‘A man said to one of his companions whom he had not seen for some time: “You have made me lonely, as it is long since I last saw you.” “I have not been able to meet you,” replied the man, “because I have been busy with Ibn Shihab. Do you know him?” “Yes,” was the reply. “He has been my neighbour for thirty years, but I have never spoken to him.” “You have forgotten God,” said his companion, “for you have forgotten your neighbour, and if you loved God you would love your neighbour. Do you not know that the right of neighbours is like the right of kinship?” Hudhaifa has said: “I went to Mecca with Ibrahim ibn Adham in a year when Shaqiq al-Balkhi was making the pilgrimage. We met during the circumambulation and Ibrahim asked how things were with him in his country. ‘When we are given food, we eat, and when we are hungry, we endure,’ was the reply. ‘That is what the dogs of Balkh do,’ said Ibrahim. ‘As for us, when food is given us, we distribute it, and when we are hungry, we thank God.’ Shaqiq sat down in front of him and said: ‘You are my master.’ ” Muhammad ibn ‘Imran said: “A man once asked Hatim al-Asamm: ‘What is your position with regard to reliance on God?’ ‘I rely on two things,’ Hatim replied. ‘That no one else will eat what is allotted to me, which gives me peace of mind, and the understanding that I have not been created without God’s knowledge, and so I feel ashamed in front of Him.’ ” ’
The fifth girl then withdrew and the old woman came forward and kissed the ground nine times before your father. ‘O king,’ she said, ‘you have heard what all these girls have said about asceticism and, following on from them, I shall tell you some of the things that I have heard of the great men of old. It is said that the imam al-Shafi‘i used to divide the night into three parts – one for study, one for sleep and one for religious exercises. The imam Abu Hanifa used to spend half the night in worship. Once, as he was walking, a man pointed to him and said to someone else: “This man spends the whole night in worship.” When Abu Hanifa heard this, he said: “I am ashamed before God that I should be described as doing something that I don’t do,” and after that he began to worship throughout the night.
‘According to al-Rabi’a, al-Shafi‘i used to recite in his prayers the whole Quran seventy times during the month of Ramadan. Al-Shafi‘i – may God be pleased with him – once said: “For ten years I did not eat my fill of barley bread, for repletion hardens the heart, destroys intelligence, induces sleep and makes the eater too weak to stand up to pray.” It is reported of ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Sukkari that he said: “I was talking with ‘Umar, who told me that he had never seen a more pious or more eloquent man than Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i. I happened to go out with al-Harith ibn Labib al-Saffar, a pupil of al-Marzani, who had a beautiful voice. He recited the words of Almighty God: ‘This is a day on which they shall not speak and shall not be permitted to excuse themselves.’* I saw al-Shafi‘i change colour. He shuddered and was so violently agitated that he fell down in a faint. When he had recovered, he said: ‘I take refuge with God from the station of the liars and the assemblies of the negligent. Oh my God, before You are humbled the hearts of those who know. Oh my God, of Your bounty grant me forgiveness for my sins; favour me with Your protection and forgive my shortcomings by Your magnanimity.’ Then he got up and went away.”
‘A reliable man once said: “I came to Baghdad when al-Shafi‘i was there. I sat on the river bank to perform the ritual ablution before praying. A man passed me and said: ‘Young man, perform your ablution well and God will be good to you in this world and the next.’ I turned and saw someone being followed by a crowd of people. I hurried through my ablution and started to follow him. He turned to me and asked me if there was anything that I needed. ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘I want you to teach me some of what Almighty God has taught you.’ He said: ‘Know that whoever believes in God will be saved and whoever preserves his religion will escape destruction. Whoever practises abstinence in this world will find happiness in the next. Shall I tell you more?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied. He went on: ‘Be abstinent in worldly things and set your desire on the world to come. Be truthful in all your affairs and you will join the ranks of the saved.’ He then went away, and when I asked about him I was told that he was the imam al-Shafi‘i.” Al-Shafi‘i used to say: “I like to see people profiting from what I know, provided that none of it is attributed to me.” ’
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the eighty-fourth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that THE VIZIER DANDAN TOLD DAU’ AL-MAKAN:
The old woman said to your father: ‘Al-Shafi‘i used to say: “I like to see people profiting from what I know, provided that none of it is attributed to me.” He went on: “I have never disputed with anyone without wishing that Almighty God might aid him to find the truth and help him to reveal it. I have never held a dispute with anyone except for the purpose of revealing the truth and I don’t care whether God reveals it by my tongue or by that of my opponent.” He also said (may God be pleased with him): “If you fear that your knowledge may make you conceited, remember Whose approval you seek, what happiness you covet and what punishment you dread.”
‘Abu Hanifa was told that he had been appointed as a qadi by Abu Ja‘far al-Mansur, with an allowance of ten thousand dirhams. He did not approve of this and on the day when the money was supposed to come to him, he performed the morning prayer and then wrapped himself in his robe and said nothing. The caliph’s messenger arrived with the money, but when he came in and spoke to Abu Hanifa, Abu Hanifa made no reply. “This money is legally yours,” said the messenger. “I know that,” replied Abu Hanifa, “but I do not want love of tyrants to enter my heart.” “Can you not associate with them,” asked the man, “and yet keep yourself from loving them?” “Can I be sure that if I go into the sea my clothes will not get wet?” Abu Hanifa replied.
