Companions of Paradise
Page 36
H
Hafiz the great poet born in Shiraz in 1326, whoseverses are still quoted throughout the Farsi-speaking world
hafiz, a. someone who has memorized the Holy Qur'an
haji, a. someone who has performed the Muslimpilgrimage to Mecca
haveli, u. a. walled city house with a courtyard
Hazuri Bagh, u. the Lord's Garden, a garden outside the LahoreCitadel
hookah, u. a. water pipe [see chillum, narghile], but with along, flexible pipe that carries the smoke to thesmoker's mouth
Huns warrior tribes from Central Asia who invadedand ravaged Europe beginning in the fourthcentury
huzoor, u. a. Your Lordship
I
Inshallah, a. God willing—is always used when speaking ofthe future
ishq, a. divine love
J
jambiya, a. knife with a long, convex blade, originally of Arab design; often elaborately inlaid; usedfrom Arabia to Indonesia
jan, u. f. soul, beloved
jezail, p. long-barreled musket, often with a carved stock, used by Afghans; jezails are well known fortheir range and accuracy
, p. marksman
K
kabab, a. f. fire-roasted meat
kababchi, u. p. cook who makes kababs
kafila, u. a. f. traveling caravan
kameez, u. a. f. long, loose shirt worn by men and women innorthern India and Afghanistan; worn with ashalwar
katar, u. Indian thrusting knife with a thick, wedge-shaped blade and an iron handle shaped likethe letter H; used since ancient times
khanjar, a. dagger with a curved blade; originated inArabia, but used throughout the East
Khanum, f. p. polite mode of address for a lady
khelat, u. f. robe of honor, elaborate clothing presented asuperior as a mark of favor
Khyber knife long, heavy knife whose pointed blade can beover two feet long; used by Pashtun tribesmen
Kohdaman, f. fertile valley ringed by brown hills north of Kabul; literally: slope or bottom of the hills
kohl, u. a. eyeliner made of soot and clarified butter oralmond oil
kotal, p. mountain pass
kukri knife, u. a heavy knife used by Gurkha tribesmen fromNepal; its blade, which broadens toward thepoint, has a pronounced downward curve
kundan, u. style of jewelry setting common to India
L
La illaha illa Allah, Muhammad the Rasul Allah, a. “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is Prophet of God”—the attestation of faithof all Muslims
Lalaji, u. affectionate, respectful term of address for anelder male; the Waliullah family children usethat term for the Shaikh
lu Punjabi word for the hot, dry summer wind ofthe Punjab
M
maharajah, u. one of many words for an Indian prince or
ruler
Mairmuna, p. polite mode of address for a lady
Malik Sahib, u. polite mode of address for a chief
masnavi, p. rhyming couplets; the title of Rumi'smasterpiece is “Rhyming Couplets of DeepSpiritual Meaning”
matlabi, u. manipulative, interested only in self-gain
maund, u. f. unit of weight used in West Asia from ancienttimes; the Kabuli maund is approximatelyeighty-two pounds
Memsahib, u. respectful term of address used for foreigners, i.e., British women
mohalla, u. f. neighborhood of a city
muezzin, a. man who calls the Muslim faithful to prayer fivetimes a day
Mughal Empire empire founded by Mohammad Babar Shah, thegreat-grandson of Tamerlane, who invadedIndia from Afghanistan in the sixteenth century;the empire he founded was known for its artand architecture—the Taj Mahal was built byBabar's descendant, the emperor Shah Jahan
munshi, u. a. teacher
murid, u. a. spiritual student, the follower of a murshid
murshid, u. a. spiritual teacher
N
nahi, u. no
naiza bazi, p. tent-pegging
nan, u. f. thick, flat oven-baked bread
narghile, f. water pipe [see chillum, hookah]
P
Painda Gul male Afghan name: Everlasting Flower
palanquin, u. long box with sliding side panels used fortraveling; a palanquin accommodates oneadult, who can sit or lie inside; poles projectingfore and aft are hoisted to the shoulders offour bearers who carry the palanquin
panah, p. part of the code of the Pashtuns: anyone, regardless of caste, creed, or relationship, canclaim asylum in the house of a Pashtun
Pashtun, p. group of tribes occupying the northern borderbetween Afghanistan and India (now Pakistan)
Pashtunwali, p. Pashtun code of honor
poshteen a sheepskin cloak with very long sleevescovering the hands and tied on with a sash
pulao, u. f. dish made with rice, meat, or chicken and spices
Pul-e-Khishti, f. p. Bridge of Bricks, the main bridge leading intoKabul from the north
purdah, u. f. the practice of secluding women; literally:curtain
Q
Qamar Haveli Moon House, the Waliullah mansion inLahore's walled city
qaraquli, f. p. fine lambskin, often used to make men's hats
qasid, f. a. Indian courier; relay runners were usedthroughout India to carry urgent messages
quatlame fried dough, given to horses in Turkmenistan;Uzbek word
