continued to bespeak Zau al-Makan on this wise:—And quoth the maiden to
thy father, "Bishr Barefoot's sister once went to Ahmad bin Hanbal and
said to him, O Imam of the Faith, we are a family that spin thread by
night and work for our living by day; and oftentimes the cressets of the
watch of Baghdad pass by and we on the roof spinning by their light. Is
this forbidden to us? Asked Ahmad:—Who art thou? I am the sister of
Bishr Barefoot, answered she. Rejoined the Imam, O household of Bishr, I
shall never cease to drink full draughts of piety from your hearts.
Quoth one of the sages, When Allah willeth well to His servant He
openeth upon him the gate of action. Malik bin Dinár,[355] when he
passed through the bazar and saw aught he desired, was wont to say:—O
soul, take patience, for I will not accord to thee what thou desirest.
He said also (Allah accept him!), The salvation of the soul lies in
resistance to it and its damnation in submission to it. Quoth Mansúr bin
Ammár,[356] I made a pilgrimage and was faring Meccahwards by way of
Cufa, and the night was overcast, when I heard a voice crying out from
the deeps of the darkness saying, O Allah, I swear by Thy Greatness and
Thy Glory, I meant not through my disobedience to transgress against
Thee; for indeed I am not ignorant of Thee; but my fault is one Thou
didst foreordain to me from eternity without beginning;[357] so do Thou
pardon my transgression, for indeed I disobeyed Thee of my ignorance!
When he had made an end of his prayer he recited aloud the verse, O true
believers, save your souls and those of your families from the fire
whose fuel is men and stones.[358] Then I heard a fall, but not knowing
what it was I passed on. When the morning morrowed, as we went our way,
behold, we fell in with a funeral-train, followed by an old woman whose
strength had left her. I asked her of the dead, and she answered:—This
is the funeral of a man who passed by us yesterday whilst my son was
standing at prayer and after his prayers he recited a verse from the
Book of Allah Almighty when the man's gall-bladder burst and he fell
dead." Therewith the fourth damsel retired and the fifth came forward
and said, "I here will also repeat what occurreth to me regarding the
acts of devotees in olden time. Maslamah bin Dinár used to say:—By
making sound the secret thoughts, sins great and small are covered; and,
when the servant of Allah is resolved to leave sinning, victory cometh
to him. Also quoth he, Every worldly good which doth not draw one nearer
to Allah is a calamity, for a little of this world distracteth from a
mickle of the world to come and a mickle of the present maketh thee
forget the whole of the future. It was asked of Abú Házim,[359] Who is
the most prosperous of men?; and he answered, Whoso spendeth his life in
submission to Allah. The other enquired, And who is the most foolish of
mankind? Whoso selleth his future for the worldly goods of others,
replied Abu Házim. It is reported of Moses[360] (on whom be peace!) that
when he came to the waters of Midian he exclaimed:—O Lord, verily I
stand in need of the good which thou shalt send down to me.[361] And he
asked of his Lord and not of his folk. There came two damsels and he
drew water for them both and allowed not the shepherds to draw first.
When the twain returned, they informed their father Shu'ayb (on whom be
peace!) who said, Haply, he is hungry, adding to one of them, Go back to
him and bid him hither. Now when she came to Moses, she veiled her face
and said, My father biddeth thee to him that he may pay thee thy wage
for having drawn water for us. Moses was averse to this and was not
willing to follow her. Now she was a woman large in the back parts, and
the wind blowing upon her garment[362] discovered the hinder cheeks to
Moses; which when Moses saw, he lowered his eyes and said to her, Get
thee behind while I walk in front. So she followed him till he entered
the house of Shu'ayb where supper was ready,"——And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eighty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to Zau al-Makan:—Now, quoth the fifth damsel to thy sire,
"When Moses (on whom be peace!) entered the home of Shu'ayb where supper
was ready, Shu'ayb said to him, O Moses, I desire to pay thee thy wage
for having drawn water for these two. But Moses answered, I am of a
household which selleth nothing of the fashion of the next world[363]
for what is on earth of gold and silver." Then quoth Shu'ayb, O youth!
