accept!), once levied for holy war an army of Moslems, to encounter the
foe before Damascus, and they laid close siege to one of the
Christians' strongholds. Now there were amongst the Moslems two men,
brothers, whom Allah had gifted with fire and bold daring against the
enemy; so that the commander of the besieged fortress said to his
chiefs and braves, "Were but yonder two Moslems ta'en or slain, I would
warrant you against the rest of their strain." Wherefore they left not
to set for them all manner of toils and snares and ceased not to
manoeuvre and lie in wait and ambush for them, till they took one of
them prisoner and slew the other, who died a martyr. They carried the
captive to the Captain of the fort, who looked at him and said,
"Verily, to kill this man were indeed a pity; but his return to the
Moslem would be a calamity."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the enemy
carried their Moslem captive before the Captain of the fort, the
Christian looked at him and said, "Verily to kill this man were a pity
indeed; but his return to the Moslem would be a calamity. Oh that he
might be brought to embrace the Nazarene Faith and be to us an aid and
an arm!" Quoth one of his Patrician Knights, "O Emir, I will tempt him
to abjure his faith, and on this wise: we know that the Arabs are much
addicted to women, and I have a daughter, a perfect beauty, whom when
he sees, he will be seduced by her." Quoth the Captain, "I give him
into thy charge." So he carried him to his place and clad his daughter
in raiment, such as added to her beauty and loveliness. Then he brought
the Moslem into the room and set before him food and made the fair girl
stand in his presence, as she were a handmaid obedient to her lord and
awaiting his orders that she might do his bidding. When the Moslem saw
the evil sent down upon him, he commended himself to Allah Almighty and
closing his eyes, applied himself to worship and to reciting the Koran.
Now he had a pleasant voice and a piercing wit; and the Nazarene damsel
presently loved him with passionate love and pined for him with extreme
repine. This lasted seven days, at the end of which she said to
herself, "Would to Heaven he would admit me into the Faith of
Al-Islam!" And the tongue of her case recited these couplets,
"Wilt turn thy face from heart that's all thine own, * This heart
thy ransom and this soul thy wone?
I'm ready home and kin to quit for aye, * And every Faith for
that of sword[FN#485] disown:
I testify that Allah hath no mate: * This proof is stablished and
this truth is known.
Haply shall deign He union grant with one * Averse, and hearten
heart love-overthrown;
For ofttimes door erst shut, is opened wide, * And after evil
case all good is shown."
At last her patience failed her and her breast was straitened and she
threw herself on the ground before him, saying, "I conjure thee by thy
Faith, that thou give ear to my words!" Asked he, "What are they?" and
she answered, "Expound unto me Al-Islam." So he expounded to her the
tenets of the Faith, and she became a Moslemah, after which she was
circumcised[FN#486] and he taught her to pray. Then said she to him, "O
my brother, I did but embrace Al-Islam for thy sake and to win thy
favours." Quoth he, "The law of Al-Islam forbiddeth sexual commerce
save after a marriage before two legal witnesses, and a dowry and a
guardian are also requisite. Now I know not where to find witnesses or
friend or parapherne; but, an thou can contrive to bring us out of this
place, I may hope to make the land of Al-Islam, and pledge myself to
thee that none other than thou in all Al-Islam shall be wife to me."
Answered she, "I will manage that"; and, calling her father and mother,
said to them, "Indeed this Moslem's heart is softened and he longeth to
enter the faith, so I will grant him that which he desireth of my
person; but he saith: 'It befitteth me not to do this in a town where
my brother was slain. Could I but get outside it my heart would be
solaced and I would do that which is wanted of me.' Now there is no
harm in letting me go forth with him to another town, and I will be a
surety to you both and to the Emir for that which ye wish of him."
Therefore her father went to their Captain and told him this, whereat
he joyed with exceeding joy and bade him carry them forth to a village
that she named. So they went out and made the village where they abode
the rest of their day, and when night fell, they got ready for the
march and went their way, even as saith the poet,
"'The time of parting,' cry they, 'draweth nigh': * 'How oft this
parting-threat?' I but reply:
I've naught to do but cross the wild and wold * And, mile by
mile, o'er fountless wastes to fly,
If the beloved seek another land * Sons of the road, whereso they
wend, wend I.
I make desire direct me to their side, * The guide to show me
where the way doth lie."
