The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights

by vol 02 (tr Malcolm C

  She lifted her eyes to the heavens and said: ‘O my God, if this man is telling the truth, then allow no fire to harm him in this world or the next, for You have power over all things and You are One to answer prayer.’ This was in the cold of winter, and I left her in order to get fire from the oven. At that, a burning coal fell on my body, but thanks to the power of the Almighty I felt no pain and I told myself that her prayer had been answered. Even when I took the coal in my hand it did not burn me, and so I went to her and said: ‘Good news: God has answered your prayer.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and seventy-third night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that THE SMITH WENT ON:

  I went to the girl and said: ‘Good news: God has answered your prayer.’ She threw away the morsel of food that she was holding and said: ‘My God, as You have shown me what I wanted in this man and answered my prayer for him, take my soul, for You have power over all things.’ At that moment God took her soul, may His mercy be on her, and the silent voice recited these lines:

  She prayed and her Master answered her,

  And forgave a sinner who had come to Him.

  He showed her that her request was granted,

  And the fate she wanted came to her.

  She had come to his door in hope of charity,

  Approaching him because distress afflicted her.

  He yielded to temptation, giving way

  To lust, which he hoped he could satisfy.

  He did not know what God intended for him,

  And, in his case, repentance came unsought.

  God in His judgement satisfies men’s needs;

  Where what is destined does not come to man, he comes to it.

  *

  A story is told that among the Israelites there was one of the celebrated ascetics, men preserved from sin and noted for their abstinence, a man whose prayers, requests and wishes were granted by God, who wandered among the mountains and spent his nights in prayer. God had provided him with a cloud that went with him wherever he went, showering rain on him so that he could both perform his ablutions and drink. This continued until he slackened in his devotions and God removed his cloud and ceased to answer his prayers. This caused him great grief and prolonged distress and he continued to look back in longing for the time when he had been granted this miracle, sighing with grief and sadness. Then, as he slept one night, a voice spoke to him in his dream saying: ‘If you want your cloud to be restored to you, go to such-and-such a king in such-and-such a place and ask him for his blessing. God Almighty will then return it to you, thanks to the blessings attendant on the king’s pious prayers.’ The voice then recited the lines:

  In this great need of yours, go to the pious king.

  If he prays to God, the rain cloud for which you ask will come.

  This man is of the highest rank of kings, having no match.

  With him you will discover something foretelling both good news and joy.

  To find him, cross broad deserts and travel day by day.

  The man then travelled to the town that had been named in his dream, where he asked for the king and was told where to find him. He went to the palace and at its gate he found a servant seated on a great chair wearing a dazzling robe. He stopped and exchanged greetings with the servant, who then asked him his business. The Israelite replied: ‘I am a wronged man and I have come to take my case before the king.’ ‘You cannot see him today,’ said the servant, ‘as he has set aside one day in the week’ – and he named the day – ‘for petitioners, so go off, may God guide you, and wait until then.’ The Israelite thought it wrong for the king to refuse to see his people and said: ‘How can this man be one of the saints of the Great and Glorious God when he acts like this?’

  He went to the palace to wait for the appointed day. HE SAID:

  When the day came, I found a crowd of people at the gate waiting for permission to enter. I went there and stood with them until a vizier came out wearing splendid robes and accompanied by eunuchs and slaves. He told the petitioners to go in and I went with them. There the king was seated, with his officials ranged before him according to their rank and importance. The vizier brought the people forward one by one until it came to my turn. When the vizier took me to the king, he looked at me and said: ‘Welcome to the man with the cloud. Sit down until I have time to deal with you.’ This astonished me and I realized that he must be a saintly man, enjoying divine favour.

  When he had finished with the cases brought to him, he got up, as did the vizier and the officials. He took me by the hand and brought me to his palace, at whose gate I found a splendidly dressed black slave, with weapons hanging above him and mail coats and bows to his right and left. This man got up to meet the king and was quick to do everything that was required. He opened the palace door and the king went in, still holding me by the hand, and there in front of him was a small door. The king opened this himself and he then entered, through a hall in a terrible state of dilapidation, a room which contained nothing except for a prayer mat and a bowl for ablutions, as well as some palm leaves. He took off the clothes he was wearing and put on a jubba of coarse white wool, as well as a woollen hood. He then sat down and, after giving me a seat, he called to his wife, and when she answered he said: ‘Do you know who our guest is today?’ ‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘it is the man with the cloud.’ ‘Come out,’ he told her, ‘you need not stay hidden from him.’ When she came, she was like a vision, with a face as radiant as the new moon, and she too was wearing a woollen jubba and a veil.