nevertheless thou art my guest, and it is my wont and that of my
forbears to honour the guest by setting food before him. So Moses sat
down and ate. Then Shu'ayb hired Moses for eight pilgrimages, that is to
say, eight years, and made his wage marriage with one of his two
daughters, and Moses' service to him was to stand for her dowry. As
saith the Holy Writ of him:—Verily I will give thee one of these my two
daughters in marriage, on condition that thou serve me for hire eight
pilgrimages: and if thou fulfil ten years, it is in thine own breast;
for I seek not to impose a hardship on thee.[364] A certain man once
said to one of his friends whom he had not met for many days:—Thou hast
made me desolate, for that I have not seen thee this long while. Quoth
the other, I have been distracted from thee by Ibn Shiháb: dost thou
know him? Quoth his friend, Yes, he hath been my neighbour these thirty
years, but I have never spoken to him. He replied, Verily thou
forgettest Allah in forgetting thy neighbour! If thou lovedst Allah thou
wouldst love thy neighbour. Knowest thou not that a neighbour hath a
claim upon his neighbour,[365] even as the right of kith and kin? Said
Huzayfah, "We entered Meccah with Ibráhím bin Adham, and Shakik
al-Balkhí was also making a pilgrimage that year. Now we met whilst
circumambulating the Ka'abah and Ibrahim said to Shakik, What is your
fashion in your country? Replied Shakik, When we are blest with our
daily bread we eat, and when we hunger we take patience. This wise, said
Ibrahim, do the dogs of Balkh; but we, when blest with plenty, do honour
to Allah and when an-hungered we thank Him. And Shakik seated himself
before Ibrahim and said to him, Thou art my master. Also said Mohammed
bin Imrán, A man once asked of Hátim the Deaf[366] What maketh thee to
trust in Allah? Two things, answered he, I know that none save myself
shall eat my daily bread, so my heart is at rest as to that; and I know
that I was not created without the knowledge of Allah, and am abashed
before Him." Then the fifth damsel retired and the ancient dame came
forward and, kissing the ground before thy father nine times, said,
"Thou hast heard, O King, what these all have spoken on the subject of
piety; and I will follow their example in relating what hath reached me
of the famous men of past times. It is said that the Imam al-Sháfi'í
departed the night into three portions, the first for study, the second
for sleep and the third for prayer. The Imam Abú Hanífah[367] was wont
also to pass half the night in prayer. One day a man pointed him out to
another, as he walked by and remarked, Yonder man watcheth the whole
night. When he heard this Abu Hanifah said, I was abashed before Allah
to hear myself praised for what was not in me; so after this he used to
watch the whole night. And one of the Sages hath said:—
Who seeketh for pearl in the Deep dives deep; ✿ Who on high would
hie robs his night of sleep.
Al-Rabí a relates that Al-Shafi'i used to recite the whole Koran seventy
times during the month of Ramazán, and that in his daily prayers. Quoth
Al-Shafi'i (Allah accept him!), During ten years I never ate my fill of
barley-bread, for fullness hardeneth the heart and deadeneth the wit and
induceth sleep and enfeebleth one from standing up to pray.[368] It is
reported of Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Sakrá that he said, I was once
talking with Omar and he observed to me, Never saw I a more God-fearing
or eloquent man than Mohammed bin Idris al-Sháfi'í. It so happened I
went out one day with Al-Háris bin Labíb al-Saffár, who was a disciple
of Al-Muzani[369] and had a fine voice and he read the saying of the
Almighty:—This shall be a day whereon they shall not speak to any
purpose, nor shall they be permitted to excuse themselves.[370] I saw
Al-Shafi'i's colour change; his skin shuddered with horripilation, he
was violently moved and he fell down in a fainting fit. When he revived
he said, I take refuge with Allah from the stead of the liars and the
lot of the negligent! O Allah, before whom the hearts of the wise abase
themselves, O Allah, of Thy beneficence accord to me the remission of my
sins, adorn me with the curtain of Thy protection and pardon me my
shortcomings, by the magnanimity of Thy Being! Then I rose and went
away. Quoth one of the pious, When I entered Baghdad, Al-Shafi'i was
there. So I sat down on the river-bank to make the ablution before
prayer; and behold, there passed me one who said, O youth, make thy
Wuzu-ablution well and Allah will make it well for thee in this world
and in the next. I turned and lo! there was a man behind whom came a
company of people. So I hastened to finish my ablution and followed him.