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the prisoner and
the lady abode in the village the rest of their day and, when night
fell, made ready for the march and went upon their way; and travelled
all night without stay or delay. The young Moslem, mounting a swift
blood-horse and taking up the maiden behind him, ceased not devouring
the ground till it was bright morning, when he turned aside with her
from the highway and, alighting, they made the Wuzu-ablution and prayed
the dawn-prayer. Now as they were thus engaged behold, they heard the
clank of swords and clink of bridles and men's voices and tramp of
horse; whereupon he said to her, "Ho, such an one, the Nazarenes are
after us! What shall we do?: the horse is so jaded and broken down that
he cannot stir another step." Exclaimed she, "Woe to thee! art thou
then afraid and affrighted?" "Yes," answered he; and she said, "What
didst thou tell me of the power of thy Lord and His readiness to
succour those who succour seek? Come, let us humble ourselves before
Him and beseech Him: haply He shall grant us His succour and endue us
with His grace, extolled and exalted be He!" Quoth he, "By Allah, thou
sayest well!" So they began humbling themselves and supplicating
Almighty Allah and he recited these couplets,
"Indeed I hourly need thy choicest aid, * And should, though
crown were placed upon my head:
Thou art my chiefest want, and if my hand * Won what it wisheth,
all my wants were sped.
Thou hast not anything withholdest Thou; * Like pouring rain Thy
grace is showered:
I'm shut therefrom by sins of me, yet Thou, * O Clement, deignest
pardon-light to shed.
O Care-Dispeller, deign dispel my grief! * None can, save Thou,
dispel a grief so dread."
Whilst he was praying and she was saying, "Amen," and the thunder of
horse-tramp nearing them, lo! the brave heard the voice of his dead
brother, the martyr, speaking and saying, "O my brother, fear not, nor
grieve! for the host whose approach thou hearest is the host of Allah
and His Angels, whom He hath sent to serve as witnesses to your
marriage. Of a truth Allah hath made His Angels glorify you and He
bestoweth on you the meed of the meritorious and the martyrs; and He
hath rolled up the earth for you as it were a rug so that, by morning,
you will be in the mountains of Al-Medinah. And thou, when thou
foregatherest with Omar bin al-Khattab (of whom Allah accept!) give him
my salutation and say to him: 'Allah abundantly requite thee for
Al-Islam, because thou hast counselled faithfully and hast striven
diligently.'" Thereupon the Angels lifted up their voices in salutation
to him and his bride, saying, "Verily, Almighty Allah appointed her in
marriage to thee two thousand years before the creation of your father
Adam (with whom be peace evermore!)." Then joy and gladness and peace
and happiness came upon the twain; confidence was confirmed and
established was the guidance of the pious pair. So when dawn appeared,
they prayed the accustomed prayer and fared forward. Now it was the
wont of Omar, son of Al-Khattab (Allah accept him!), to rise for
morning-prayer in the darkness before dawn and at times he would stand
in the prayer-niche with two men behind him, and begin reciting the
Chapter entitled "Cattle"[FN#487] or that entitled "Women,"[FN#488]
whereupon the sleeper awoke and he who was making his Wuzu-ablution
accomplished it and he who was afar came to prayer; nor had he made an
end of the first bow, ere the mosque was full of folk; then he would
pray his second bow quickly, repeating a short chapter. But, on that
morning he hurried over both first and second inclinations, repeating
in each a short chapter; then, after the concluding salutation, turning
to his companions, he said to them, "Come, let us fare forth to meet
the bride and bridegroom"; at which they wondered, not understanding
his words. But he went out and they followed him, till they came to the
gate of the city, where they met the young Moslem who, when the day
broke and the standards of Al-Medinah appeared to him, had pushed
forward for the gate closely followed by his bride. There he was met by
Omar who bade make a marriage feast; and the Moslems came and ate. Then
the young Moslem went in unto his bride and Almighty Allah vouchsafed
him children,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Omar (on whom be
peace!) bade make a marriage-feast; and the Moslems came and ate. Then
the young Moslem went in unto his bride and Almighty Allah vouchsafed
him children, who fought in the Lord's way and preserved genealogies,
for they gloried therein. And how excellent is what is said on such
theme,
"I saw thee weep before the gates and 'plain, * Whilst only
curious wight reply would deign:
Hath eye bewitcht thee, or hath evil lot * 'Twixt thee and door
of friend set bar of bane?
Wake up this day, O wretch, persist in prayer, * Repent as wont
repent departed men.
Haply shall wash thy sins Forgiveness-showers; * And on thine
erring head some ruth shall rain:
And prisoner shall escape despite his bonds; * And slave from
thraldom freedom shall attain."
