by Mir Amman
‘One day we reached a vast open land where there was no trace of habitation. No human being was to be seen. Even at such a desolate place the day was festive and the night full of joy to me because I had the princess with me.
‘We went on and on till we came to a mighty river, the sight of which would sink the firmest heart. As far as we could see there was water and more water. There seemed to be no limit to it. O God, how could we cross it? We just wondered when it occurred to me to leave the princess there and go in search of a boat. The princess could also rest in the meantime. I said to her, “My dear, with your permission I may go and find some way to cross this mighty river.” She said, “I am so tired; hungry and thirsty too. Let me rest while you look for some means to go across.” There was a huge pipal tree nearby whose expansive crown could shelter a thousand riders from the sun and rain. Leaving her there under the tree I set out to look for anyone on land or on the river. Long though I searched, I found no trace of a human being.
‘When I returned I did not find the princess there. How can I describe the state of my mind at that moment! I lost my senses and became almost mad. In that very condition I climbed up the tree and looked for her in the branches and leaves, then fell to the ground and went round and round the tree, weeping and wailing and raising a heartrending cry over my misfortune, then running from east to west and from north to south. I ran all over to find her. In vain I searched for the rare pearl I had lost. In helplessness I wept and threw dust over my head and looked for her everywhere. I thought some jinn had carried her away or else someone from her country had followed her and, finding her alone, persuaded her to return to Damascus. So disturbed was I by these thoughts that I returned to the city, threw my clothes off and like a naked fakir wandered about the streets of Damascus from morn to eve in her search. At night I would lay myself down wherever I could. I wandered about here and there and everywhere but found no trace of my princess. Neither did I hear anything about her anywhere, nor could I discover the cause of her disappearance. So, thinking that my life was useless without her, I climbed up a mountain with the intention of throwing myself over the cliff so that I might end my miserable life. I was just about to throw myself down when someone held me by my arm. I turned around and found a veiled rider in green clothes saying to me, “Why do you wish to end your life? Only infidels despair of the mercy of God. So long as there is life, there is hope. Three dervishes who are distressed and have seen the vicissitudes of life like you have will meet you soon in Turkey. The king of that country is Azad Bakht. He too is distressed. When he meets all four of you, the wishes and desires of each one of you will be fulfilled.” Holding the stirrup and kissing it I said, “O friend of God, your very words have consoled my afflicted heart, but for God’s sake, tell me please, who are you?” He said, “I am Murtaza Ali and to extricate those who are in difficulty is my job.” Saying these words he disappeared from my sight. Thus, after taking comfort from the happy news I received from my master (Ali), the Remover of Difficulties, I made up my mind to leave for Constantinople. To fulfil my wish of meeting the princess I suffered all the misfortunes destined for me. By the grace of God I am here now and it is my good fortune that I have met you. What remains now is that we meet Azad Bakht, the king. Only then will the desires of all five of us be fulfilled. Pray then, and say “Amen!” O God, our Guide! This is what happened to me and I have related it to you. Now let us see when my sorrows and troubles due to the loss of the princess are changed into joy and happiness.”
Azad Bakht, who had hidden himself in a corner, heard with great attention the adventures of the first dervish and now prepared himself to listen to the adventures of the second one.
Adventures of the Second Dervish
Now it was the turn of the second dervish to tell his tale. He made himself comfortable and said:
‘Friends, listen now the story of this faqir;
I relate it from beginning to end.
It’s a pain no physician can cure;
Listen, please!
‘At present we are all clad in worn-out clothes; but I want you to know that this humble being is a prince of Persia where one can find the most learned. That is why Isfahan is called half the world. No kingdom in all the seven climes is equal to it. The sun, which is the greatest of the seven constellations, is the zodiac-sign of that land and rules its destiny. The climate there is delightful and the people intelligent and cultured. I was just a boy when my father, the king, appointed the most accomplished people in every field as tutors to teach me statecraft so that I might be truly educated. By the grace of God I completed my education when I was fourteen. I was well mannered and learnt the art of polite conversation and all that a king should know. I enjoyed being in the company of learned people and listening to stories of adventurous kings and famous men of every land.