Presently, he turned and asked me, Say, dost thou want aught? Yes,
answered I; I desire that thou teach me somewhat of that which Allah
Almighty hath taught thee. He said, Know then that whoso believeth in
Allah shall be saved, and whoso jealously loveth his faith shall be
delivered from destruction, and whoso practiseth abstinence in this
world, his eyes shall be solaced on the morrow of death. Shall I tell
thee any more? I replied, Assuredly; and he continued, Be thou of the
world that is, heedless; and of the world to come, greediest. Be
truthful in all thy dealings, and thou shalt be saved with the
Salvationists. Then he went on and I asked about him and was told that
he was the Imam Al-Shafi'i. Al-Shafi'i was wont to remark, I love to see
folk profit by this learning of mine, on condition that nothing of it be
attributed to me."——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eighty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to Zau al-Makan:—The old woman bespake thy sire, saying, "The
Imam Al-Shafi'i was wont to remark, I love to see folk profit by this
learning of mine on condition that nothing of it be attributed to me. He
also said:—I never disputed with any one, but I would that Almighty
Allah should give him the knowledge of the Truth and aid him to dispread
it: nor did I ever dispute with anyone at all but for the showing forth
of the Truth, and I reck not whether Allah manifest it by my tongue or
by His. He said also (whom Allah accept!), if thou fear to grow
conceited of thy lore, then bethink thee Whose grace thou seekest and
for what good thou yearnest and what punishment thou dreadest. It was
told to Abu Hanífah that the Commander of the Faithful, Abú Ja'afar
al-Mansúr, had appointed him Kazi and ordered him a salary of ten
thousand dirhams; but he would not accept of this; and, when the day
came on which the money was to be paid him, he prayed the dawn-prayer,
then covered his head with his robe and spoke not. When the Caliph's
messenger came with the money, he went in to the Imam and accosted him,
but he would not speak to him. So the messenger said, Verily this money
is lawfully thine. I know that it is lawfully mine, replied he: but I
abhor that the love of tyrants get a hold upon my heart.[371] Asked the
other, If thou go in to them canst thou not guard thyself from loving
them. Answered Abu Hanifah, Can I look to enter the sea without my
clothes being wet? Another of Al-Shafi'i's sayings (Allah accept him!)
is:—
Oh soul of me, an thou accept my rede, ✿ Thou shalt be wealthy and
of grace entire:
Cast off ambitious hopes and vain desires; ✿ How many a death was
done by vain desire!"
Among the sayings of Sufyán al-Thaurí, with which he admonished Ali bin
al-Hasan al-Salamí was, Be thou a man of truth and 'ware lies and
treachery and hypocrisy and pride. Be not indebted save to Him who is
merciful to His debtors; and let thine associate be one who shall
dissociate thee from the world. Be ever mindful of death and be constant
in craving pardon of Allah and in beseeching of Allah peace for what
remaineth of thy life. Counsel every True Believer, when he asketh thee
concerning the things of his faith; and beware of betraying a Believer,
for whoso betrayeth a Believer, betrayeth Allah and His Apostle. Avoid
dissensions and litigation; and leave that which causeth doubt in thee
for things which breed no doubt:[372] so shalt thou be at peace. Enjoin
beneficence and forbid malevolence: so shalt thou be loved of Allah.
Adorn thine inner man and Allah shall adorn thine outer man. Accept the
excuse of him who excuseth self to thee and hate not any one of the
Moslems. Draw near unto those who withdraw from thee and excuse those
that misuse thee: so shalt thou be the friend of the Prophets. Let thine
affairs, both public and private, be in Allah's charge, and fear Him
with the fear of one who knoweth he is dead and who fareth towards
Resurrection and Judgement-stead between the hands of the Lord of Dread;
and remember that to one of two houses thou art sped, either for Heavens
eterne or to the Hell fires that burn." Thereupon the old woman sat down
beside the damsels. Now when thy father, who hath found mercy, heard
their discourse, he knew that they were the most accomplished of the
people of their time; and, seeing their beauty and loveliness and the
extent of their wisdom and lore, he showed them all favour. Moreover, he
turned to the ancient dame and treated her with honour, and set apart
for her and her damsels the palace which had lodged Princess Abrizah,
daughter of the King of Greece, to which he bade carry all the luxuries
they needed. They abode with him ten days and the old woman abode with
them; and, whenever the King visited them, he found her absorbed in
prayer, watching by night and fasting by day; whereby love of her took
hold upon his heart and he said to me, "O Wazir, verily this old woman
is of the pious, and awe of her is strong in my heart." Now on the
eleventh day, the King visited her, that he might pay her the price of
the damsels; but she said to him, "O King, know that the price of these
