by Raḍwá ʻĀshūr
"Come here, Hasan. I want you to sit next to me." Then, raising his voice, he addressed the crowd:
"May I have your attention for just one moment? I'd like to present this gift to my daughter's husband."
The men grew silent and looked over toward Abu Ibrahim who had absolutely nothing in his hands. They wondered what the present could be. Abu Ibrahim flashed a broad smile. "Before we begin," he shouted, "let's pray to the memory of the Prophet." A deafening silence fell over the courtyard as the men craned their necks to get a good look at this most unusual and unexpected offering of a gift. He raised his voice and began to chant:
How gallant a band of men riding their noble camels to the
presence of the Merciful Lord,
They passed their time remembering the traces of the beloved
and came to the realization of the mysteries of the Quran.
They inherited the Hashemite Prophet, chosen as the most
honorable of the Adnani Arabs,
they mounted the Buraq of Love in the sanctuary of Hope,
and traveled by night
to the Jerusalem of Light and Proof.
Their bodies were a sky at whose door they rang, and its doors
were opened,
and two eyes appeared to them,
one eye whose port smiled when it saw its sons in Paradise,
to its left another eye whose tears trickled down when it saw
them
in the blaze of fire.
The guests were startled and confused, like plowmen stunned by a sudden torrent of rain after long years of drought. They wondered what brought on the uncontrollable shivers running through their bodies and the sudden pallor of their faces. Abu Ibrahim went on with his litany to the Benevolent Prophet, the "light of our eyes," "God's chosen one," the "exalted one,""the most noble and honorable of Arabs." The wedding guests sat dumbstruck, not knowing whether they had fallen into the snare of nostalgia or if a demon from amongst the supporters of the Castilians had descended upon them disguised as an angel of heaven. But how could this be in the house of Abu Jaafar?
Abu Ibrahim then chanted the story of King Muhalhal Ibn El-Fayyad with Khalid Ibn El-Waleed. He sang about the Prophet and how one day he was praying with the people when he began to cry as he told them that an enemy was coming to wage battle against them, a massive army of a hundred thousand horsemen, fifty thousand foot soldiers, and forty thousand slave mercenaries.
"What do you say? Muhammad asked them."
Abu Ibrahim said, "The Companions answered:
"'O, Muhammad! We are your sharp sword, your far-reaching spear, your crushing rock, your wounding arrow, your racing war horse. We will stand by your side until death.'
"Then the Prophet of God, peace be upon him, sent for Khalid.
"'O, Khalid, what keeps you from us? My brother, did you not hear Bilal's call to prayer from the Grand Mosque? May God show you mercy!
"Khalid began to cry, and this moved the Prophet deeply. Then Khalid spoke:
"'O, Messenger of God, for three days now afire has not kindled in my house, I must play with my three sons and three daughters until they go to sleep to distract them from the hunger that threatens to consume them."'
The women who stuck their heads out timidly from the doors were oblivious to their feet rustling them off, one step, two, three at a time, before holding ground. They stopped at the lattice-wood arcade that surrounded the courtyard. The trunks of the trees were strong and sturdy, and the branches swayed back and forth creating stretches of shade under which the men sat cross-legged.
"Among all his disciples the Prophet chose Khalid Ibn El-Waleed to carry his message to Muhalhal. 'My brother, Khalid, if you climb a mountain, mention God's name. If you forge a stream, say God is great! And if darkness casts its shadow over your heart, then recite from the Quran, since it is the cure for the grief-stricken heart. If you reach these people, do not be alarmed and fear them not!'