‘One day the one who was well-versed in history, said, “Though man cannot count much on this life, yet he may have certain qualities that bring him name and fame to last till the Day of Judgment.” I said to him, “Please tell me about such qualities in detail so that I may try to cultivate them in me.” He, thus, related to me the adventures of Hatim Tai: “There was in the time of Hatim a king in Arabia named Naufil. He grew jealous of Hatim, who had earned a good name for himself. One day, he took his army to fight a battle against Hatim, a pious and God-fearing man. Hatim thought that if he joined the battle, the creatures of God would be killed as there would be much bloodshed and he would be punished by God for it. So he ran away and hid himself in a cave in the mountains. Naufil confiscated all his property and proclaimed publicly that whosoever brought Hatim to him would receive five hundred gold sovereigns as a reward. News of this reward made people greedy and they began to search for him.
‘“One day an old man and his wife with two or three of their children happened to be near the cave where Hatim had hidden himself. While they were collecting wood the old woman said, ‘If we had any luck we would have found Hatim and taken him to Naufil. He would have given us five hundred gold sovereigns and we would have lived in comfort and been rid of this fret and toil.’ The old man said, ‘What are you talking? Perhaps it is so destined that we should pick wood everyday, carry it on our heads and sell it in the market and thus survive, or else a lion will devour us one day. Well now, do your work. Why should Hatim fall into our hands and the king give us so much money?’ The old woman heaved a sigh and kept quiet.
‘“Hatim heard them talk like this. He thought it unmanly and uncharitable on his part that he should hide for his life and not provide that poor family an opportunity to fulfil their desire. A man without mercy is not a true man; and one who has no feelings is like a butcher indeed:
Man was created to show compassion
Otherwise, the angels were not wanting in devotion!
‘“Hatim’s goodness did not let him remain in hiding any more. He came out of his hiding place and said to the old man, ‘My friend, I am Hatim. Take me to Naufil. On seeing me he will give you the money as he has announced.’ The old man said, True, it will be to my advantage to do so but who knows what treatment he will accord you. If he puts you to death, what shall I do? No, this I am not going to do. I shall not take a man like you to your enemy for my own benefit. How many days shall I enjoy the promised wealth? And how long shall I live? At last I have to die one day. How then shall I face God? Hatim implored him much and said, ‘Take me to the king; I say it of my own free will. I have always wished my life and property to be of use to someone.’ But the old man did not agree to take Hatim to the king and claim the reward.
‘“Hatim was disappointed at this and said, ‘If you do not take me to the king as I say, I will go to him myself and tell him that you had hidden me in a cave in the mountains.’ The old man laughed and said, ‘Well, if I get evil in return for my goodness, it is my hard luck’ While they were thus talking to each other, some passers-by gathered round them. When they learnt that it was Hatim, they at once caught him and
carried him off. The old man followed them full of grief. When they took Hatim before Naufil, he asked who had caught and brought him there. A mean-faced, hard-hearted fellow boasted, ‘Who else but I could have done this job? In my name has been written this chivalrous act! I have raised the standard of glory to the heavens!’ Another boaster came forward and blurted out, ‘I searched for him for days and days together. I caught him in the woods and brought him here. Please think of my labour and grant me the promised reward.’ Thus, out of lust for money, everyone claimed that he had done the job. The old man stood alone in a corner, hearing the tall claims of these persons. He wept for Hatim. When all of them had said whatever they had to say of their ‘act of chivalry and enterprise,’ Hatim said to the king, ‘If you ask for the truth, let me tell you. The old man standing there, away from the others, has brought me here. If you are perceptive you will realize this is the truth and reward him for catching me as you have promised. The tongue alone is most valuable in the whole body, and a man must always keep his word; otherwise if God had given tongues to brutes as well, what would have been the difference between a man and an animal?’