‘Al-Shafi‘i, may God be pleased with him, wrote these lines:
Soul, will you accept my words,
And prosper in eternal glory?
Abandon what you wish for and desire,
For many a wish has brought death in its wake.
‘When Sufyan al-Thauri was giving counsel to ‘Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Suhami, he said: “Keep to the truth and avoid lies, treachery, hypocrisy and conceit. The presence of any one of these will cause God to frustrate a good action. Do not be indebted to any except the One who is merciful towards His debtors. Take as your companion someone who will help you to abstain from the world. Remember death frequently, and frequently ask for pardon. Pray to God for safety in what remains of your life. Give advice to every believer when he asks you about his religion. Beware of betraying a believer, for whoever does this betrays God and His Apostle. Take care not to indulge in disputes and quarrels. If you abandon what causes you to doubt for what does not, you will be safe. Command what is good and forbid what is evil and you will be dear to God. If you adorn your secret heart, God will do the same to you in your outward show. Accept the excuses of those who excuse themselves to you. Do not hate any Muslim. Attach yourself to those who would break with you. If you forgive those who wrong you, you will be a companion of the prophets. Entrust your affairs to God, both in secret and openly. Fear God with the fear of one who knows that he faces death and resurrection, and that at the Last Judgement he will stand before the mighty God. Remember that you will go either to Paradise on high or to burning fire.” ’
After this, the old woman took her seat beside the girls. When your late father had heard what they had said, he recognized them as being the nonpareils of the age; he saw their beauty and loveliness, and the extent of their learning, and so he was prepared to shelter them. He went up to the old woman and treated her with honour, after which he assigned to her and her girls the palace where Princess Abriza, the daughter of the Byzantine emperor, had lived. All the goods that they needed were brought to them and the girls stayed there for ten days, together with the old woman. Whenever the king went to
visit her, he found her occupied with her prayers, standing to pray by night and fasting by day. Affection for her filled his heart and he said to me: ‘Vizier, this is a virtuous old woman, and in my heart I have a great respect for her.’
On the eleventh day, he met her in order to pay over to her the price of the slave girls. She told him: ‘Your majesty, the price of these girls is too high to be covered by the common currency of mankind. It is not gold, silver or jewels that I want for them, be that little or much.’ The king was astonished to hear this and asked her what then was the price. She said: ‘I shall only sell them to you in return for a whole month of fasting, during which you are to fast by day and stand by night to pray to God. If you do this, then they will become yours, in your palace, to do with as you want.’ The king was amazed at the extent of her virtue, asceticism and piety. He thought so highly of her that he believed that it was God who had sent him this virtuous woman to help him. He then made an agreement with her to fast for a month as she had stipulated. ‘I will help you by praying for you,’ she said, and she then asked for a jug of water to be brought her. When this was fetched, she took it, recited over it and muttered some words. She sat for a time, speaking in an incomprehensible tongue so that we could understand nothing. Then she covered the jug with a piece of cloth, added a seal and gave it to your father, telling him: ‘When you have fasted for the first ten days, on the eleventh night break your fast with what is in this jug. It will remove from your heart love for this world and will fill you with light and faith. Tomorrow, I shall go to my brothers, the invisible men, for whom I have been longing, and then after the ten days have passed, I shall come back to you.’
Your father then took the jug and set it in a place by itself in the palace, putting the key of the room in his pocket. The next day, he fasted and the old woman went on her way.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the eighty-fifth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that THE VIZIER DANDAN TOLD DAU’ AL-MAKAN:
Your father fasted next day and the old woman went off on her way. The king fasted for ten days and on the eleventh he removed the covering from the jug and drank its contents, which he found had a pleasant effect on his heart. During the second period of ten days the old woman returned, bringing sweetmeats wrapped in a green leaf which did not look like the leaf of any known tree. She came to your father and greeted him. When he saw her, he rose to greet and welcome her. She said: ‘O king, the unseen men give you greetings. They are pleased at what they have heard from me about you and they have sent me to bring you these sweetmeats, which are of the next world. Break your fast with them at the end of the day.’ Your father was delighted and praised God for having given him friends from among the invisible men. He thanked the old woman, kissed her hands and showed her the greatest honour, as he also did to the slave girls.