"When Khalid departed from the gates of the city, he sped away and never stopped for one moment, night or day, until he reached deserted, hostile terrain. The one who enters it is lost, and the one who leaves is reborn. It was a land devoid of water and cultivation. His horse fell from severe hunger and thirst. Khalid cried out to his stallion:
"'O, my companion, are you going to abandon me and leave this world?) stallion looked at him with sad eyes and Khalid patted him on the head and belly. He took his clothes and put them in his pouch and lifted his saddle over his shoulders. He bid the stallion farewell and went off. He walked for two miles, but feeling sorry for his horse, he returned. He found his horse with eyes closed and in the throes of death. Once again, he cried out: 'O, Angel of Death, don't you know that I'm carrying a message from the prophet of God? Leave my horse be and depart! Stand up, my beloved horse!' No sooner had these words reached his lips than the angel of death disappeared and the horse stood up on all fours, tapped the ground with its hooves, and started to move. Khalid walked behind as they continued their way until they came to a steep mountain. They ascended slowly and cautiously until they reached the top. They looked down and saw a big valley with many trees and rivers flowing through it. Then they made their way down, again, ever so slowly. When they reached the bottom, Khalid said, 'O, my horse, eat,for this is sustenance from God.'After the horse ate and drank, it regained its strength and neighed a powerful neigh.
"'Watch over me, my companion, for I must rest awhile.' He removed his coat of mail and placed his sword close to his chest. In a swoon of fatigue, he fell asleep. But when he felt the vibrations of the horse's tapping on the ground, Khalid awoke. Alarmed, he put his feet into the stirrups, mounted his horse, and balanced himself securely onto the saddle . . . He saw a thousand horsemen advancing toward him . . . giving their horses free rein as they brandished their swords in the air."
Abu Ibrahim sang on about the encounter between the knight and the horsemen, how the sharp swords glistened and the colors of their clothing turned a dark, crimson red as the horses neighed in the tumultuous confusion of battle.
"But they surrounded Khalid and captured him and tied him in ropes. The king said, 'Take his horse, slaughter and skin it. Then put him into the skin and tie him to a tree. Prepare the firewood, and tomorrow we'll roast him, thus burning the heart of Abu Qasim,1 and one of the pillars of the Hejaz.'
"Such was the condition in which Khalid remained. When night fell, he raised his eyes to the heavens and looked at the stars. When the world closed its eyes and no one and nothing stirred except the Creator who never sleeps, a breeze from the west blew in his direction, and he began to chant . . ."
1. "Abu Qasim" is a nickname of the Prophet Muhammad.
Abu Ibrahim raised his voice and sang his sad song while the crowd listened in rapture, never taking their eyes off of him. They wondered where such a voice had come from. Was he not mortal like themselves, one who walks through the marketplace and feeds his children like every man? So what was it about this voice that stirred their souls in such a way? Their roving eyes tried to conjure images for this voice. Their faces, like the waters of the river that flow in ripples, were shiny mirrors that reflected at once the sunlight and their own reflected images.
"It was Al i who heard the voice and who came to save Khalid. It was the young Ali who took up his sword, Dhul-Fiqar, and mounted his stallion, Sarhan, and raced on to Khalid's rescue. He followed the sounds of his cries for help until he found him. He shook the tree from which he was hanging.
"'Who is it that shakes my gallows?'
"'O Khalid, God stands by the destitute.'
"Ali plucked out the tree from its roots and Khalid came tumbling down into his arms without hitting the ground. Ali pulled out a dagger he was carrying and cut the rope that bound him. He carried him over to the river and washed off the scraps of skin and blood of his slaughtered horse. Ali then took one of his robes and tore his head scarf in half and gave them to Khalid. When God blessed them with an awakening to a
benevolent morning,Ali and Khalid reached the top of the mountain as the day had broken and the sun shone bright. All of creation was astir and the accursed enemy was on the march, as the horses, the military command, and the infantry and cavalry followed King Muhalhal in procession. Then Ali spurred his horse and sprinted toward them as though he were an eagle descending from heaven.When the insignia of his Hashemite lineage was revealed, Muhalhal addressed him:
"'OAli, not everything white is the purely driven snow, nor everything black is coal. Whatever appears green isn't necessarily sweet basil, nor is every horse fit for battle.'
"'O Ali, I am King Muhalhal Ibn EI-Fayyad. No woman has ever given birth to the likes of me. If you wish to save yourself from a fate worse than death, then I will give you what will save you.'
"'What do you want, accursed enemy of God?'asked Ali.
