It is said that Al-Maamún[FN#283] came one day upon Zubaydah,
mother of Al-Amín,[FN#284] and saw her moving her lips and
muttering somewhat he understood not; so he said to her, "O
mother mine, art thou cursing me because I slew thy son and
spoiled him of his realm?" Said she, "Not so, by Allah, O
Commander of the Faithful!" and quoth he, "What then was it thou
saidest?" Quoth she, "Let the Prince of True Believers excuse
me." But he was urgent with her, saying, "There is no help but
that thou tell it." And she replied, "I said, Allah confound
importunity!" He asked, "How so?" and she answered, "I played
one day at chess with the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-
Rashid, and he imposed on me the condition of forfeits.[FN#285]
He won and made me doff my dress and walk round about the palace,
stark naked; so I did this, and I felt incensed against him.
Then we fell again to playing and I won; whereat I made him go to the
kitchen and lie with the foulest and fulsomest wench of the
wenches thereof; but I found not a slave-girl fouler and filthier
than thy mother;[FN#286] so I so bade him tumble her. He did my
bidding and she conceived by him of thee, and thus was I the
cause of the slaying of my son and the spoiling of him of his
realm." When Al-Maamún heard this, he turned away, saying,
"Allah curse the importunate!" that is, himself, who had
importuned her till she acquainted him with that affair.
AL-NU'UMAN AND THE ARAB OF THE BANU
TAY[FN#287]
It is said that Al-Nu'umán[FN#288] had two boon-companions, one
of whom was hight Ibn Sa'ad and the other Amrú bin al-Malik, and
he became one night drunken and bade bury them alive; so they
buried him. When he arose on the morrow, he asked for them and
was acquainted with their affair, whereupon he built over them a
building and appointed to himself a day of ill-luck and a day of
good fortune. If any met him on his unlucky day, he slew him and
with his blood he washed that monument, which is a place well
known in Kufah; and if any met him on his day of good fortune he
enriched him. Now there accosted him once, on his day of ill-
omen, an Arab of the Banú Tay[FN#289] and Al-Nu'uman would have
done him dead; but the Arab said, "Allah quicken the king! I have
two little girls and have made none guardian over them;
wherefore, and the king see fit to grant me leave to go to them,
I will give him the covenant of Allah[FN#290] that I will return
to him, as soon as I shall have appointed unto them a guardian."
Al-Nu'uman had ruth on him and said to him, "An a man will be
surety for thee of those who are with us, I will let thee go, and
if thou return not I will slay him." Now there was with Al-
Nu'uman his Wazir Sharik bin Amru: so the Táí[FN#291] looked at
him and said,
"Ho thou, Sharik, O Amru-son is there fro' Death repair? * O
brother to men brotherless, brother of all in care!
O brother of Al-Nu'uman an old man this day spare, * An old man
slain and Allah deign fair meed for thee prepare!"
Quoth Sharik, "On me be his warranty, Allah assain the king!" So
the Táí departed, after a term had been assigned him for his
returning. Now when the appointed day arrived, Al-Nu'uman sent
for Sharik and said to him, "Verily the high noon of this day is
past;" and Sharik answered, "the king hath no procedure against
me till it be eventide." Whenas evened the evening there appeared
one afar off and Al-Nu'uman fell to looking upon him and on
Sharik who said to him, "Thou hast no right over me till yonder
person come, for haply he is my man." As he spake, up came the
Táí in haste and Al-Nu'uman said, "By Allah, never saw I any more
generous than you two! I know not which of you be the nobler,
whether this one who became warrant for thee in death-risk or
thou who returnest to thy slaughter." Then quoth he to Sharik,
"What drave thee to become warrant for him, knowing the while it
was death?" and quoth he, "I did this lest it be said, Generosity
hath departed from Wazirs." Then Al-Nu'uman asked the Táí, "And
thou, what prompted thee to return, knowing that therein was
death and thine one destruction?" and the Arab answered, "I did
this lest it be said, Fidelity hath departed from the folk; for
such thing would be a shame to mine issue and to my tribe." And
Al-Nu'uman cried, "By Allah, I will be the third of you, lest it
be said, Mercy hath departed from the kings." So he pardoned him
and bade abolish the day of ill-luck; whereupon the Arab began to
say,
"A many urged me that I false my faith, * But I refused whatso
the wights could plead;
For I'm a man in whom Faith dwells for aye, * And every true
man's word is pledge of deed."
Quoth Al-Nu'uman, "What prompted thee to keep faith, the case
being as thou sayest?" Quoth he, "O king, it was my religion."
Al-Nu'uman asked, "What is thy religion?" and he answered "The
Nazarene!" The king said, "Expound it to me." So the Táí
expounded it to him and Al-Nu'uman became a Christian.[FN#292]