Twenty days passed, during which your father fasted. At the end of the period, the old woman came to him and said: ‘O king, I have told the invisible men of the affection that there is between you and me. I told them that I had left the slave girls with you and they were pleased to hear that they were with a king like you, as whenever they had seen these girls they had been in the habit of offering up fervent prayers for them, prayers which God answers. I want to take them to the invisible men, whose fragrance may spread over them. Perhaps when they return to you they will bring you one of the treasures of the earth, so that when you have completed your fast you can busy yourself with providing robes for them, using the money which they bring you to help you to your end.’ When he heard this, your father thanked her and said: ‘If I did not fear to disobey you, I would not consent to take the treasure or anything else.’ He then asked when she was going to remove the girls, and she told him that she would take them on the twenty-seventh night and bring them back at the end of the month, ‘when you have completed your fast and they are free from menstruation. They will then be yours and under your command, and I swear by God that the value of each of them is many times greater than that of your kingdom.’ ‘I know that, virtuous lady,’ said the king, and the old woman went on: ‘You must send with them from the palace someone dear to you who may enjoy the friendship of the invisible men and seek their blessing.’ ‘I have a Byzantine slave girl, called Sophia,’ the king told her. ‘She bore me two children, a girl and a boy, but they were lost some years ago. Take her with the slave girls so that she can acquire blessing.’
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the eighty-sixth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that THE VIZIER DANDAN TOLD DAU’ AL-MAKAN:
The king told her: ‘I have a Byzantine slave girl, called Sophia. She bore me two children, a girl and a boy, but they were lost some years ago. Take her with the slave girls so that she can acquire blessing. It may be that the invisible men will pray God to restore her children to her so that they can all be reunited.’
The old woman approved of this – and it was, in fact, the main purpose of her mission. Your father then started on the last part of his fast. The old woman told him that she was leaving to meet the unseen men and asked him to produce Sophia, who came as soon as she was summoned. The king handed her over to the old woman, who placed her with the five slave girls. She then entered her room and brought out a glass to which a seal had been added. She gave this to the king and told him: ‘On the thirtieth day of your fast, go to the baths and when you come out, enter a private room in your palace, drink this glass and fall asleep, for you will have obtained what you seek. I now take my leave of you.’ At that, the king was filled with joy and he thanked her and kissed her hands. ‘I commend you to God’s protection,’ she said. He asked when he would see her again, adding that he did not want to be parted from her. She blessed him and set off, taking with her the slave girls and Princess Sophia.
The king waited for three days and then at the start of the new month he got up and went to the baths. When he left them, he entered a private room in the palace and closed the door, giving orders that he was not to be disturbed. Next, he drank the glass and fell asleep. We sat waiting for him till the end of the day, but he did not come out. We thought that he might be tired after bathing and after his sleepless nights and his days of fasting, and so we supposed that he might be asleep. We waited for a second day, but when he had still not come out, we stood at the door of the room and raised our voices to attract his attention and make him ask what was happening. When this failed, we took the door off its hinges and went in. There we were appalled to find him with his flesh torn and shredded and his bones crushed. We took the glass and found in what had covered it a piece of paper on which was written: ‘Evil-doers are not missed when they die. This is the reward of those who scheme against the daughters of kings and rob them of their virtue. Whoever reads this should know that when Sharkan came to our country, he seduced our princess, Abriza. Not content with that, he took her from us and brought her to you and then sent her off with a black slave who killed her. We found her murdered body in the desert, thrown on to the ground. Such is not the action of a king and this is the reward of one who acts like this. Accuse no one else of the king’s death, for no one else killed him but the cunning mistress of mischief, whose name is Dhat al-Dawahi. I have taken the king’s wife, Sophia, and brought her to her father, Afridun, emperor of Constantinople. We shall now attack you, kill you and take your lands. Every last one of you will perish; you will have no lands left and the only inhabitants that remain will be worshippers of the Cross.’
On reading this, we realized that the old woman had deceived us and succeeded in tricking us. We cried out, slapped our faces and wept, but our tears did us no good. The army was divided as to whom they should choose as their new ruler. Some wanted you, and others your brother Sharkan. The dispute went on for a month, after which a number of us joined together with the intention o
f going to your brother, and we continued on our way until we found you. This, then, is how King ‘Umar ibn al-Nu‘man met his death.
When the vizier Dandan had finished, Dau’ al-Makan, together with his sister, Nuzhat al-Zaman, burst into tears, as did the chamberlain. The chamberlain then said to Dau’ al-Makan: ‘Tears will do you no good. The only useful thing is for you to harden your heart, strengthen your resolve and take firm control of your kingdom. For whoever leaves behind a son like you has not died.’ At this, Dau’ al-Makan stopped weeping and gave orders for the throne to be placed outside the pavilion and he ordered the troops to parade before him. The chamberlain stood at his side; behind him were his personal guard; in front of him was the vizier Dandan; and all the emirs and officers of state were in their own places. Dau’ al-Makan then asked Dandan to tell him about the contents of his father’s treasuries. ‘To hear is to obey,’ replied Dandan, and he told him of the stores and jewels in the treasuries, as well as showing him the money in the pay chest. Dau’ al-Makan distributed largesse to the troops, and after giving Dandan a splendid robe of honour, he told him to continue in his post. Dandan kissed the ground before him and prayed for his long life. Dau’ al-Makan then distributed robes of honour to the emirs and he told the chamberlain to show him the Damascus tribute that he had with him. The chamberlain showed him the chests of money, valuables and jewels, which he then took and distributed among the troops…
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the eighty-seventh night, SHE CONTINUED:
The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 1 Page 56