حکایت بهلول و بهشت فروخته شده

What is 'عاقل دیوانه' in Persian folklore?

عاقل دیوانه (āqel-e dīvāneh) is the wise madman, Persian literature’s holy-fool archetype. The most famous is بهلول (Bahlūl), an 8th-century real-or-legendary figure who pretended madness to escape political pressure under Harun al-Rashid. Persian and Arabic حکایت (anecdotes) about him follow a pattern: he says something absurd, ends up making the powerful look small.

In this clip, Bahlul sells بهشت (paradise) to Zubaydah, the caliph’s wife, for 100 dinars, then gives every coin to the poor. That night, Zubaydah dreams of the garden, with a deed in golden water. Harun then wants to buy one too. Bahlul refuses: « زبیده ندیده خریده ولی تو وصف آن را شنیده‌ای » (Zubaydah bought sight unseen, you only heard the description).