48-2 - The
Sage and the Scholar:
The Scholar Marries Sultaan's Daughter
The
boy brought the Sultaan to those ruins where he had to bring him. As he
came near it, he found not the ruin, but a royal mansion with graceful
guards standing around. When he saw this change, he was so confounded that
he could hardly keep his senses. he said to himself, "An instant ago
I left this place in a mess, how this place got changed as if it belongs
to a Sultan? But I should keep this secret to myself."
The
king was also surprised to see such a magnificent building in the city.
The more narrowly he looked at it, the more magnificent it looked to him. They
came to a big hall and there was Shekh sitting to receive them. The
Sultaan greeted him, "Salaam", The Shekh replied his greetings
by raising his hand but he did not rise to his feet. They talked for a
while, and during that time the Sultaan appreciated the palace.
The
Shekh asked the boy to knock on a certain door and ask to bring the
breakfast in. The boy rose and called at that door, "Bring the
breakfast." Immediately the door opened and came out an hundred
women, each carrying the breakfast in precious metal dishes. The boy
himself was surprised to see all this. He also came forward along with
the Sultaan and his courtiers and ate that breakfast. After eating they
drank coffee and Sherbat. When the noon time came, the Shekh asked the boy
to knock on the door and to order for the noon day meal. The boy rose,
knocked the door and asked to bring the lunch. Immediately the door opened
and an hundred servants came in bringing lunch dishes on their heads. They
spread a beautiful costly cloth before the Sultaan and arranged the dishes
before him. Both the boy and the Sultaan were equally surprised to see
such glory.
After
the lunch was over, and all had washed their hands, the Shekh asked the
Sultaan - "How much have you valued for us the dower of your
daughter?" The Sultaan said - "The dower is in our hands."
The Shekh said - "Marriage is invalid without dower." Then he
presented him a mint of money and the tie of wedlock was tied. After that
he brought a cloak of furs for the Sultaan such as the Sultaan had never had
before and gave rich
robes to all courtiers according to their status.
The
Sultaan then took leave and went back to his palace along with the boy,
but he could not forget that day's incident. When the night fell, he got
his daughter ready for her husband. The boy was taken to the apartment,
decorated with costliest things, but surprisingly the bride was absent. He
thought that she would come by midnight, while her parents were thinking
that their daughter was with her husband. The boy waited for her the whole
night.
As the
day broke, the mother came with the expectation of seeing her with her
husband, but there was no trace of her. She asked the boy about her, but
he told that he had not seen her since he had entered the apartment. At
this the queen shrieked loudly calling her name, because she was her only
child. The Sultaan was also worried, "Where she could go?"
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But
what happened, as the princess was ushered in her room, a Genie of the
Mareed who often used to visit the Sultaan's Harem, took her away from there. He came to
a pleasant place of trees and flowers - some three months journey from the
city. He kept her very nicely and showed her trees and flowers. This Genie
has changed his shape to a handsome youth lest the princess is frightened
and she lived there for 40 days.
The
Sultaan made no delays and he came to the Shekh along with the boy in his
cell. He was mad because of the loss of his child. Hearing this,
the Shekh meditated for an hour and then asked him to bring a charcoal
fire. He cast some incense into that fire and pronounced some
incantations. Dust clouds covered the earth, winds started blowing
shrieking, and troops descended with standards and colors. In the midst of
them were three Sultaan of Genies, they cried at once, "Labbaykaa,
Labbaykaa, Adsumus, we have come here to obey you."
The
Shekh said - "Immediately bring that Genie who has taken away the
bride of my son." They commanded 50 of their servants to bring the
Princess to her room. They instantly disappeared and reappeared after an
hour with the Genie, and the ten of them conveyed Sultaan's daughter to
her room. Then the Shekh asked those three Sultaan to burn that Genie,
which the did instantly.
All
this was done before the Sultaan. He was surprised to see Shekh's command
over them. Then Shekh asked the Sultaan to take the youth to his daughter.
The boy was so happy that he did not leave the harem for seven consecutive
days. On the eighth day the Sultaan arranged for marriage banquet and
invited all the city folks for the whole month. The boy wore the royal
robes till the marriage feast continued. No citizen, whether be rich or
poor, should light the fire or trim the lamp in his own house, but all
must eat at royal feast for one month. Thus was the feast of the boy's
marriage to the Princess of the Sultaan.
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