47-2 - Niyaamaa
Bin Al-Rabiyaa and Naaomee:
Niyaamaa Searches For Naaomee
When
Niyaamaa came home and called Naaomee, he didn't get any answer. He came
out of the room and called her again, but again didn't get any answer. He
went to his mother and asked her where was she? She replied - "She is
with her who is more trustworthy than I - that old woman. She has gone
with her to Faqeer and should return soon." Niyaamaa asked her - "Since
when she has been going with her, and at what time she went with
her?" "She went early in the morning." Niyaamaa asked her
- "And how come you allowed her to go with her for this?"
"O My Son, She persuaded me."
He
went to the Chief of the Police and said - "Did you steal my
slave-girl from my house? I will complain to the Sultaan about this."
The Chief said - "Who has stolen her?" "An old woman clad
in woolen clothes and carrying a rosary of beads." The Chief said -
"Find the old woman, and I will bring your slave-girl." Niyaamaa
asked - "Who knows the old woman?" The Chief said - "Except
Allaah." In fact he knew her because he knew Al-Hajaj, but at that
time he did not disclose this to Niyaamaa. Niyaamaa said -
"I will come back to you for my slave-girl; and Al-Hajaj will judge you and
me." "Go to whoever you wish to."
Niyaamaa went to the palace of Al-Hajaj, because his father was a chief
man of Koofaa, and met him. Niyaamaa said - "An old woman has stolen
my slave-girl." He asked him to call the Chief of Police so that he
could order him to find that old woman. When the Chief of Police came, he
asked him to look for the slave-girl of Niyaamaa and he said to Niyaamaa -
"If your slave-girl is not found, I will give you 10 slave-girls from
my own house and 10 from the Chief of Police's house."
Niyaamaa
came back home disappointed. He was only 14 at that time, and even his beard
had not grown by that time. He and his mother wept and wept till the
morning when his father came in and told him that Al-Hajaj had cheated his
wife and had taken her, but Allah will give you relief." Niyaamaa
also got very sad and so fell sick. Three months passed. The physicians
said - "There is no remedy for him except the girl."
One
day when Al-Rabiyaa was sitting, he heard about a skilful Persian physician who
was said to be perfect in medicine, astrology and geomancy, so he sent for him and showed his son to him. He checked Niyaamaa's hand, heart,
joints etc and said - "Your son's ailment is only of heart." He
said - "Please tell me everything about my son." The physician said -
"The reason for this is a slave-girl and she is either in Basaraa or
Damascus; and there is no remedy for him except reunion with her."
Al-Rabiyaa asked - "Can you bring them together? You will live in
prosperity and peace."
The
Persian said - "Yes, and it is easy too." He said to Niyaamaa -
"Don't be sad, be cheerful, you will not hurt." Then he said to
Al-Rabiyaa - "Bring me 4,000 Deenaar of your money." Al-Rabiyaa
gave the money to him. Then he asked Al-Rabiyaa to take his son with him
to Damascus and told him that he would not return without the girl. He
said to Niyaamaa - "You be happy, you will surely meet your girl. We
will go to Damascus today only." He took some presents and rarities,
camels and horses; 10,000 Deenaar in all, from Al-Rabiyaa and set
out for his journey to Damascus.
First
they came to Aleppo, but they did not find any news of Naaomee there so
they proceeded towards Damascus. They stayed there for three days. Then
the Persian set a shop of costly things there. He himself sat in the shop
to sell, and set Niyaamaa clad in beautiful silk clothes standing before
him. He said to him - "From now on you are my son, so call me
"father" and I will call you "son"." People
started coming to their shop. Both talked in Persian among themselves. He
set some phials of medicines on his shop and cured many patients. People brought him
the water from the patients, he predicted their sickness and cured them.
Thus he continued his medical practice and became famous very soon.
One
day an old woman came to him riding on an ass whose saddle was of brocade
and studded with jewels. She showed her hand to him and asked - "Are
you the Persian physician from Iraaq?" "Yes" "I have a
sick daughter." and she gave him a phial. The Persian asked her her
daughter's name, so that he might cast her horoscope to know the hour in
which the medicine would benefit her. The woman said - "Naaomee."
The Persian calculated something writing on his hand and said - "I
cannot prescribe a medicine for her until I know from which country she
is, because of the difference of the climate, so tell me her country and
her age." the woman said - "She is 14 years old and was brought
up in Koofaa, Iraaq." "And for how long she has been in this
country?" "For a few months." The Persian told her the name
of the medicine and said - "This medicine will suit her."
The
woman said to him to prepare the medicine and threw 10 gold pieces on the
shop board. He looked at Niyaamaa and asked him to prepare the medicine.
She also looked at Niyaamaa and asked the Persian - "Is he your slave
or your son?" He answered - "He is my son." Niyaamaa put
the medicine in a box and wrote the following in Koofic letters on the its
cover - "I am Niyaamaa, the son of Al-Rabiyaa of Koofaa." She took
it to the girl and gave it to her saying - "There is Persian
physician coming to our town. He is very good in curing diseases. I told
him your name and gave him your water; so he has suggested this remedy for
you. Then he asked his son to prepare this medicine for you. There is no
comelier youth like him and no shop like his in the whole Damascus."
Naaomee
took the box and looked at it and read her husband's name. She got sure
that he is looking for her, so she asked the woman - "Describe the
youth." The woman said - "His name is Niyaamaa, he has a mole on
his right eyebrow, and is perfectly handsome." Naaomee took the
medicine immediately and said laughingly - "Oh, It is indeed blessed
medicine." When the woman saw her laughing, she also thought it was a
blessed day. Naaomee said - "O Nurse, I wish to eat something
today."
The
nurse brought some good food for her and she sat to eat it. At the same
time, the Caliph also came there and was very happy to see her eating. The
woman told him that the reason of her recovery was a Persian physician who
was very good in identifying and curing diseases. She asked him to give
1,000 Deenaar also to give to that physician which he readily gave to her.
She took them to the physician saying that his medicine worked, and she
was Caliph's slave, and she handed over a letter also to him written by
Naaomee. Niyaamaa immediately recognized Naaomee's handwriting and opened it
to read. "I have received your letter, I am very happy to receive
it."
Reading
the letter, he started weeping. The woman asked him - "My son, Why do
you weep. May Allaah never cause your eyes to weep." Persian said -
"How come that my son should not weep? This is his slave-girl and he
is her husband. And her health depends on seeing each other, she is not
sick because of illness but of not loving him. You may take these 1,000
Deenaar and keep them with you, rather I will give you more, but bring
this affair to happy ending." She asked Niyaamaa - "Are you
indeed her husband?" He replied "Yes". She said - "You
are right because she always takes your name." Then she told the
whole story from beginning to end and said - "OK, I will arrange you
meeting."
She
immediate went to Naaomee and said - "He is indeed Niyaamaa and I
will arrange your meeting for sure, although it may cost me my life."
She again went to Niyaamaa and said to him - "I will surely arrange
your meeting. I will play some trick to take you in Caliph's palace where
you can meet her, because she cannot come to you." Then she took
women's clothes and ornaments to Niyaamaa, took him to a lonely place, and
changed his guise into a slave-girl's guise. When she had completed
preparing him, she exclaimed - "By Allaah, You are looking handsomer
than that girl." The she taught him how to walk like a girl and when
he had learnt it, she said to him - "Now wait for me tomorrow night,
and when you see Caliph's people, be bold, bow to them properly, but do not
speak a word otherwise our secret will open. By Allaah's grace we will be
successful."
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