Old Arab storybooks tell the tale of Ali Baba, a poor but kind man who worked as a woodcutter in a certain city, cutting wood in the forest each day and selling it to support his family with honesty and contentment, even though his brother Qasim was a wealthy merchant who paid him little attention.

One day, while cutting wood on a hillside, Ali Baba noticed a group of men on horseback approaching a large rock in the distance. He hid behind a tree and watched with curiosity as their leader stood before the rock and called out clearly, 'Open, Sesame!' The rock suddenly split apart, revealing the door to a wide cave. The men went inside, then sealed it shut behind them with the very same words.

Once the men had ridden off, Ali Baba crept carefully toward the rock and repeated the magic words: 'Open, Sesame!' To his astonishment, the door opened before him. Inside, he found a cave filled with sacks of gold, silver, and precious cloth that the men had gathered from their long trading journeys. He took only one sack — just enough for his needs — then hurried out and sealed the door behind him.

Ali Baba returned home and told his wife what he had found, and the two lived a better life without ever becoming greedy. But his brother Qasim learned the secret and rushed to the cave hoping for far more gold. In his excitement, he forgot the words needed to open the door again from the inside. He tried many other words, none of which worked, and he remained trapped in the cave until the forty men returned and found him there.

When Qasim's wife grew worried at his long absence, she sent for help, and Ali Baba went searching for his brother — but the cave held no trace of him. It was Morgiana, the clever and loyal servant in Qasim's household, who later uncovered the thieves' scheme, when they tried to sneak into the city hidden inside large jars carried by a disguised merchant. Her sharp eyes noticed strange movement inside the jars, and she realized men were hiding within them.

Morgiana hurried to Ali Baba and told him what she suspected. The two of them alerted the city guards at once, who surrounded the jars and captured the thieves one by one before they could carry out their plan. The men were driven out of the city for good, once everyone learned of their scheme.

Ali Baba rewarded Morgiana for her cleverness and loyalty, and he and his family lived a peaceful life afterward. He had learned that a blessing is honored through contentment, not greed, and that sharp wits and careful attention can save an entire city from danger.

The Lesson: Contentment is better than greed, and cleverness paired with caution can protect people from any scheme.