"'Dismount from your horse, kiss my stirrups, and pay me great homage before my men.'
"Ali dashed toward his horse shouting, 'O, my horse, May God give you the strength and power to move quickly.' He balanced himself securely on its back and switched his sword from the right hand to the left. With both arms he swung his sword just beneath the armpit of the enemy of God and plucked him from the saddle like a tiny bird in the clutches of an eagle. He threw him to the ground and dealt him a fatal blow with his sword.
"At that moment Al i went back to Khalid crying out his thanks to God. Then, like a pair of ferocious lions, they went on the attack, each from one side, as the infidel enemy fell in droves. The sun was still shining that day when the last of the enemy ceased to stand."
A long, resounding, robust ululation exploded from inside the house. The men looked in its direction and the women turned their heads. It was Umm Jaafar, standing in the interior courtyard, who was making that joyous trilling sound.
10
As sure as the days were passing Naeem grew certain that he was struck by an evil eye, one so potent that its effect would last a long time. How else, then, could he explain how his heart could be stolen by a young girl whose name he didn't know, or from where she came and where she lived, that he might go and knock on her door and ask for her hand in marriage? A year or two, perhaps three years went by and he couldn't look at any girl without seeing her face, whether in the light of day or the dark of night. He was tortured by this void in his life to the point of feeling anger toward his absent lover and rage at himself. He swore by everything sacred that he would marry, and so he chose the first radiant face that passed through the neighborhood.
On that day he inquired about her and made up his mind. Then he went with Saad to her father's house, and when the father gave his consent they recited the opening chapter of the Quran, and Naeem was the first to congratulate himself on his new bride and the end of this bout of misfortune. Then the father of the bride came to him and said, "The Castilians are making life more difficult for us and imposing great financial burdens on us. My brother in Fez tells me to go there, for work is plentiful and life is prosperous." Naeem responded, "No need to worry! I will take good care of your daughter and treat her with respect. May you have a safe journey, and when God solves things here, come back!"
"Why don't you travel with us, so that God's blessings will be complete," he added.
Naeem declined the offer to leave Granada, and the man took his daughter and departed.
Naeem confided in Umm Jaafar about his feelings of anxiety.
"I'll find you a bride more beautiful than her."
"More beautiful, more ugly, I don't care! I just want a nice girl to be my wife. I feel old and useless, Umm Jaafar, and the years pass me by and I'll find myself an old man with no wife or children."
"Leave the matter to me," laughs Umm Jaafar. "I'll marry you off to a young girl as radiant as the full moon."
Umm Jaafar set out in search for the right bride for Naeem. She found one and told him all about her, her height, size, face, hair, personality, and temperament. Naeem paid a call on the girl's father, accompanied by Saad and Hasan. A day before the signing of the marriage contract, the mother of the bride came to visit Umm Jaafar and with tear-soaked eyes told her that her husband had decided to convert to Christianity after the Castilians announced an edict banning contacts between the Muslims of Granada and the inhabitants of the other Castilian cities.
"He's a muleteer and we all live off of the loads he transports from one place to another. Now we must all convert, I mean the entire family. If Naeem wants to marry our daughter, he too must convert."
Umm Jaafar relayed the bad news to Naeem.
"The truth of the matter is that she was crying, and even though I scolded her for her husband's decision, my heart went out to her. She left after I told her that Naeem would never do such a thing even if they put a knife to his throat. Isn't that so, Naeem?"
"Of course, Umm Jaafar."
At that very moment Naeem realized that he was ill-fated and that misfortune would be sure to follow him until his back grew humped and his teeth fell out.
"It's true that you're late getting married, but you're still only twenty."
"I'm twenty-two, Umm Jaafar."
He held back telling her that he had become the target of an evil eye, and that when he was thirteen he fell in love with a different girl every week. With a sigh of sorrow, he thought. He wondered who it was who cast the evil spell on him. If only he knew, he would beg that person to redirect his aim toward the Castilians and strike them a fatal blow. Now that Saad had gotten married, their daily encounters had dwindled to a solitary once a week. He was busy with his wife, and now she's expecting their first child. Tomorrow there'll be children and he will be all the more preoccupied. Hasan, too, is married and his wife keeps him busy as well. But what about him? He only has the sandals that he works on all day long to occupy him, and at night he wanders about the streets or sits outside the door of his shop, brooding over the evil eye that has befallen him.