‘“Naufil called the old woodcutter to him and said, ‘Tell me the truth. Who has caught Hatim and brought him here?’ The poor man related to him all that had happened and said, ‘Hatim has come here of his own accord for my sake’. Naufil was highly surprised to learn of this noble act of Hatim’s, and said to him, ‘How generous of you! You did not care even for your life for the good of others!’ He ordered that the hands of all those who had made false claims be tied behind their backs and they be given five hundred strokes of a shoe on their heads instead of five hundred gold sovereigns and then be discharged. They received the punishment there and then till they became bald. Truly, it is sinful to tell a lie and no sin is worse than this. May God keep everyone away from this sin. Many people go on telling lies but repent when caught and punished.
‘“After thus punishing them, Naufil thought, ‘It is unmanly to kill or bear enmity towards a man like Hatim. He is entirely devoted to God and does not spare even his life for the sake of the needy and poor. Thousands of people benefit from him.’ With great warmth of feeling and friendship he held Hatim’s hands and said, ‘Of course, why would it not be so! Only a man like you is capable of such nobility.’ With due respect he offered Hatim a seat by him and restored to him his leadership of the tribe of Tai and ordered five hundred gold sovereigns to be given to the old man from the Royal Treasury. The old man invoked blessings of God on the king and took his leave.”
‘When I heard this story, I felt ashamed and said to myself, “Hatim was just a chief of a tribe, and he is still remembered for his generosity; I am the future king of all Persia; it will be a pity if I haven’t the good fortune to earn at least that much fame. As a matter of fact, nothing is better than generosity in this world, for, whatever man gives in this world he gets much more in return in the next. It is like reaping much more than you sow.” With these thoughts I called for the Master of Works and ordered him to build a grand palace with forty high and wide gates to it outside the city as soon as possible. In a short time it was ready and there I distributed coins of gold and silver to the needy and poor every day from dawn to dusk. Whosoever begged for alms, I granted it to his fill. In short, those in need entered the gates and were given whatever they wished for.
‘One day a fakir came in through the front gate and begged for alms. I gave him a gold sovereign. He returned through another gate and begged for two sovereigns. I knew it was the same person but I put up with it and gave him two. In this way he kept on coming through each gate and each time he begged for one sovereign more. I played ignorant and gave him as much as he asked for. At last he came in through the fortieth gate and asked for forty sovereigns which were accordingly paid to him. Even after receiving so much, the fakir came in again through the first gate and again begged for alms. I had had enough and said to him, “Look, you greedy man, what sort of a fakir are you that you don’t even know what the three letters of the word ‘faqr’ (a life of poverty with resignation and content) stand for? A true fakir should observe and live up to them. He said, “Well, you the benevolent one, please explain them to me.” I said, “The letter fe stands for faqah (fasting), the letter qāf for qana’at (contentment), and the letter re for riyazat (devotion). One who doesn’t have these qualities in him is not a faqir. Spend the huge amount given to you, and when it is all spent you may again come to me and take whatever you need. These alms are given to meet your needs and not to hoard. O greedy man, you received one sovereign more every time you returned and you came back forty times. Just add them up and see how many sovereigns you have got; and even after receiving so much, your lust for money has brought you back again through the first gate. What will you do with so much money? A faqir, truly so described, ought to think only of the passing day with the firm belief that God, the Great Giver, is always there to take care of him the following day. You should be ashamed of yourself and be patient and content. What sort of resignation and contentment is this that your master has taught you?”
‘The fakir got annoyed and, throwing all the money before me, said, “Enough sir, do not be too angry; take it back and keep it with yourself. But never again think that you are generous. You cannot afford to be. You are still far from it, and you simply cannot reach it. Know ye, that the word sakhi (generous) too has three letters signifying three things; practise them first and then let yourself be called a generous man.” I felt uneasy and said, “Well, holy man, please explain them to me.” He replied, “The letter sin stands for sama’i (tolerance); the letter khe stands for khauf (fear of God) and the letter ye signifies yad (to remember that one who is born has to die one day). Unless one has these traits in him one should not aspire to be called a generous man. The generous man is held so high in esteem that even if he be an evil-doer he is dear to God. This humble being has travelled through many lands but none except the princess of Basra can be really called generous. To her measure alone God has cut out the robe of generosity. All others wish to be known as generous but they do not live up to it.” Much I beseeched the fakir by all that was sacred to me to kindly forgive me and take whatever he wished but he did not take anything and went away saying, “Now even if you give me all your kingdom I would not even spit on it.”
