losing his mind. He spent an entire day in complete bewilderment before the secret was finally revealed to him, and he and the caliph shared a great laugh over the elaborate prank — one of the most delightful tales from One Thousand and One Nights, still told with joy to this day.