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50-2 - The
Mock Caliph:
The Second Caliph Tells His Story
The
second Caliph continued - "My name is Muhammad Alee, son of Alee the
Jeweler. My father was one of the notable men of Bagadaad. When he died he
left me a lots of various jewels plus gardens, orchards, land etc. One day
when I was sitting in my shop with my assistants, a young lady came to my
shop, sat beside me and asked me - "Are you Muhammad the
Jeweler?" I said - "Yes, I am your slave." She asked -
"Do you have any necklace for me?" I said - "I show you
what I have and if you like anything it will be your slave's good
luck." I had about a 100 necklaces and I showed her all of them,
but she did not like any one of them and said - "I want a better one
than these."
I had
a small necklace which my father bought for 100,000 Deenaar, and it was of
only one kind of its own, so I said to her - "O Lady, I have one
more, a very rare type of necklace, none possess like that, I show
you, if you care about." I showed that necklace to her, and she liked
it instantly. She asked its price. I said - "My father bought it for
100,000 Deenaar, I will give you at 5,000 Deenaar as my profit." She
said - "You should have your profit, I am still most grateful to
you." She immediately rose and rode on her mule and asked me to send
my man with her to take the money.
So I
shut my shop and accompanied her, in all security, I came to her house
which looked like a wealthy person's house. That lady asked me to wait at
the gate and she herself went inside the house. After a while a girl came
and asked me to come in as it was dishonor to sit at the door. Then
another girl came and said to me - "My mistress says that you sit
down at the door of the salon to receive your money." I went in the
saloon and sat down there. Immediately a curtain of silk was drawn aside
and a golden throne appeared there. That lady was sitting on that throne.
She wore a necklace which looked pale by the side of a face which was
round like a Moon.
Seeing
her like this my mind confounded, she rose from her throne and came close
to me and said - "Is every handsome person like you pitiless for his
mistress?" I said - "You are too beautiful." She said -
"O Jeweler, Know that I love you, that is why I have brought you
here." Then she leaned over me and I kissed her and she kissed me.
She thought that I would love to enjoy her. She said - "Will you take
me unlawfully? By Allaah, May he not live who would do this type of sin. I
am a maiden, still I am not unknown in the city. Do you know who I
am?" I said - "No, My Lady." "I am the Lady Dunyaa,
the daughter of Yaahyaa bin Khaalid the Barmecide and the sister of Zaafar, the
Vazeer of the Caliph."
Hearing
this I moved back saying, "It is no fault of mine if I have been
overbold with you. It was you who encouraged me by bringing me here."
She said - "No harm will fall upon you. The Qaazee will witness our
marriage for it is my will that I should be yours, and you should be mine."
She sent for the Qaazee and the witnesses and when they came she said to
them - "Muhammad Alee, bin Alee the Jeweler seeks me for marriage and
has given me the necklace to my marriage settlement and I accept and
consent." So they wrote the contract, I went in with her, we ate and
drank to our satisfaction. Then a girl came and started singing. After
this she took me to a bedroom where a very luxurious bed was lying. We spent
that night together there.
I
stayed there for one month, forsaking the shop, family and home. One day
she said to me - "I am going to take bath, so you sit here and do not
rise till I come here." She has not left very long that an old woman
came in and said to me - "O Muhammad, The Lady Zubaidaa asks you to come
to her, because she had heard a lot about your fine manners and
singing." I said - "I cannot move from here until the Lady
Dunyaa comes back." She said - "Do not make her angry to make
your enemy. Come and talk to her, then come back here."
So I
rose and went to the Lady Zubaidaa. As she saw me, she said - "Are
you the beloved of Lady Dunyaa?" "I replied - "I am your
servant." She asked me to sing. She brought me a lute and I sang to
her. When my song was finished, she said - "May Allaah bless your
body and voice, but now you go back to the Lady Dunyaa so that she is not
angry." I kissed the ground before her and came back to Dunyaa's
place. There I saw Dunyaa sleeping so I sat down at her feet and rubbed them.
She woke up and kicked me so hard that I fell off the couch.
She
said - "You broke your promise and went to the Lady Zubaidaa. By
Allaah, I fear a public scandal now." Then she said to her black
slave - O Sabaab, Strike off this traitor's head, for we have no further
need of him." She took out a whip from her skirt, tied a cloth strip
on my eyes and struck off my head. She said to her - "He is not the
first who erred. He did not know your humor and that is why he does not
deserve death." She said - "I must set my marks on him. She beat
me on my ribs, and the marks you saw are the same.
Then
they cast me out far from her house. After a time I rose and dragging
myself a little by little came to my own house. I called a surgeon who
cured me of his best. As soon as I was all right, I sold my shop and the
material therein. With the proceeds, I bought 400 white slaves, such as no
King has ever got and cause 200 to ride with me every day. I arranged for
a barge for 5,000 gold pieces and styled me like a Caliph. I made a
proclamation that whosoever will go to Tigris for recreation by night, I
will strike off his head. Since then one whole year has passed and I have
not heard of that lady again."
When
Haaroon al-Rasheed heard his story of passion and love, he was moved to
compassion and wonder and said - "Glory be to Allaah who has created
an effect for every cause. Then they took leave of him and came back to
their palace. The Caliph said to Zaafar - "Bring me that young man
with whom we met last night." He went to that young man and told the
order of the Caliph.
The
second Caliph was in a great surprise at his summon. He went there, kissed
the ground before him and offered a prayer for his endurance and
prosperity. The Caliph smiled in his face, asked him to come close to him
and made him sit near him. He spoke - "O Muhammad Alee, I wish that you
tell me what happened to you last night?" The youth said -
"Pardon, Give me the immunity for my fear." "I promise you
for the immunity for your fear and miseries."
Then
the young man told him the whole story whatever happened last night. The Caliph asked him - "Do you want that I should bring that lady back to
you?" "This will be a generous gift from you, Sir." Then he
asked his Vazeer Zaafar to bring his sister. He brought her there. When
she had come, the Caliph asked her - "Do you know him, who he
is?" She said - "How can a woman have the knowledge of
men?" The Caliph smiled and said - "He is your beloved, Muhammad
bin Alee the Jeweler. We know about his case from the beginning till end.
There is no secret now." She said - "I think this was written in
Destiny. I beg for your forgiveness for my wrong doing."
The
Caliph laughed, summoned the Qaazee, and married them with utmost
felicity. He made Muhammad Alee his boon-companion.
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