And they ceased not to be in all solace and delight of life, till there
came to them the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies.
And a tale is told by Sνdi Ibrahim bin Al-Khawwαs[FN#489](on whom be
the mercy of Allah!) concerning himself and
THE CHRISTIAN KING'S DAUGHTER AND THE MOSLEM.
"My spirit urged me, once upon a time, to go forth into the country of
the Infidels; and I strove with it and struggled to put away from me
this inclination; but it would not be rejected. So I fared forth and
journeyed about the land of the Unbelievers and traversed it in all its
parts; for divine grace enveloped me and heavenly protection
encompassed me, so that I met not a single Nazarene but he turned away
his eyes and drew off from me, till I came to a certain great city at
whose gate I found a gathering of black slaves, clad in armour and
bearing iron maces in their hands. When they saw me, they rose to their
feet and asked me, 'Art thou a leach?'; and I answered, 'Yes.' Quoth
they, 'Come speak to our King,' and carried me before their ruler, who
was a handsome personage of majestic presence. When I stood before him,
he looked at me and said, 'Art a physician, thou?' 'Yes,' quoth I; and
quoth he to his officers, 'Carry him to her, and acquaint him with the
condition before he enter.' So they took me out and said to me, 'Know
that the King hath a daughter, and she is stricken with a sore disease,
which no doctor hath been able to cure: and no leach goeth in to her
and treateth, without healing her, but the King putteth him to death.
So bethink thee what thou seest fitting to do.' I replied, 'The King
drove me to her; so carry me to her.' Thereupon they brought me to her
door and knocked; and behold, I heard her cry out from within, saying,
'Admit to me the physician, lord of the wondrous secret!' And she began
reciting,
'Open the door! the leach now draweth near; * And in my soul a
wondrous secret speer:
How many of the near far distant are![FN#490] * How many distant
far are nearest near!
I was in strangerhood amidst you all: * But willed the
Truth[FN#491] my solace should appear.
Joined us the potent bonds of Faith and Creed; * We met as
dearest fere greets dearest fere:
He sued for interview whenas pursued * The spy, and blamed us
envy's jibe and jeer:
Then leave your chiding and from blame desist, * For fie upon
you! not a word I'll hear.
I care for naught that disappears and fleets; * My care's for
Things nor fleet nor disappear.'
And lo! a Shaykh, a very old man, opened the door in haste and said to
me, 'Enter.' So I entered and found myself in a chamber strewn with
sweet-scented herbs and with a curtain drawn across one corner, from
behind which came a sound of groaning and grame, weak as from an
emaciated frame. I sat down before the curtain and was about to offer
my salam when I bethought me of his words (whom Allah save and
assain!), 'Accost not a Jew nor a Christian with the salam
salutation;[FN#492] and, when ye meet them in the way, constrain them
to the straitest part thereof.' So I withheld my salutation, but she
cried out from behind the curtain, saying, 'Where is the salutation of
Unity and Indivisibility, O Khawwas?' I was astonished at her speech
and asked, 'How knowest thou me?'; whereto she answered, 'When the
heart and thoughts are whole, the tongue speaketh eloquently from the
secret recesses of the soul. I begged Him yesterday to send me one of
His saints, at whose hands I might have deliverance, and behold, it was
cried to me from the dark places of my house, 'Grieve not; for we soon
will send thee Ibrahim the Basket-maker.' Then I asked her, 'What of
thee?' and she answered, 'It is now four years since there appeared to
me the Manifest Truth, and He is the Relator and the Ally, and the
Uniter and the Sitter-by; whereupon my folk looked askance upon me with
an evil eye and taxed me with insanity and suspected me of depravity,
and there came not in to me doctor but terrified me, nor visitor but
confounded me.' Quoth I, 'And who led thee to the knowledge of what
thou wottest?' Quoth she, 'The manifest signs and visible portents of
Allah; and, when the path is patent to thee, thou espiest with thine
own eyes both proof and prover.' Now whilst we were talking, behold, in
came the old man appointed to guard her and said, 'What doth thy
doctor?'; and she replied, 'He knoweth the hurt and hath hit upon the
healing.'"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "when the Shaykh,
her guardian, went in to her he said, 'What doth thy doctor?'; and she
replied, 'He knoweth the hurt and hath hit upon the healing.' Hereupon
he manifested joy and gladness and accosted me with a cheerful
countenance, then went and told the King, who enjoined to treat me with
all honour and regard. So I visited her daily for seven days, at the
end of which time she said to me, 'O Abu Ishak, when shall be our
flight to the land of Al-Islam?' 'How canst thou go forth,' replied I,
'and who would dare to aid thee?' Rejoined she, 'He who sent thee to
me, driving thee as it were;' and I observed, 'Thou sayest sooth.' So
when the morrow dawned, we fared forth by the city-gate and all eyes
were veiled from us, by commandment of Him who when He desireth aught,
saith to it, 'Be,' and it becometh;[FN#493] so that I journeyed with
her in safety to Meccah, where she made a home hard by the Holy House
of Allah and lived seven years; till the appointed day of her death.