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and seventy-fourth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that when the king called to his wife she came out with a face as radiant as the new moon, wearing a rough woollen jubba and a veil. ‘My brother,’ said the king, ‘do you want to hear our story, or should we just give you our blessing and let you go?’ ‘No,’ said the Israelite, ‘what I most want is to hear the story.’ So the king said: ‘My ancestors ruled this kingdom, passing on the kingship from father to son, and when the last of them died, the throne came to me, but God led me to dislike this, and I wanted to lead a wandering life, leaving the people to look after their own affairs, but I became afraid that this would lead to civil strife, lawlessness and the fragmentation of religion. So I left things as they were; I assigned to every official an appropriate allowance; I wore the royal robes and I posted slaves at the gates to frighten evil-doers, protect the virtuous and preserve the laws. When my duties are finished, I come back here and change my clothes for those that you see me wearing. This is my cousin, who willingly shares my asceticism and helps me to worship God. By making mats out of these palm leaves by day we earn enough to have a meal at night, and we have been doing this for almost forty years. Stay with us, may God have mercy on you, until we sell our mats and then you can eat with us and spend the night here before going off with what you came for, if God Almighty wills it.’ THE ISRAELITE WENT ON:

  At the end of the day, a little boy came in and took the mats that the royal couple had made. He brought them to the market, where he sold them for a qirat and used this to buy bread and beans, which he brought back. I ate with them and then slept there. Halfway through the night they got up to pray, weeping as they did so, and then at first light the king said: ‘My God, this servant of Yours begs You to send him back his cloud, and You have power over all things. My God, show him that You accept his petition and restore the cloud to him.’ His wife said: ‘Amen,’ and at that the cloud appeared in the sky. ‘Good news,’ said the king to me, and as I took my leave of them and went off, the cloud followed me as before. After that, whatever request I made to God by invoking the sanctity of that pair, it was granted, and I recited these lines:

  My Lord has the choicest of servants,

  Whose hearts move thr
ough the gardens of His wisdom,

  Although their bodies remain motionless,

  Because of the pure secret in their hearts.

  You see them silently humbling themselves before their Lord,

  As though, through the unseen, they see the unseen in its clarity.

  A story is told that the Commander of the Faithful ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab raised a Muslim army to fight the enemy before Damascus, and they laid siege to an enemy fortress, pressing it hard. Among the Muslims were two brothers endowed by God with impetuous daring in the face of the foe. The commander of the fortress said to his leaders and champions: ‘If those two could be taken by stealth or killed, I would deal with the other Muslims for you.’ So they tried to trap the brothers or trick them, setting ambushes and making many sudden attacks until they managed to capture one, while the other died a martyr’s death. The prisoner was taken to the commander of the fortress, who said, when he saw him: ‘To have to kill this man would be a misfortune, but to return him to the Muslims would be a calamity.’

  Nights 475 to 494

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and seventy-fifth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the prisoner was taken to the commander of the fortress, who said, when he saw him: ‘To have to kill this man would be a misfortune, but to return him to the Muslims would be a calamity. I would like to see him converted to Christianity so that he could help us.’ One of his officers then said: ‘I can tempt him to abandon his religion. The Arabs are passionately fond of women and I have a very beautiful daughter. Were he to see her, he would fall under her spell.’ The commander agreed to hand over the prisoner to this man, who took him back to his house. He then dressed his daughter in clothes that ornamented her beauty, and as the prisoner was brought in, a meal was set out for him and she stood before him like an obedient servant ready to obey her master’s orders. When the Muslim saw what was happening, he took refuge with Almighty God, kept his eyes down and busied himself with the worship of God and the recitation of the Quran. He had a beautiful voice and a naturally attractive disposition, as a result of which the Christian girl fell desperately in love with him. Things went on like this for seven days and she started to express the wish that he would agree to her becoming a Muslim. The voice of her conscience recited:

  Do you turn from me while my heart yearns for you?

  My soul is your ransom and my heart your dwelling.

  I am prepared to abandon my associates,

  And leave a religion, watched over by sharp swords.

  I bear witness that there is no lord but God;

  This is established by proof and no doubt remains.

  God may grant me union with one who turns from me,

  And comfort a heart distressed by pangs of love.

  Doors that are shut can once again be opened,

  And wishes granted after many sorrows.

