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47-1 - Niyaamaa
Bin Al-Rabiyaa and Naaomee - His Slave Girl
There lived
a man called Al-Rabiyaa Bin Haatim in the city of Koofaa. He was an
important man of the town and he had a son named Niyaamaa Allaah. Once he
saw a woman in the slave market for sale with a little girl of wonderful
beauty in her arms. He asked the broker their price. The broker replied,
'Fifty Deenaar." Al-Rabiyaa wrote the contract, gave the money to the
contractor and
bought the mother and the daughter. He brought them home. When his wife
(his cousin sister) saw the slave, she said - "Oh, What is this
girl?" He replied - "In fact I bought her for the sake of the
little one in her arms. When she will grow, there will be nobody as
beautiful as she will be - not in Arabs, not in Ajams." "You are
right" Then she asked the woman's name, she said "Taufeeq"
and "What is your daughter's name?" "Shaad" (happy).
The wife said - "You really seem to be happy and happy is that too
who has bought you." Then she asked her husband - "What will you
call her?" "Whatever you like." "We will call her
Naaomee." "Good."
The
little Naaomee grew up with his little son Niyaamaa in one cradle till thy
were 10 years old. Each was handsomer than the other in beauty. Niyaamaa
called Naaomee his sister, and Naaomee called him her brother. When they
were old enough to understand, Al-Rabiyaa told Niyaamaa that Naaomee was
not his sister but was his slave. That is why he should not call her
sister. Niyaamaa said - "If this is so, then I take her as my
wife." He went to his mother and told everything. She said - "My
son, She is your handmaid." They got married her to their son, and both loved each
other very much. Thus two years passed. There was no girl in Koofaa as
fair as Naaomee. She read Quraan, works of science, and learned music very
well.
It so
happened that Al-Hajaj, the ruler of a province, thought to take that girl
Naaomee to the Commander of the Sultaan Abd Al-Malik Bin Marvaan, because
he didn't have anybody like her in his palace. So he called a maid of his
wife and asked her to go to Al-Rabiyaa's house to bring Naaomee. Next day
morning, the maid wore a woolen robe, hung a rosary of beads around her
neck, took a staff in one hand and Yamanee type leather water bottle in
another hand, and started crying - "There is nobody like Allaah, He
is the greatest." on the roads.
Crying
thus she came to Al-Rabiyaa's house at the time of noon prayer and knocked
his door. The doorkeeper opened the door and asked her what did she want.
She said - "I am a poor woman, my prayer time has come, and I wish to
pray in this blessed house." The doorkeeper said - "This is not
a mosque. This is the house of Niyaamaa, Al-Rabiyaa's son." The maid
said - "I know, but there is no mosque like Niyaamaa's house. I work
in the palace of the Prince and have come out to worship and visit holy
places." The doorkeeper still maintained - "You can't enter the
house." She said - "Can you deny the access to a woman like me
who goes in the houses of Ameer and great people?"
At the
same time Niyaamaa came out and asked the woman to come in. He took her to Naaomee.
The maid was stunned to see Naaomee's beauty, she saluted her and said
- "Allaah may guard you who has made you so lovely." Then she
prayed till the evening fell. Naaomee said - "O Mother, Take some
rest, you must be tired." Then Naaomee brought her food and said -
"Please pray Allaah to have mercy on me." She said - "I am
fasting, you eat and be merry."
Naaomee
said to her husband - "Allow this piety woman to live with us for
some time." Niyaamaa said - "OK, You may give her one room where
she can live peacefully. Allaah may prosper us and never separate us by
her blessings." So the woman passed her night in prayers and when
morning broke, she went to Naaomee and Niyaamaa and asked their permission
to go, but Naaomee said - "Where do you go, Mother? I have set a room
for you where you can worship very well." The woman said - "May
Allaah give you long life but ask your doorkeeper not to stop my coming to
you anytime here. But now I go and I will pray for you every day and
night." And she went away. Naaomee wept for her not knowing the cause
of her coming.
The
woman came to Al-Hajaj, he asked her - "When can you do my work? I
will give you plenty." She said - "I will take a month."
"OK." Then she started going to Naaomee's house daily in the
morning, in the evening. All respected her, till one day when she was
alone with Naaomee, she said to her - "I always pray for you when I
go to holy places, and I only wish that sometime you should also come with
me to these places, and meet the holy people, so that they can also pray for you to
fulfill your wishes." Naaomee said - "Please take me with
you." The woman said - "Ask your mother-in-law, and I will take
you."
Naaomee
went to her mother-in-law and said - "Mother, Ask my husband to let
me go with this woman to Faqeer in the holy places." When
Niyaamaa came, the old woman went to him and wanted to kiss his hand but
he forbade her, so she went away. Next day she came again in the absence
of Niyaamaa and said to Naaomee - "Although we prayed for you
yesterday, but you should also come with me, we will return before your
husband comes." Naaomee again requested her mother-in-law to allow
her to go with that woman to pray. She told her that she should come before
Niyaamaa comes home. Her mother-in-law feared of Niyaamaa but the old
woman convinced her to send her with her.
The
woman took Naaomee with her to Al-Hajaj palace, informed him of her coming
after placing her in a lonely chamber. Al-Hajaj went to that chamber and
found her the most beautiful woman of the world. He called his man and
asked him to take her to Abd al-Malik's palace along with 50 horsemen. He
gave him a letter too to give it to Abd al-Malik and bring the answer back
to him.
The
man took Naaomee to Abd al-Malik's palace in Damascus and handed over
Naaomee to him. Abd al-Malik placed her in a separate apartment and spoke
to his wife - "Al-Hajaj has bought me a slave girl for the daughters
of the Sultaan of Koofaa for 10,000 Deenar and has sent me this
letter." She said - "Allaah may extend His favor to you."
In the meantime Caliph Abd al-Malik's sister went to the room where Naamee was.
As she saw
her, she exclaimed - "By Allaah, He will be lucky who will have you in
his house. Were you bought for 10,000 Deenar?"
Naaomee
asked her - "O Beautiful, What king's palace is this and which is this
country?" She said - "This is the city of Damascus, and this is
the palace of my brother Abd al-Malik Bin Marvaan. Don't you know
this?" Naaomee said - "By Allaah, I have no knowledge of
it." "And whoever sold you, didn't he tell you that Caliph had
bought you?" Hearing this Naaomee wept and said to herself - "I
am tricked. If I speak, none will hear me, so I should keep patience and
see."
Caliph's
sister went away and came back next day with clothes and necklaces of
jewels. She dressed her. When the Caliph came she said to him - "Look
at this handmaid, she is so beautiful." The Caliph asked her to
remove the veil from her face, but she did not, so he could not see her
face. He saw only her wrists and he fell in love with her. He said to his
sister - "I will not go to her for three days until you cheer
her." Naaomee was very sad at separation from her husband, she did
not eat or drink and in the night she fell ill. The Caliph called
physicians but none could cure her.
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