The earth of Meccah was her tomb, and never saw I any more steadfast in
prayer and fasting than she; Allah send down upon her His mercies and
have compassion on him who saith,
'When they to me had brought the leach (and surely showed *
The signs of flowing tears and pining malady),
The face-veil he withdrew from me, and 'neath it naught *
Save breath of one unsouled, unbodied, could he see.
Quoth he, 'This be a sickness Love alone shall cure; *
Love hath a secret from all guess of man wide free.'
Quoth they, 'An folk ignore what here there be with him *
Nature of ill and eke its symptomology,
How then shall medicine work a cure?' At this quoth I *
'Leave me alone; I have no guessing specialty.'"
And they tell a tale of
THE PROPHET AND THE JUSTICE OF PROVIDENCE.
A certain Prophet[FN#494] made his home for worship on a lofty
mountain, at whose foot was a spring of running water, and he was wont
to sit by day on the summit, that no man might see him, calling upon
the name of Allah the Most Highest and watching those who frequented
the spring. One day, as he sat looking upon the fountain, behold, he
espied a horseman who came up and dismounted thereby and taking a bag
from his neck, set it down beside him, after which he drank of the
water and rested awhile, then he rode away, leaving behind him the bag
which contained gold pieces. Presently up came another man to drink of
the spring, who saw the bag and finding it full of money took it up;
then, after satisfying his thirst, he made off with it in safety. A
little after came a woodcutter wight with a heavy load of fuel on his
back, and sat down by the spring to drink, when lo! back came the first
horseman in great trouble and asked him, "Where is the bag which was
here?" and when he answered, "I know nothing of it," the rider drew his
sword and smote him and slew him. Then he searched his clothes, but
found naught; so he left him and wended his ways. Now when the Prophet
saw this, he said, "O Lord, one man hath taken a thousand dinars and
another man hath been slain unjustly." But Allah answered him, saying,
"Busy thyself with thy devotions, for the ordinance of the universe is
none of thine affair. The father of this horseman had violently
despoiled of a thousand dinars the father of the second horseman; so I
gave the son possession of his sire's money. As for the woodcutter, he
had slain the horseman's father, wherefore I enabled the son to obtain
retribution for himself." Then cried the Prophet, "There is none other
god than Thou! Glory be to Thee only! Verily, Thou art the Knower of
Secrets."[FN#495]—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Prophet
was bidden by inspiration of Allah to busy himself with his devotions
and learned the truth of the case, he cried, "There is none other god
but Thou! Glory be to Thee only! Verily, Thou and Thou alone wottest
hidden things." Furthermore, one of the poets hath made these verses on
the matter,
"The Prophet saw whatever eyes could see, * And fain of other
things enquired he;
And, when his eyes saw things misunderstood, * Quoth he, 'O Lord,
this slain from sin was free.
This one hath won him wealth withouten work; * Albe appeared he
garbed in penury.
And that in joy of life was slain, although * O man's Creator
free of sin he be.'
God answered ''Twas his father's good thou saw'st * Him take; by
heirship not by roguery;
Yon woodman too that horseman's sire had slain; * Whose son
avenged him with just victory:
Put off, O slave of Me, this thought for I * In men have set
mysterious secrecy!
Bow to Our Law and humble thee, and learn * For good and evil
issues Our decree.'"[FN#496]
And a certain pious man hath told us the tale of
THE FERRYMAN OF THE NILE AND THE HERMIT.