  With her patience exhausted, she threw herself down in front of him in her distress and implored him in the name of his religion to listen to what she had to say. When he asked what this was, she said: ‘Tell me about Islam.’ When he did, she was converted and purified, after which he taught her how to pray. After she had done that, she went on to say: ‘My brother, it was only because I wanted to be near you that I became a Muslim,’ but he told her: ‘Islam only allows marriage in the presence of two competent witnesses and a sponsor, together with the provision of a dowry, and I can find no witnesses, sponsor or dowry. If you could find some way of getting us out of this place, I would hope to return to Islamic territory, and I give you my word that I would marry you and only you, in accordance with the doctrines of Islam.’

  The girl promised to arrange that, and she called her father and mother and told them: ‘The Muslim is weakening and wants to turn to Christianity. I will let him have what he wants from me, but he says that he can’t do it in a place where his brother was killed. If he could go out by way of distraction, he would do what is wanted. There could be no harm in letting me go out with him to another town, and I guarantee that you and the king will get what you want.’ Her father then went to the commander, who was overjoyed when he heard what her father had to say, and the commander ordered the girl to go out with the Muslim to the place that she had mentioned.

  The two of them went to spend the day there, and then in the darkness of night they set off on their journey, as a poet has described:

  They said: ‘It is almost time for us to leave.’

  I said: ‘How many times have I been threatened with your leaving?

  My only concern is to traverse the desert,

  Crossing the country, mile on mile.

  If the beloved travels to some land,

  With her I am again a wanderer.

  My longing is my guide towards her;

  And with no guide the road itself leads me.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and seventy-sixth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the Muslim prisoner and the girl stayed in the village for the rest of the day, and then, when it grew dark, they set off on their journey, travelling all through the night. The Muslim was mounted on a swift horse with the girl on the crupper behind him, and they rode across country all night long, until it was almost morning, when he turned off the track and set her down. They performed the ritual ablution and the morning prayer, but just then they heard the clatter of weapons, the clink of bridles, the voices of men and the sound of horses’ hooves. The Muslim said to the girl: ‘These must be Christians pursuing us who have caught up with us. What can we do? The horse is too tired to take another step.’ ‘Are you afraid?’ she asked, and when he said that he was, she said: ‘Where is the power of your Lord that you were telling me about, and the help that He gives to those who ask for it? Come, let us abase ourselves before Him and call on Him so that He may send us help and overtake us with His grace, Glorious and Almighty as He is.’ ‘Well said,’ answered her companion and, as they abased themselves to God, he recited these lines:

  I would need You every hour,

  Even if I wore a diadem and crown.

  You are my greatest need and, were this mine,

  Then I would have no other needs.

  You hold back nothing that is Yours;

  The torrents of Your grace pour down with bounty.

  Merciful God, my disobedience may hide me away,

  But the radiance of Your pardon shines in its brightness.

  You, Who dispel care, clear away my sorrows;

  For none but You can grant us this relief.

  While he was praying and the girl was saying amen to his prayers, the hoof beats were coming nearer. Suddenly the man heard the voice of his brother, who had died as a martyr, saying: ‘Have no fear and don’t be sad, my brother, for this is a company sent by God, together with angels who have come to witness your marriage. The angels are proud of you, and God has granted the two of you the reward of the blessed martyrs. He has folded up the earth for you so that in the morning you will be in the mountains of Medina. When you meet ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, greet him from me and say: “May God reward you richly on behalf of Islam, for you have given good counsel and exerted yourself.” ’

  The angels raised their voices to call down blessings on the couple, saying to the man: ‘God Almighty decreed your marriage to this woman two thousand years before He created your forefather Adam, on whom be peace.’ Both the humans were overcome by this joyful news, rejoicing in their safety; their faith grew deeper and they were granted the steadfast guidance given to the pious. Dawn then broke and they performed the morning prayer.

  ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, was in the habit of performing this prayer while it was still dark; he would enter the prayer niche, followed by two men, and he would start to recite the suras of Cattle or o
f Women until sleepers had awakened, ablutions had been performed and people coming from a distance had arrived. Before he had completed his first rak‘a the mosque would be full, and as he performed the second, he would quickly recite a short sura. On that particular day he accompanied both the first and second rak‘as with short, quickly recited suras, and when he had finished, he turned to his companions and said: ‘Come out with me to meet the bridal pair.’ They were taken by surprise as they did not understand what he meant, but they followed him as he went on ahead out of the city gate. As it was becoming light, the young Muslim, recognizing the landmarks of Medina, went towards the gate, followed by his bride. ‘Umar and the Muslims met him and greeted him, after which, when they had entered the city, ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, gave orders for a feast. The Muslims came and ate, after which the young man slept with his bride, by whom God granted him children…

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and seventy-seventh night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him, gave orders for a feast. The Muslims came and ate, after which the young man slept with his bride, by whom God granted him children who fought on God’s path and preserved the reputation of their lineage.