son:—Be not thou too open-handed with thy troops, or they will be too
rich to need thee; nor be thou niggardly with them, or they will murmur
against thee. Give thy giving deliberately and confer thy favours
advisedly; open thy hand to them in time of success and stint them not
in time of distress. There is a legend that a desert Arab came once to
the Caliph Al-Mansúr[262] and said, Starve thy dog and he shall follow
thee. When the Caliph heard his words, he was enraged with the Arab, but
Abu 'l-Abbás of Tús said to him, I fear that if some other than thou
should show him a scone, the dog would follow him and leave thee alone.
Thereupon the Caliph Al-Mansúr's wrath subsided and he knew that the
wild Arab had intended no offence and ordered him a present. And know, O
King, that Abd al-Malik bin Marwán wrote to his brother Abd al-Aziz,
when he despatched him to Egypt, as follows:—Pay heed to thy Secretaries
and thy Chamberlains, for the Secretaries will acquaint thee with
established matters and the Chamberlains with matters of official
ceremony, whilst thine expenditure will make thy troops known to thee.
Omar bin Al-Khattab[263] (whom Allah accept!) when engaging a servant
was in the habit of conditioning him with four conditions; the first
that he should not ride the baggage-beasts, the second that he should
not wear fine clothes, the third that he should not eat of the spoil and
the fourth that he should not put off praying till after the proper
period. It is said that there is no wealth more profitable than
understanding, and there is no understanding like common sense and
prudence, and there is no prudence like piety; that there is no means of
drawing near to God like good morals, no measure like good breeding, no
traffic like good works and no profit like earning the Divine favour;
that there is no temperance like standing within the limits of the law,
no science like that of meditation, no worship like obeying the Divine
commands, no faith like modesty, no calculation like self-abasement and
no honour like knowledge. So guard the head and what it containeth and
the belly and what it compriseth; and think of death and doom ere it
ariseth. Saith Ali (whose face Allah honour!), Beware of the wickedness
of women and be on thy guard against them: consult them not in
aught;[264] but grudge not complaisance to them, lest they greed for
intrigue. And eke quoth he, whoso leaveth the path of moderation his
wits become perplexed; and there be rules for this which we will
mention, if it be Allah's will. And Omar (whom Allah accept!) saith,
there are three kinds of women, firstly the true-believing,
Heaven-fearing, love-full and fruit-full, who helpeth her mate against
fate, not helping fate against her mate; secondly, she who loveth her
children but no more and, lastly, she who is a shackle Allah setteth on
the neck of whom He will. Men be also three: the wise when he exerciseth
his own judgement; the wiser who, when befalleth somewhat whereof he
knoweth not the issue, seeketh folk of good counsel and acteth by their
advice; and the unwise-irresolute ignoring the right way nor heeding
those who would guide him straight. Justice is indispensable in all
things; even slave-girls have need of justice; and men quote as an
instance highway robbers who live by violenting mankind, for did they
not deal equitably among themselves and observe justice in dividing
their booty, their order would fall to pieces.[265] In short, for the
rest, the Prince of noble qualities is Beneficence-cum-Benevolence; and
how excellent is the saying of the poet:—
By open hand and ruth the youth rose to his tribe's command; ✿ Go
and do likewise for the same were easy task to thee.
And quoth another:—
In ruth and mildness surety lies and mercy wins respect; ✿ And Truth
is best asylum for the man of soothfast soul:
Whoso for wealth of gold would win and wear the world's good word, ✿
On glory's course must ever be the first to gain the goal.