maidens surpasseth the competence of men; indeed I seek not for them
either gold or silver or jewels, be it little or much." Now when thy
father heard these words he wondered and asked her, "O my lady and what
is their price?"; whereto she answered, "I will not sell them to thee
save on condition that thou fast, watching by night a whole month, and
abstaining by day, all for the love of Allah Almighty; and, if thou do
this, they are thy property to use in thy palace as thou please. So the
King wondered at the perfection of her rectitude and piety and
abnegation; she was magnified in his eyes and he said, "Allah make this
pious woman to profit us!" Then he agreed with her to fast for a month
as she had stipulated, and she said to him, "I will help thee with the
prayers I pray for thee and now bring me a gugglet of water." They
brought one and she took it and recited over it and muttered spells, and
sat for an hour speaking in speech no one understood or knew aught
thereof. Lastly she covered it with a cloth and, sealing it with her
signet-ring, gave it to thy sire, saying, "When thou hast fasted the
first ten days, break thy fast on the eleventh night with what is in
this gugglet, for it will root out the love of the world from thy heart
and fill it with light and faith. As for me to-morrow I will go forth to
my brethren, the Invisible[373] Controuls, for I yearn after them, and I
will return to thee when the first ten days are past." Thy father took
the gugglet and arose and set it apart in a closet of his palace, then
locked the door and put the key in his pocket. Next day the King fasted
and the old woman went her ways. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eighty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
thus continued to Zau al-Makan:—Now when came the day for the Sultan's
fast, the old woman went her ways. And after he had accomplished the ten
days thereof, on the eleventh he opened the gugglet and drank what was
therein and found it cordial to his stomach. Within the second ten days
of the month the old woman returned, bringing sweetmeats wrapped in a
green leaf, like no leaf of known tree. She went in to thy sire and
saluted him; and, when he saw her, he rose to her saying, "Welcome, O
pious lady!" "O King," quoth she, "the Invisible Controuls salute thee,
for I told them of thee, and they rejoiced in thee and have sent thee
their Halwá,[374] which is of the sweetmeats of the other world. Do thou
break thy fast on it at the end of the day." The King rejoiced at this
with great joy, and exclaimed, "Praised be Allah, who hath given me
brethren of the Invisible World!" Thereupon he thanked the ancient dame
and kissed her hands; and he honoured her and the damsels with exceeding
honour. She went forth for the twenty days of thy father's fast, at the
end of which time she came to him and said, "Know, O King, that I told
the Invisible Controuls of the love which is between me and thee, and
informed them how I had left the maidens with thee, and they were glad
that the damsels should belong to a King like thee; for they were wont,
when they saw them, to be strenuous in offering on their behalf prayers
and petitions ever granted. So I would fain carry them to the Invisible
Controuls that they may benefit by the breath of their favour, and
peradventure, they shall not return to thee without some treasure of the
treasures of the earth, that thou, after completing thy fast, mayst
occupy thyself with their raiment and help thyself by the money they
shall bring thee, to the extent of thy desires." When thy sire heard her
words, he thanked her for them and said, "Except that I fear to cross
thee, I would not accept the treasure or aught else; but when wilt thou
set out with them?" Replied she, "On the seven-and-twentieth night; and
I will bring them back to thee at the head of the month, by which time
thou wilt have accomplished thy fast and they will have had their
courses and be free from impurity; and they shall become thine and be at
thy disposal. By Allah, each damsel of them is worth many times thy
kingdom!" He said, "I know it, O pious lady!" Then quoth the old woman,
"There is no help but that thou send with them someone in thy palace who
is dear to thee, that she may find solace and seek a blessing of the
Invisible Controuls." Quoth he, "I have a Greek slave called Sophia, by
whom I have been blessed with two children, a girl and a boy; but they
were lost years ago. Take her with thee that she may get the
blessing."——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eighty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to Zau al-Makan:—Quoth thy sire to the ancient woman when she
demanded the handmaids of him, "I have a Greek slave called Sophia, by
whom I have been blest with two children, a girl and a boy, but they
were lost years ago; so take her with thee, haply she may get the
benediction and, belike, the Invisible Controuls will sue Allah for her
that her two children may be restored to her." "Thou hast said well,"
replied she; "for that indeed was her grievousest want." Thy sire gave
not over finishing his fast till the old woman said to him, "O my son, I