Qur'an, a. the Muslim Holy Scripture, believed to havebeen dictated to the Prophet Muhammad bythe Archangel Gabriel
R
rezai, u. a cotton-stuffed quilt
rokho, u. stop
S Sadozai tribe of Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Father of Afghanistan; Shah Shuja, the British puppetking, was Ahmad Shah's grandson
Safed Koh, u. f. White Mountains: a group of mountains on theborder of Afghanistan, near Waziristan; thesame mountains are called Spin Gar in Pushto
Sahib, u. a. f. respectful form of address for elders; Britishmen were also addressed as Sahib
sandali, p. square table with a quilt spread over the top towarm the legs of people sitting around it; abrazier of burnt charcoal sits under the table
Sarak-e-Azam, u. Grand Trunk Road built by Sher Sah Suri in thesixteenth century; runs from Peshawar toeastern Bengal, a distance of some twothousand miles
sarod, u. Indian stringed instrument with twenty-fivestrings, somewhat like a lute
Sassanians dynasty of rulers originating in south Persia, who ruled an empire that included Afghanistanfrom the third to the seventh centuries AD
sepoy, u. f. Indian foot soldier
serai, u. f. a. resting place for travelers
shabnama, u. f. p. night letter, used to spread secret news
shalwar, u. f. long, baggy, gathered trousers worn by bothmen and women in northern India andAfghanistan; worn with Kameez
sharab, u. a. wine, forbidden to Muslims
sharif, a. noble, glorious
Sher Darwaza, u. f. Lion's Gate, a mountain southwest of Kabul; the Kabul River flows through the Sher Darwazapass
sirdar, u. f. chief
sura, a. chapter of the Holy Qur'an
Sura Ha Mim, a. Qur'anic chapter whose title is the Arabic lettersH and M
Sura Inshirah, a. Sura Nur, a. Qur'anic chapter entitled “Expansion”
Qur'anic chapter entitled “Light”
T
takht, u. f. padded platform, also used as a throne
tandoori, u. f. a. baked in a brick oven
tashreef, a. to confer honor upon an inferior, usually bygiving him a gift [see khelat]
taweez, u. a. the Merciful Prescriptions: a series of cures andhealings practiced by the Sufis; in this case asilver box containing a Qur'anic verse andworn about the neck
tik hai, u. It is good, it is all right
tujhun, p. white Siberian goshawk, considered the rarestand finest hunting bird in Central Asia
U
uml, u. f. a. Sufi practices that have been described ashalfway between magic and mir
acle
V
vizier, u. f. a. government minister
Y
ya, u. f. a. oh
yabu, u. f. small, hardy pack pony used for mountaintravel
yakhni, u. f. broth made with mutton or chicken
yar, u. a. friend [also Punjabi]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
THALASSA ALI was born in Boston. She married a Pakistani, and lived in Karachi for a number of years. Although she has since returned to the United States, her deep connection to Pakistan remains unbroken.
COMPANIONS OF PARADISE
A Bantam Book / April 2007
Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt on page 3, from An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Excerpt on page 28, fragment of Sa'adi, translated by Samuel Robinson of Wilmslow, 1883
Excerpt on page 43, from An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Excerpt on page 74, fragment of Jalaluddin Rumi, translator unknown
Excerpt on page 78, from The Mystic Persians—Rumi by F. Hadland Davis
Ashraf Publications, Lahore, Pakistan, 1967
Excerpt on page 86, from An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Durood on page 96, translation by Syed Akhlaque Husain Tauhidi
Excerpt on page 100, from a pamphlet by the Afghan Antiquities and Museums Service and Instituto Italiano per il Media ed Estremo Oriente, 1966
Excerpt on page 212, fragment of Jalaluddin Rumi, translator unknown
Excerpt on page 238, fragment of “Hohenlinden” by Robert Campbell
Excerpt on page 245, from An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Second excerpt on page 283, fragment of Sa'adi, translated by Samuel Robinson of Wilmslow, 1883
Excerpt on page 307, from An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Excerpt on page 316, from An English Interpretation of the Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2007 by Thalassa Ali
Title page art from an original photograph by Mira Pavlakovic
Map by Laura Hartman Maestro
Bantam Books and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Ali, Thalassa.
Companions of paradise / Thalassa Ali.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-48316-4
1. British—India—Fiction. 2. Afghanistan—Fiction. 3. Punjab (India)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3601.L39C66 2007
813′.6—dc22
2006048502
www.bantamdell.com
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books By This Author
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Historical Note
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
Glossary
About the Author
Copyright