And Nuzhat al-Zaman discoursed upon the policy of Kings till the
bystanders said, "Never have we seen one reason of rule and government
like this damsel! Haply she will let us hear some discourse upon subject
other than this." When she heard their words and understood them she
said, "As for the chapter of good breeding, it is wide of comprehension,
being a compend of things perfect. Now it so happened that one day there
came to the Caliph Mu'áwiyah[266] one of his companions, who mentioned
the people of Irak and the goodness of their wit; and the Caliph's wife
Maysun, mother of Yezid, heard his words. So, when he was gone, she said
to the Caliph:—O Prince of the Faithful, I would thou let some of the
people of Irak come in and talk to thee, that I may hear their
discourse. Therewith Mu'awiyah said to his attendants, See who is at the
door? And they answered, The Banu Tamím. Let them come in, said he. So
they came in and with them Al-Ahnaf son of Kays.[267] Then quoth
Mu'awiyah:—Enter, O Abu Bahr, and drew a curtain between himself and
Maysun, that she might hear what they said without being seen herself;
then he said to Al-Ahnaf:—O Son of the Sea, draw near and tell me what
counsel thou hast for me. Quoth Al-Ahnaf, Part thy hair and trim thy
moustachio and pare thy nails and pluck thine armpits and shave thy
pubes[268] and ever use the toothstick because therein be
two-and-seventy virtues, and make the Ghusl or complete ablution on
Friday, as an expiation for all between the Fridays."——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Sixty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ahnaf bin Kays
replied to Al-Mu'awiyah's[269] question, "And ever use the toothstick,
because therein be two-and-seventy virtues and make the complete Friday
ablution as an expiation for all between the two Fridays." Quoth
Mu'awiyah, "What is thy counsel to thyself?" "To set my feet firmly on
the ground, to move them deliberately and watch over them with mine
eyes!" "How dost thou order thyself when thou goest in to one not of the
nobles of thy tribe?" "I lower mine eyes modestly and I salute first; I
avoid what concerneth me not and I spare my words!" "And how when thou
goest in to thine equals?" "I give ear to them when they speak and I do
not assail them when they err!" "When thou goest in to thy chiefs?" "I
salute without making any sign and await the reply: if they bid me draw
near, I draw near; and if they draw off from me I withdraw!" "How dost
thou with thy wife?" Quoth Ahnaf, "Excuse me from answering this, O
Commander of the Faithful!"; but Mu'awiyah cried, "I conjure thee inform
me." He said, "I entreat her kindly and show her familiarity and am
large in expenditure, for woman was created of a crooked rib."[270] "And
how dost thou when thou hast a mind to lie with her?" "I bid her perfume
herself and kiss her till she is moved to desire; then, should it be as
thou knowest,[271] I throw her on her back. If the seed abide in her
womb I say:—O Allah make it blessed and let it not be a wastrel, but
fashion it into the best of fashions![272] Then I rise from her to
ablution and first I pour water over my hands and then over my body and
lastly, I praise Allah for the joy He hath given me." Said Mu'awiyah,
"Thou hast answered right well and now tell me what be thy
requirements?" Said Ahnaf, "I would have thee rule thy subjects in the
fear of Allah and do even-handed justice between them." Thereupon Ahnaf
rose to his feet and left the Caliph's presence, and when he had gone
Maysun said, "Were there but this man in Irak, he would suffice to it."
Then continued Nuzhat al-Zaman, "And all this is a section of the
chapter of good-breeding, and know O King, that Mu'aykib was intendant
of the public treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin
al-Khattáb,"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
Now when it was the Sixty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman
continued, "Know, O King, that Mu'aykib was intendant of the public
treasury during the Caliphate of Omar bin Al-Khattab; and it so befel
him that he saw Omar's son and gave him a dirham out of the treasury.
Thereupon, quoth Mu'aykib, I returned to my own house, and while I was
sitting there behold, a messenger came to me from Omar and I was afraid
and went to him, and when I came into his presence, in his hand was the
dirham I had given his son. He said to me, Woe to thee, Mu'aykib! I have
found somewhat concerning thy soul. I asked, And what is that?; and he
answered, It is that thou hast shown thyself a foe to the followers of
Mohammed (on whom be peace and salvation!) in the matter of this dirham,
and thou wilt have to account for it on Resurrection Day.[273] And Omar
also wrote a letter to Abú Músá al-Ashári[274] as follows:—When these
presents reach thee, give the people what is theirs and remit to me the
rest. And he did so. Now when Othmán succeeded to the Caliphate, he
wrote a like letter to Abu Musa, who did his bidding and sent him the
tribute accordingly, and with it came Ziyád.[275] And when Ziyad laid
the tribute before Othman, the Caliph's son came in and took a dirham,
whereupon Ziyad shed tears. Othman asked Why weepest thou?; and Ziyad
answered, I once brought Omar bin Al-Khattab the like of this and his
son took a dirham, whereupon Omar bade snatch it from his hand. Now thy
son hath taken of the tribute, yet I have seen none say aught to him or
snatch the money from him. Then Othman[276] cried, And where wilt thou
find the like of Omar? Again Zayd bin Aslam relates of his father that
he said:—I went out one night with Omar till we approached a blazing
fire. Quoth Omar, O Aslam, I think these must be travellers who are
suffering from the cold. Come, let us join them. So we walked on till we
came to them and behold! we found a woman who had lighted a fire under a
cauldron and by her side were two children, both a-wailing. Said Omar,
Peace be with you, O folk of light (for it was repugnant to him to say
'folk of fire'),[277] what aileth you? Said she, The cold and the night
trouble us. He asked, What aileth these little people that they weep?;
and she answered, They are hungry. He enquired, And what is in this
cauldron?; and she replied, It is what I quiet them withal, and Allah
will question Omar bin Al-Khattab of them, on the Day of Doom. He said,
And what should Omar know of their case? Why then, rejoined she, should
he manage people's affairs and yet be unmindful of them? Thereupon Omar
turned to me (continued Aslam) and cried, Come with us! So we set off
running till we reached the pay-department of his treasury, where he
took out a sack containing flour and a pot holding fat and said to me,
Load these on my back! Quoth I, O Commander of the Faithful, I will
carry them for thee. He rejoined, Wilt thou bear my load for me on the
Day of Resurrection? So I put the things on his back, and we set off,
running, till we threw down the sack hard by her. Then he took out some
of the flour and put it in the cauldron; and, saying to the woman, Leave
it to me, he began blowing the fire under the cauldron. Now he was a
long-bearded man[278] and I saw the smoke issuing from between the hairs
of his beard till the flour was cooked, when he took some of the fat and
threw it in and said to the woman, Feed them while I cool it for them.