am going to the Invisible Controuls; so bring me Sophia." Accordingly,
he summoned her and she came forthright, and he delivered her to the old
woman who mixed her up with the other damsels. Then she went in to her
chamber and bringing out a sealed cup, presented it to the Sultan
saying, "On the thirtieth day, do thou repair to the Hammam and when
thou comest out, enter one of the closets in thy palace and drink what
is in this cup. Then sleep, and thou shalt attain what thou seekest, and
peace be with thee!" Thereat the King was glad and thanked her and
kissed her hands. Quoth she, "I commend thee to Allah's care;" whereat
quoth he, "And when shall I see thee again, O pious lady? In very sooth
I love not to part with thee." Then she called down blessings on him and
departed with the five damsels and the Queen; whilst the King fasted
after her departure other three days, till the month ended, when he
arose and went to the Hammam and coming out, shut himself up in a closet
of his palace, commanding that none should go in to him. There, after
making fast the door, he drank what was in the cup and lay down to
sleep; and we sat awaiting him till the end of the day, but he did not
come out and we said, "Perchance he is tired with the bath and with
watching by night and fasting by day; wherefore he sleepeth." So we
waited till next day; but still he did not come forth. Then we stood at
the closet-door and cried aloud so haply he might awake and ask what was
the matter. But nothing came of that; so at last we lifted up the
door;[375] and, going in, found him dead, with his flesh torn into
strips and bits and his bones broken.[376] When we saw him in this
condition it was grievous to us, and we took up the cup and found within
its cover a piece of paper whereon was inscribed, "Whoso doeth evil
leaveth no regrets, and this be the reward of him who playeth traitor
with the daughters of Kings and who debaucheth them; and we make known
to all who fall upon this scroll that Sharrkan, when he came to our
country, seduced our Queen Abrizah; nor did that suffice him but he must
needs take her from us and bring her to you. Then he[377] sent her away
in company of a black slave who slew her, and we found her lying dead on
the desert sward and thrown out to wild beasts. This be no kingly deed,
and he who did this is requited with naught but what he merited. So do
ye suspect none of having killed him, for no one slew him but the
cunning witch, whose name is Zat al-Dawahi. And behold, I have taken the
King's wife, Sophia, and have carried her to her father, Afridun King of
Constantinople. Moreover, there is no help for it but that we wage war
upon you and kill you and take your country from you, and ye shall be
cut off even to the last man, nor shall a living soul be spared by Death
nor one who bloweth fire with his breath, save he who Cross and
Belt[378] worshippeth." When we read this paper, we knew that the
ancient woman had beguiled us and carried out her plot against us:
whereupon we cried aloud and buffeted our faces and wept sore when
weeping availed us naught. And the troops fell out as to whom they
should make Sultan; some would have thee, and others would have thy
brother Sharrkan; and we ceased not to dispute about this for the space
of a month, at the end of which certain of us drew together and agreed
to repair to thy brother Sharrkan: so we set out and journeyed on till
we fell in with thee. And such is the manner of the death of Sultan Omar
bin al-Nu'uman! Now when the Wazir Dandan had made an end of his story,
Zau al-Makan and his sister, Nuzhat al-Zaman, wept; and the Chamberlain,
who wept also, said to Zau al-Makan, "O King, weeping will avail thee
naught; nor shall aught profit thee but that thou harden thy heart and
strengthen thy stress and stablish thy sovranty; for verily whoso
leaveth the like of thee is not dead." Thereupon Zau al-Makan gave over
his weeping and caused his throne to be set up without the pavilion, and
then commanded the army to pass in review-order before him. And the
Chamberlain sat by his side and all the armour-bearers[379] behind him,
whilst the Wazir Dandan and the rest of the Emirs and Grandees stood
each in his dividual stead. Then quoth King Zau al-Makan to the Minister
Dandan, "Inform me concerning my sire's treasures;" and he replied, "I
hear and I obey;" and gave him to know of the late King's hoards and
monies, and what was in the treasury of amassed wealth and jewels, and
acquainted him with other precious things. So Zau al-Makan opened his
hand to the army, and gave a sumptuous robe of honour to the Wazir
Dandan, saying, "Thou continuest in office." Whereupon Dandan kissed the
ground before him and wished him long life. Then he bestowed dresses on
the Emirs, after which he said to the Chamberlain, "Bring out before me
the tribute of Damascus that is with thee." So he was shown the chests
of money and rarities and jewels, when he took them and parted them all
amongst the troops,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
[Illustration]
Now when it was the Eighty-seventh Night,