The mollah Nadân gives an account of his new scheme for raising money,
and for making men happy.
When left to ourselves (for the priest soon after quitted the room),
mollah Nadân, taking the mûshteheds note from his breast, said, that
he should be happy to receive me in his service upon so good a
recommendation; and having questioned me upon my qualifications, I gave
such answers, that he expressed himself satisfied.
I have long been seeking a person of your character, said he, but
hitherto without success. He, who has just left us, has assisted me in
my several duties; but he is too much of a _napak_ (an intriguer) for my
purpose. I want one who will look upon my interests as his own, who will
eat his bit of bread with me and be satisfied, without taking a larger
share than his due.
In answer to this, I informed the mollah that although I had already
seen much of the world, yet he would find in me a faithful servant, and
one ready to imbibe his principles; for (as I had already explained
to the mûshtehed) my mind was made up to leading a new life, and
endeavouring under his direction to become the mirror of a true
Mussulman.
In that, said the mollah, esteem yourself as the most fortunate
of men; for I am looked up to as the pattern of the followers of the
blessed Mahomed. In short, I may be called a living Koran. None pray
more regularly than I. No one goes to the bath more scrupulously, nor
abstains more rigidly from everything that is counted unclean. You will
find neither silk in my dress, nor gold on my fingers. My ablutions are
esteemed the most complete of any mans in the capital, and the mode
of my abstersion the most in use. I neither smoke nor drink wine before
men; neither do I play at chess, at _gengifeh_ (cards), or any game
which, as the law ordains, abstracts the mind from holy meditation. I am
esteemed the model of fasters; and during the Ramazan give no quarter to
the many hungry fellows who come to me under various pretexts, to beg
a remission of the strictness of the law. No, do say to them, die
rather than eat, or drink, or smoke. Do like me, who, rather than abate
one tittle of the sacred ordinance, would manage to exist from _Jumah_
to _Jumah_ (Friday) without polluting my lips with unlawful food.
Although I did not applaud his tenacity about fasting, yet I did not
fail to approve all he said, and threw in my exclamations so well in
time, that I perceived he became almost as much pleased with me as he
appeared to be with himself.
From the same devotedness to religion, continued he, I have ever
abstained from taking to myself a wife, and in that respect I may be
looked upon as exceeding even the perfection of our Holy Prophet; who
(blessings attend his beard!) had wives and women slaves, more even than
_Sûleiman ibn Daoud_ himself. But although I do not myself marry, yet
I assist others in doing so; and it is in that particular branch of my
duty in which I intend more especially to employ you.
By my eyes, said I, you must command me; for hitherto I am ignorant
as the Turk in the fields.
You must know then, said he, that, to the scandal of religion, to the
destruction of the law, the commerce of _cowlies_, or courtezans, had
acquired such ascendancy in this city, that wives began to be esteemed
as useless. Mens houses were ruined, and the ordinances of the Prophet
disregarded. The Shah, who is a pious prince, and respects the Ullemah,
and who holds the ceremony of marriage sacred, complained to the head
of the law, the mollah bashi, of this subversion of all morality in
his capital, and, with a reprimand for his remissness, ordered him to
provide a remedy for the evil. The mollah bashi (between you and me, be
it said) is in every degree an ass,--one who knows as much of religion
and its duties, as of Frangistân and its kings. But I--I, who am the
mollah Nadân,--I suggested a scheme in which the convenience of the
public and the ordinances of the law are so well combined, that both may
be suited without hindrance to either. You know it is lawful among us to
marry for as long or as short a time as may be convenient; and in that
case the woman is called _mûtî_.
Why then, said I to the chief priest, why not have a sufficient
number of such like wives in store, for those who know not where to seek
for a companion? The thing is easy to be done, and Nadân the man to do
it.
The mollah bashi, who, though the cream of blockheads in all other
cases, is very quick-sighted when his interest is concerned, caught
at my idea, for he foresaw a great harvest of gain for himself. He
consequently acquired possession of several small houses of little
value, in which he has installed a certain number of women, who, through
his interference, are married, in the character and with the privileges
of mûties, to whoever is ambitious of such a marriage; and as both
parties on such occasion pay him a fee, he has thus very considerably
increased his revenues. So eagerly do the people marry, hat he has
several mollahs at work, wholly engaged in reading the marriage
ceremony. He has entirely excluded me from any share in his profits,--I
who first suggested the plan; and therefore I am determined to undertake
the business myself, and thus add to the public convenience. But we must
be secret; for if the mollah bashi was to hear of my scheme, he would
interpose his authority, overthrow it, and perhaps have me expelled the
city.
During this exposure of the mollahs plans, I began to look at him from
head to foot, and to question within myself whether this in fact could
be the celebrated pillar of the law, of whom the mûshtehed, good man!
had spoken in such high terms. However, I was too new in holy life to
permit any scruples against the fitness of such schemes to come across
my mind; so I continued to applaud all that Nadân had said, and he
continued as follows:--
I have already three women in readiness, established in a small house
in the neighbourhood, and it is my intention to employ you in the search
of husbands for them. You will frequent the caravanserais, watching
the arrival of merchants and other strangers, to whom you will propose
marriage, upon easier terms than the chief priest can offer, and
according to the riches of the bridegroom you will exact a proportionate
fee. I shall not give you any wages, because you will have opportunities
of acquiring such knowledge from me, that in time you may become
a mollah yourself, and show the road to all true believers in the
practices of their duty. You will find everything provided for you in my
house; and, now and then, opportunities will offer for putting something
honestly into your pocket. Whenever my friends come to see me, and when
they take their shâm (dinner) with me, you will appear as my servant; on
other occasions you may sit before me, and act as my scribe.
The mollah here finished speaking, in the expectation of hearing what
I should say in answer; but I was so bewildered by this vast field of
action that he had opened to my view, that it took me some minutes to
recollect myself. I, who had expected to lead the life of a recluse,
to sit in a corner all the day long, reading my Koran, or mumbling
prayers--to frequent lectures in the _medressehs_ (schools), and
homilies in the mosques,--I, in short, who in my master expected to have
found a despiser of this worlds goods, and full of no other care than
that of preparing for the next,--of a sudden was called upon to engage
more deeply in the business of life than before, and to follow the
footsteps of a man who seemed to exist for no other purpose than to
amass wealth, and acquire consideration. However, I can but try,
thought I. My circumstances were too desperate to admit of much
hesitation; and, after all, to be the pupil of one of the most
celebrated men of the capital, was a situation not to be despised; and
so I accepted of the mollahs offer.
He then told me that we should soon have some further conversation,
which, for the present, he was obliged to defer, because he was called
upon to attend the chief of the law; but, before he went, he mentioned,
that as he abstained from worldly pomp, he kept no servants but such as
were absolutely necessary. His establishment consisted of a cook, and
a servant who acted in the triple capacity of head-servant, valet, and
groom; and his stud, for the present, was composed of one ass. After
considerable trouble, said he, I have managed to procure a white one,
which, you know, is an animal that confers consideration on its rider;
but, as my business and my dignity increase, I intend to promote myself
to a mule. I did not lose this opportunity of informing him that I
had a very good one to dispose of; and, after some negotiation, it was
decided that we should keep both mule and ass; he, as the dignitary,
riding the former, whilst I should be carried about on the humbler
beast.
[Illustration: Hajji interviews the fair candidates for marriage. 28.jpg]