‘The fakir went away but I lost my peace of mind after hearing so much praise of the princess of Basra and wished to go there and see her.
‘In the meantime the king, my father, passed away. I ascended the throne and the empire passed on to me. But thought of the princess of Basra did not leave me. I consulted the vizier and the nobles who were the pillars of my kingdom and said to them, “I propose to make a journey to Basra. Carry on your duties steadily in my absence. If I remain alive, I will return in a short time.” No one agreed with me on my proposed journey. I was sad and helpless. One day, without consulting anyone, I secretly sent for the resourceful vizier and appointed him my agent to look after the state’s affairs. Putting on a saffron-coloured robe like that of a fakir, I set out all alone and after a few days I reached Basra. Wherever I stayed for the night, the officials readily welcomed me and provided comfortable houses for my stay. They served many varieties of food and remained in my attendance all night. At every stage of my journey I received the same hospitality. In such comfort and ease I travelled for months and finally reached the city of Basra. No sooner had I entered the city than a well-dressed, cultured and handsome young man came to me and said, “I am here only to serve travellers. I take every one of them to my house, be it a fakir or a merchant. Visitors to this city stay with me. Please do me the honour and stay with me.” I asked him his name. He said, “This humble one is known as Bedar Bakht.” Impressed by his excellent manners and politeness I went with him to his house. It was a grand mansion furnished in royal style. He led me to an apartment where he made me sit. He ordered warm water for me and got my hands and feet washed. Then the food-cloth
was spread and the table laid. There was a great variety of food and fruits and sweetmeats and confectionery. *Seeing so many dishes laid before me on the table, I felt I had already had enough. Partaking a little from each dish I was soon full. The young man said, “How little you have taken, sir! The table is as it was, untouched. No formality, please, have some more.” I said, “No question of formality in taking one’s meals! May you prosper ever more! The food is really delicious and I relished it. Now, pray get it set aside.” When the food-cloth was removed, a gold-bordered velvet cloth was spread and an ewer and a basin of gold full of warm water was brought. He got my hands washed with scented gram flour.
‘Betels and betel-nut and cardamoms wrapped in silver and kept in a jewelled box were served. Whenever I asked for water to drink the servant brought it cooled in ice. When the evening set in, camphorated candles were lit in glass shades. The sweet young man was with me throught out to entertain me. When a quarter of the night had passed he pointed towards a richly prepared bed with a canopy and said, “Now, sir, you may kindly take rest.” I said, “But for us poor fakirs a mat or a hide is enough; these luxuries God has ordained for men of the world like you.” He replied, “All these are meant for fakirs and dervishes like you; they are not for me.”
‘He insisted, so I went to the bed and found it softer than rose-petals. Flower vases and lit incense sticks stood on either side. In this euphoric state I fell asleep. In the morning, almonds, pistachio-nuts, grapes, figs and other dried fruits and fruit juice were served at the breakfast table for me.
‘Thus I passed three days and nights there. On the fourth day when I begged leave of him he folded his hands in respect to me and said, “Perhaps I have not served you well. That is why you seem to be so displeased.” A bit surprised, I said, “For God’s sake, what are you talking? The norms of hospitality require one to stay at a place only for three days. So I have stayed here. It won’t be proper if I stay here any longer. Moreover, I am a traveller. It is not right for me to stay long at one place. As such, I beg to leave although one would not like to leave this place after all your kindness and hospitality.” He said, “As you please, but just a minute so that I may go and inform the princess. And now as you propose to leave, I request you to accept all that is here in this guest house. These beddings and gold and silver utensils studded with jewels are your property now. Arrangements will be made so that you may carry them with you.” I said, “Do not talk of it, please; as if I am a beggar and not a fakir! Had I any greed and lust in my heart why should I have become a fakir? I would have remained a man of the world.” The young man said, “When the princess comes to know of your refusal she may discharge me from her service and God knows what other punishment she may give me. If you do not accept them, please lock them up here in a room under your seal and then proceed, as you please.”