So they fell to eating till they had eaten their fill, and he left the
rest with her. Then he turned to me and said, O Aslam, I see it was
indeed hunger made them weep; and I am glad I did not go away ere I
found out the cause of the light I saw."——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Sixty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman
continued, "It is related that Omar passed by a flock of sheep, kept by
a Mameluke, and asked him to sell him a sheep. He answered, They are not
mine. Thou art the man I sought, said Omar, and bought him and freed
him; whereupon the slave exclaimed, O Allah, as thou hast bestowed on me
the lesser emancipation; so vouchsafe me the greater![279] It is also
said that Omar bin Al-Khattab was wont to give his servants sweet milk
and himself eat coarse fare, and to clothe them softly and himself wear
rough garments. He rendered unto all men their due, and exceeded in his
giving to them. He once gave a man four thousand dirhams and added
thereto a thousand, wherefore it was said to him, Why dost thou not
increase to thy son as thou increasest to this man? He answered, This
man's father stood firm at the battle-day of Ohod.[280] Al-Hasan relates
that Omar once came back from foray with much money, and that
Hafsah[281] approached him and said, O Commander of the Faithful, the
due of kinship! O Hafsah! replied he, verily Allah hath enjoined us to
satisfy the dues of kinship, but not with the monies of the True
Believers. Indeed, thou pleasest thy family, but thou angerest thy
father. And she went away trailing her skirts.[282] The son of Omar
said, I implored the Lord to show me my father one year after his death,
till at last I saw him wiping the sweat from his brow and asked him, How
is it with thee, O my father? He answered, But for my Lord's mercy thy
father surely had perished." Then said Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Hear, O
auspicious King, the second division of the first chapter of the
instances of the followers of the Apostle and other holy men. Saith
Al-Hasan al-Basrí,[283] Not a soul of the sons of Adam goeth forth of
the world without regretting three things, failure to enjoy what he hath
amassed, failure to compass what he hoped, failure to provide himself
with sufficient viaticum for that whereto he goeth.[284] It was said to
Sufyan,[285] Can a man be a religious and yet possess wealth? He
replied, Yes, so he be patient when grieved and be thankful when he hath
received. Abdullah bin Shaddád, being about to die, sent for his son
Mohammed and admonished him, saying, O my son, I see the Summoner of
Death summoning me, and so I charge thee to fear Allah both in public
and private, to praise Allah and to be soothfast in thy speech, for such
praise bringeth increase of prosperity, and piety in itself is the best
of provision for the next world; even as saith one of the poets:—
I see not happiness lies in gathering gold; ✿ The man most pious is
man happiest:
In truth the fear of God is best of stores, ✿ And God shall make
the pious choicely blest."