"I was once a ferryman on the Nile and used to ply between the eastern
and the western banks. Now one day, as I sat in my boat, there came up
to me an old man of a bright and beaming countenance, who saluted me
and I returned his greeting; and he said to me, 'Wilt thou ferry me
over for the love of Allah Almighty?' I answered, 'Yes,' and he
continued, 'Wilt thou moreover give me food for Allah's sake?'; to
which again I answered, 'With all my heart.' So he entered the boat and
I rowed him over to the eastern side, remarking that he was clad in a
patched gown and carried a gourd-bottle and a staff. When he was about
to land, he said to me, 'I desire to lay on thee a heavy trust.' Quoth
I, 'What is it?' Quoth he, 'It hath been revealed to me that my end is
nearhand and that to-morrow about noon thou wilt come and find me dead
under yonder tree. Wash me and wrap me in the shroud thou wilt see
under my head and after thou hast prayed over me, bury me in this sandy
ground and take my gown and gourd and staff, which do thou deliver to
one who shall come and demand them of thee.' I marvelled at his words,
and I slept there. On the morrow I awaited till noon the event he had
announced, and then I forgot what he had said till near the hour of
afternoon-prayer, when I remembered it and hastening to the appointed
place, found him under the tree, dead, with a new shroud under his
head, exhaling a fragrance of musk. So I washed him and shrouded him
and prayed over him, then dug a hole in the sand and buried him, after
I had taken his ragged gown and bottle and staff, with which I crossed
the Nile to the western side and there nighted. As soon as morning
dawned and the city gate opened, I sighted a young man known to me as a
loose fellow, clad in fine clothes and his hands stained with Henna,
who said to me, 'Art thou not such an one?' 'Yes,' answered I; and he
said, 'Give me the trust.' Quoth I, 'What is that?' Quoth he, 'The
gown, the gourd and the staff.' I asked him, 'Who told thee of them?'
and he answered, 'I know nothing save that I spent yesternight at the
wedding of one of my friends singing and carousing till daylight, when
I lay me down to sleep and take my rest; and behold, there stood by me
a personage who said, 'Verily Allah Almighty hath taken such a saint to
Himself and hath appointed thee to fill his place; so go thou to a
certain person (naming the ferryman), and take of him the dead man's
gown and bottle and staff, for he left them with him for thee.' So I
brought them out and gave them to him; whereupon he doffed his clothes
and, donning the gown, went his way and left me.[FN#497] And when the
glooms closed around me, I fell a-weeping; but, that night, while
sleeping I saw the Lord of Holiness (glorified and exalted be He!) in a
dream saying, 'O my servant, is it grievous to thee that I have granted
to one of My servants to return to Me? Indeed, this is of My bounty,
that I vouchsafe to whom I will, for I over all things am Almighty.' So
I repeated these couplets,
'Lover with loved[FN#498] loseth will and aim! * All choice (an
couldst thou know) were sinful shame.
Or grant He favour and with union grace, * Or from thee turn
away, He hath no blame.
An from such turning thou no joy enjoy * Depart! the place for
thee no place became.
Or canst His near discern not from His far? * Then Love's in vain
and thou'rt a-rear and lame.
If pine for Thee afflict my sprite, or men * Hale me to death,
the rein Thy hand shall claim!
So turn Thee to or fro, to me 'tis one; * What Thou ordainest
none shall dare defame:
My love hath naught of aim but Thine approof * And if Thou say we
part I say the same.'"
And of the tales they tell is one concerning
THE ISLAND KING AND THE PIOUS ISRAELITE.
There was once a notable of the Children of Israel, a man of wealth who
had a pious and blessed son. When his last hour drew nigh, his son sat
down at his head and said to him, "O my lord, give me an injunction."
Quoth the father, "O dear son, I charge thee, swear not by Allah or
truly or falsely." Then he died and certain lewd fellows of the
Children of Israel heard of the charge he had laid on his son and began
coming to the latter and saying, "Thy father had such and such monies
of mine, and thou knowest it; so give me what was entrusted to him or
else make oath that there was no trust." The good son would not disobey
his sire's injunction, so gave them all they claimed; and they ceased
not to deal thus with him, till his wealth was spent and he fell into
straitest predicament. Now the young man had a pious and blessed wife,
who had borne him two little sons; so he said to her, "The folk have
multiplied their demands on me and, while I had the wherewithal to free
myself of debt, I rendered it freely; but naught is now left us, and if
others make demands upon me, we shall be in absolute distress, I and
thou; our best way were to save ourselves by fleeing to some place,
where none knoweth us, and earn our bread among the lower of the folk."
Accordingly, he took ship with her and his two children, knowing not
whither he should wend; but, "When Allah judgeth, there is none to
reverse His judgment;"[FN#499] and quoth the tongue of the case,
"O flier from thy home when foes affright! * Whom led to weal and