"There was once a king of the kings, whose name was Bekhtzeman,
and he was a great eater and drinker and carouser. Now enemies of
his made their appearance in certain parts of his realm and
threatened him; and one of his friends said to him, 'O king, the
enemy maketh for thee: be on thy guard against him.' Quoth
Bekhtzeman, 'I reck not of him, for that I have arms and wealth
and men and am not afraid of aught.' Then said his friends to
him, 'Seek aid of God, O king, for He will help thee more than
thy wealth and thine arms and thy men.' But he paid no heed to
the speech of his loyal counsellors, and presently the enemy came
upon him and waged war upon him and got the victory over him and
his trust in other than God the Most High profited him nought. So
he fled from before him and seeking one of the kings, said to
him, 'I come to thee and lay hold upon thy skirts and take refuge
with thee, so thou mayst help me against mine enemy.'
The king gave him money and men and troops galore and Bekhtzeman
said in himself, 'Now am I fortified with this army and needs
must I conquer my enemy therewith and overcome him;' but he said
not, 'With the aid of God the Most High.' So his enemy met him
and overcame him again and he was defeated and put to the rout
and fled at a venture. His troops were dispersed from him and his
money lost and the enemy followed after him. So he sought the sea
and passing over to the other side, saw a great city and therein
a mighty citadel. He asked the name of the city and to whom it
belonged and they said to him, 'It belongeth to Khedidan the
king.' So he fared on till he came to the king's palace aud
concealing his condition, passed himself off for a
horseman[FN#120] and sought service with King Khedidan, who
attached him to his household and entreated him with honour; but
his heart still clave to his country and his home.
Presently, it chanced that an enemy attacked King Khedidan; so he
sent out his troops to him and made Bekhtzeman head of the army.
Then they went forth to the field and Khedidan also came forth
and ranged his troops and took the spear and sallied out in
person and fought a sore battle and overcame his enemy, who fled,
he and his troops, ignominiously. When the king and his army
returned in triumph, Bekhtzeman said to him, 'Harkye, O king!
Meseemeth this is a strange thing of thee that thou art compassed
about with this vast army, yet dost thou apply thyself in person
to battle and adventurest thyself.' Quoth the king, 'Dost thou
call thyself a cavalier and a man of learning and deemest that
victory is in abundance of troops?' 'Ay,' answered Bekhtzeman;
'that is indeed my belief.' And Khedidan said, 'By Allah, then,
thou errest in this thy belief! Woe and again woe to him whose
trust is in other than God! Indeed, this army is appointed only
for adornment and majesty, and victory is from God alone. I too,
O Bekhtzeman, believed aforetime that victory was in the
multitude of men, and an enemy came out against me with eight
hundred men, whilst I had eight hundred thousand. I trusted in
the number of my troops, whilst mine enemy trusted in God; so he
defeated me and routed me and I was put to a shameful flight and
hid myself in one of the mountains, where I met with a recluse,
[who had] withdrawn [himself from the world]. So I joined myself
to him and complained to him of my case and acquainted him with
all that had befallen me. Quoth he, "Knowest thou why this befell
thee and thou wast defeated?" "I know not," answered I, and he
said, "Because thou puttest thy trust in the multitude of thy
troops and reliedst not upon God the Most High. Hadst thou put
thy trust in God and believed in Him that it is He [alone] who
advantageth and endamageth thee, thine enemy had not availed to
cope with thee. Return unto God." So I returned to myself and
repented at the hands of the solitary, who said to me, "Turn back
with what remaineth to thee of troops and confront thine enemies,
for, if their intents be changed from God, thou wilt overcome
them, wert thou alone." When I heard these words, I put my trust
in God the Most High, and gathering together those who remained
with me, fell upon mine enemies at unawares in the night. They
deemed us many and fled on the shamefullest wise, whereupon I
entered my city and repossessed myself of my place by the might
of God the Most High, and now I fight not but [trusting] in His
aid.'
When Bekhtzeman heard this, he awoke from his heedlessness and
said, 'Extolled be the perfection of God the Great! O king, this
is my case and my story, nothing added and nought diminished, for
I am King Bekhtzeman and all this happened to me; wherefore I
will seek the gate of God['s mercy] and repent unto Him.' So he
went forth to one of the mountains and there worshipped God
awhile, till one night, as he slept, one appeared to him in a
dream and said to him, 'O Bekhtzeman, God accepteth thy
repentance and openeth on thee [the gate of succour] and will
further thee against thine enemy.' When he was certified of this
in the dream, he arose and turned back, intending for his own
city; and when he drew near thereunto, he saw a company of the
king's retainers, who said to him, 'Whence art thou? We see that
thou art a stranger and fear for thee from this king, for that
every stranger who enters this city, he destroys him, of his fear
of King Bekhtzeman.' Quoth Bekhtzeman, 'None shall hurt him nor
advantage him save God the Most High.' And they answered, saying,
'Indeed, he hath a vast army and his heart is fortified in the
multitude of his troops.'
When King Bekhtzeman heard this, his heart was comforted and he
said in himself, 'I put my trust in God. If He will, I shall
overcome mine enemy by the might of God the Most High.' So he
said to the folk, ' Know ye not who I am?' and they answered, '
No, by Allah.' Quoth he, 'I am King Bekhtzeman.' When they heard
this and knew that it was indeed he, they dismounted from their
horses and kissed his stirrup, to do him honour, and said to him,
'O king, why hast thou thus adventured thyself?' Quoth he,
'Indeed, my life is a light matter to me and I put my trust in
God the Most High, looking to Him for protection.' And they
answered him, saying, 'May this suffice thee! We will do with
thee that which is in our power and whereof thou art worthy:
comfort thy heart, for we will succour thee with our goods and
our lives, and we are his chief officers and the most in favour
with him of all folk. So we will take thee with us and cause the
folk follow after thee, for that the inclination of the people,
all of them, is to thee.' Quoth he, 'Do that unto which God the
Most High enableth you.'
So they carried him into the city and hid him with them.
Moreover, they agreed with a company of the king's chief
officers, who had aforetime been those of Bekhtzeman, and
acquainted them with this; whereat they rejoiced with an
exceeding joy. Then they assembled together to Bekhtzeman and
made a covenant and handfast [of fealty] with him and fell upon
the enemy at unawares and slew him and seated King Bekhtzeman
again on the throne of his kingship. And his affairs prospered
and God amended his estate and restored His bounty to him, and he
ruled his subjects justly and abode in the obedience of the Most
High. On this wise, O king," continued the young treasurer, "he
with whom God is and whose intent is pure, meeteth nought but
good. As for me, I have no helper other than God, and I am
content to submit myself to His ordinance, for that He knoweth
the purity of my intent."
With this the king's wrath subsided and he said, "Restore him to
the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his affair."
The Seventh Day.