Then quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman, "Let the King also give ear to these notes
from the second section of the first chapter." He asked her what be
they?; and she answered, "When Omar bin Abd al-Aziz[286] succeeded to
the Caliphate, he went to his household and laying hands on all that was
in their hold, put it into the public treasury. So the Banu Umayyah flew
for aid to his father's sister, Fátimah, daughter of Marwán, and she
sent to him saying, I must needs speak to thee. So she came to him by
night and, when he had made her alight from her beast and sit down, he
said to her, O aunt, it is for thee to speak first, since thou hast
something to ask: tell me then what thou wouldst with me. Replied she, O
Commander of the Faithful, it is thine to speak first, for thy judgment
perceiveth that which is hidden from the intelligence of others. Then
said Omar, Of a verity Allah Almighty sent Mohammed as a blessing to
some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those with him, and
commissioned him as His Apostle and took him to Himself,"——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Sixty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Nuzhat al-Zaman
continued thus, "Said Omar, Verily Allah commissioned as His Apostle
Mohammed (upon whom be the benediction of Allah and His salvation!), for
a blessing to some and a bane to others; and He elected for him those
with him and took him to Himself, leaving the people a stream whereof
they might drink. After him Abu Bakr[287] the Truth-teller became Caliph
and he left the river as it was, doing what was pleasing to Allah. Then
arose Omar and worked a work and strove in holy war and strife whereof
none might do the like. But when Othman arose to power he diverted a
streamlet from the stream, and Mu'awiyah in his turn diverted from it
several streamlets; and without ceasing in like manner, Yezid and the
Banu Marwán such as Abd al-Malik and Walíd and Sulaymán[288] drew away
water from the stream, and the main course dried up, till rule devolved
upon me, and now I am minded to restore the stream to its normal
condition. When Fatimah heard this, she said, I came wishing only to
speak and confer with thee, but if this be thy word, I have nothing to
say to thee. Then she returned to the Ommiades and said to them, Now
take ye the consequences of your act when ye allied yourselves by
marriage with Omar bin Al-Khattab[289]." And it is also said that when
Omar was about to die, he gathered his children round him, and
Maslamah[290] bin Abd al-Malik said to him, O Prince of the Faithful,
how wilt thou leave thy children paupers and thou their protector? None
can hinder thee in thy lifetime from giving them what will suffice them
out of the treasury; and this indeed were better than leaving the good
work to him who shall rule after thee. Omar looked at him with a look of
wrath and wonder and presently replied, O Maslamah, I have defended them
from this sin all the days of my life, and shall I make them miserable
after my death? Of a truth my sons are like other men, either obedient
to Almighty Allah who will prosper them, or disobedient and I will not
help them in their disobedience. Know, O Maslamah, that I was present,
even as thou, when such an one of the sons of Marwán was buried, and I
fell asleep by him and saw him in a dream given over to one of the
punishments of Allah, to whom belong Honour and Glory! This terrified me
and made me tremble, and I vowed to Allah, that if ever I came to power,
I would not do such deeds as the dead man had done. I have striven to
fulfil this vow all the length of my life and I hope to die in the mercy
of my Lord. Quoth Maslamah:—A certain man died and I was present at his
burial, and when all was over I fell asleep and I saw him as a sleeper
seeth a dream, walking in a garden of flowing waters clad in white
clothes. He came up to me and said: O Maslamah, it is for the like of
this that rulers should rule. Many are the instances of this kind, and
quoth one of the men of authority, I used to milk the ewes in the
Caliphate of Omar bin Abd al-Aziz, and one day I met a shepherd, among
whose sheep I saw a wolf or wolves. I thought them to be dogs, for I had
never before seen wolves; so I asked, What dost thou with these dogs?
They are not dogs, but wolves, answered the shepherd. Quoth I, Can
wolves be with sheep and not hurt them? Quoth he, When the head is
whole, the body is whole.[291] Omar bin Abd al-Aziz once preached from a
pulpit of clay and, after praising and glorifying Allah Almighty, said
three words as follows, O folk, make clean your inmost hearts, that your
outward lives may be clean to your brethren, and abstain ye from the
things of the world. Know that between us and Adam there is no one man
alive among the dead. Dead are Abd al-Malik and those who forewent him,
and Omar also shall die and those who forewent him. Asked Maslamah, O
Commander of the Faithful, an we set a pillow behind thee, wilt thou
lean on it a little while? But Omar answered, I fear lest it be a fault
about my neck on Resurrection Day. Then he gasped with the death rattle
and fell back in a faint; whereupon Fatimah cried out, saying, Ho,
Maryam! Ho, Muzáhim![292] Ho, such an one! Look to this man! And she
began to pour water on him weeping, till he revived from his swoon; and,
seeing her in tears said to her, What causeth thee to weep, O Fatimah?
She replied, O Commander of the Faithful, I saw thee lying prostrate
before us and thought of thy prostration in death before Almighty Allah,
of thy departure from the world and of thy separation from us. This is
what made me weep. Answered he, Enough, O Fatimah, for indeed thou
exceedest. Then he would have risen, but fell down and Fatimah strained
him to her and said, "Thou art to me as my father and my mother, O
Commander of the Faithful! We cannot speak to thee, all of us." Then
quoth Nuzhat al-Zaman to her brother Sharrkan and the four Kazis, "Here
endeth the second section of the first chapter."——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Sixty-sixth Night,