Naeem was sitting outside his shop, depressed, when he suddenly saw Saad coming toward him. It wasn't the usual day of the week when they met. He sprang to his feet and shouted out a joyous greeting to his friend. He dashed into the shop and emerged with a bunch of grapes, five ripe figs, and a fistful of fresh almonds. He set them down in front of Saad as he beamed with pride. "I bought them just today. It was as if my heart was telling me that you'd be coming to visit. Here, help yourself."
As he stared into Saad's face Naeem sensed that something was wrong. "What's come over you?"
"Saleema's giving birth in two months."
"I know!"
"I may have made a mistake in marrying her."
Naeem's eyes widened in amazement. With a subtle smirk on his face, he asked, "Have you been tapping into Abu Mansour's wine?"
"I have not been drinking!"
"Did you quarrel with Saleema?"
"Not at all."
"Well, then what happened?"
"What's the use of getting married when a man can't take proper care of his family?"
"Did Umm Hasan say anything to offend you?"
"They came today and closed down Abu Mansour's bathhouse. In fact, they closed down all the bathhouses in Albaicin."
Naeem froze in shock, his mouth agape, unable to comprehend what Saad was saying.
"Are you sure of this?"
"I'm telling you, they closed it down. Some soldiers came and they threw everyone out and closed it down. They said from this day forward anyone who opened a bathhouse or worked in one would suffer the severest of punishments."
"Why is that?"
A scornful, bitter smiled flashed across Saad's face. "They say that bathhouses are unsanitary, and that it's an evil Arab custom with no useful purpose."
"So then where should people bathe?"
"Why should they bathe? Do their Castilian lords bathe?"
"And what does all of this have to do with Saleema? Did you quarrel over the bathhouse closing down?"
"O, Naeem, please! I didn't fight with Salee
ma, nor she with me. It's just that I'm now without a job. Isn't it enough that I live in Hasan's house? Must I now tell him to take care of me, my wife, and the child we're expecting?"
"Hasan's a brother to you, and so am I. You'll find another job."
Several moments of dead silence passed before Naeem broke it and spoke as though he were talking to himself. "Sons of bitches, they closed down the bathhouses. So where are we to bathe now?"
They grew silent once again, both lost in their innermost thoughts. Then Naeem picked a grape from the bunch and popped it into his mouth and spoke. "Tomorrow, come by my place at the crack of dawn. I'll teach you some of the things I do here. After three or four days, you'll learn everything you need to know, and I'll ask my boss to give you a job. He'll be furious to learn that they closed down the bathhouses, and his heart will go out to you and he'll give you a job. Of course, he'll ask if you have any experience in shoe making. Just tell him that you worked for a cobbler for several years before working at Abu Mansour's bathhouse. He'll ask you where and when. Tell him in Malaga. And when he asks you to show him how to do something, do what I taught you. What do you think of that?"
When Saad left, Naeem sat pondering the strange matter of closing the bathhouses. To wage battle against your enemy is understandable, but what is the wisdom of closing a bathhouse or coercing someone to change his religion? Those Castilians are indeed a strange people and apparently deranged. But what causes them to be so irrational? Did not their mothers give birth to them like normal, healthy human beings? How can their minds be so corrupted and their behavior so erratic? Naeem thought about all of this but was at a loss to find a logical explanation. Maybe it was the intense cold of the north that froze part of their brains, stopping the blood from flowing there, making them die or go insane. Or perhaps it was their excessive consumption of pork that made them dimwitted. Yet despite the closing of the bathhouse and Saad losing his job, Naeem couldn't help but feel happy at the prospect of them working together at the shop. He was a little embarrassed to think of the utter joy he would feel if the two friends went back to working together, meeting every day and talking nonstop, as they used to do.