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66-2 - Alee
the Cairene and the Haunted House in Bagadaad
Alee
went about the house, drew a bucket of water, and prayed Allaah. After a
while a slave brought food for him together with a lamp, a candle and a
candlestick, a basin and left him there on his own. Alee lighted the
candle, ate his food and prayed his nightly prayers. He said to himself -
"Come and take your bedding and go upstairs and sleep there. It
will be better than here." So he took his bedding, went upstairs
where he found a beautiful room. He spread his bed there and sitting on
it started reciting Sublime Quraan, that he heard someone calling him and asking
- "O Alee, son of Hasan, tell me, shall I send you down the
gold?"
He
asked - "Where will you send the gold?" But hardly had he spoken
these words that the gold pieces began to rain down on him and did not stop until the
room was full. Then said the voice - "Set me free so that I can go my
way, because I have served with what I was entrusted to serve you."
Alee said - "By Allaah, Tell me the reason of this gold rain."
The voice said - "This is a treasure which was assigned to you in olden
times and to everyone who entered the house we used to come and ask,
"O Alee, O son of Hasan, Shall we send down the gold ?" If he
got frightened and cry out, then we would come and break his neck and go
away. But when you came, we confirmed you by your name and your father's
name, saying "O Alee, O son of Hasan, Shall we send down the gold
?" And when you answered us, we knew that you are the owner of this
gold and so we sent it down to you. Still you own another hoard in the land of Al-Yaman and
you will safely reach there and get that money. Now I request you to set
me free."
Alee
said - "By Allaah, I will not set you free until you bring me the
second hoard here from the land of Al-Yaman. The voice asked - "If I
bring that to you, will you release me and the servant of that other
hoard?" Alee replied, "Yes." "Swear to me." and
he swore to him. And when he was about to go away that Alee asked him -
"I want to ask you one more thing, I have a wife and two children at
Cairo in such and such place, you need to fetch them to me at their
comfort." The voice said - "I will bring them to you with a
caravan of eunuchs and servants together with the treasure of Al-Yaman."
Then he went away for three days.
As
soon as it was morning, Alee went around the room to see a place where he
could store that gold. He found a marble dais with a turning-pin, so he
turned the pin and the slab sank and showed him a door which he opened and
found a large closet full of bags of coarse stuff carefully sewn, so he
took out the bags and filled them with the gold and stored them in that
closet till he stored all the gold. Then he shut the door, replaced the
slab by turning the pin again, and went down and sat there.
Presently
a knock came on the door, so he opened the door and found the slave of the
merchant. When he saw Alee safe and sound, he returned immediately to give
this good news to his master, "The merchant who lived in that haunted
house is alive and well." The merchant was so happy to hear this
news that he came there rushing with breakfast. He embraced him and asked him
- "How come that you are alive?"
Alee
said - "I slept in the upper room." The merchant asked him -
"Did something come to you or did you see anything?" Alee
replied - "No, I just read a little of Sublime Quraan and slept till
morning. In the morning I performed minor ablution and praying and sat
down on the bench." The merchant was very happy, he exclaimed -
"Praise be to Allaah." He immediately returned home and sent some
people, handmaids, and servants to him. They cleaned that house and he
left three white slaves and three black slaves and four slave girls there
to serve him. When other merchants heard this they also sent him many gifts,
even food and drink, took him to market asking when his baggage would
arrive. He said - "It will surely come after three days.
When
the term of the servant of the first hoard had elapsed, he came to him and said - "Go, and meet the treasure I have brought
you from Al-Yaman together with your family. I have brought the part of
that wealth in the form of merchandize, but all other people are of
Genie." When the Genie came to Cairo, found his wife and children in
utmost misery, naked and hungry, so he took them out of the city, adorned
them very good clothes, gave them food to eat and asked them to go to the
city to meet a caravan. So when Alee heard this that his caravan has come,
he asked the merchants to come to the city to see his merchandize and meet
his family.
So
they all went to welcome his family along with their families. The
merchants' families were astonished to see the attire of his family and
talked to one another - "Even the King of Bagadaad has no such
attires to wear." They all came to the house where Alee lived. They
unloaded the goods from mules. They talked till noon then they brought
food of best kind for all. They all ate and drank happily. Then they went
home. They sent presents to all and they had many servants and provisions
of all kinds. Alee's host asked his people to make arrangements for the
people and the mules but Alee said - "There is no need to do that, they have
already left for their further destination."
So
Alee and his house owner sat and talked till 1/3 of the night passed. Then
the house owner went to his house and Alee went up to his wife and asked
her what had happened in his absence. She told him all how she suffered
with hunger and nakedness. "Then how did you come here?" She said - "One
night when we were sleeping, suddenly somebody
raised us from the ground and flew carrying us without hurting us, till he set
us in a camping ground, where we saw a caravan of all boys and men.
So I
asked them - "Who are you, where are we and what are these
loads?" They said - "We are Alee's servants and he has sent us
to fetch you to Bagadaad." I asked them, "Is it far or
near?" "It is only one night far." They then placed us on a
litter (a cloth with two side bars to carry a patient) and in the morning
we found ourselves with you." "And who gave you these
dresses?" The chief of the caravan opened one of the boxes on the
mules and clad me in these dresses taken out from it. Then he gave me a
key to hand it over to you." So she gave the key to Alee. Alee asked
her if she knew the chest, she said, "Yes, I know it." He took
her downstairs showed her the boxes, she pointed out to one of the boxes,
"It was the box." He opened the box and found many clothes and
the keys to other boxes. He started opening all the boxes, one after
another, feasting his eyes on gems, precious metals, costly clothes etc.
Then he locked all the boxes.
Then
he took her to the secret slab, opened it and showed her the gold. She
said surprisingly - "Where did this come from?" He said,
"It all came by the grace of Allaah. When I left you in trouble, I
took a ship from Bulaq to Dameettaa and then came to Damascus ..." He
told her everything. She said - "Oh, So this comes to you by the boon of
your father's blessings when he prayed for you before his death, "I
pray Allaah to cast you into no straits except He grant you ready
relief." But now you don't associate yourself with mean people."
Then
they lived happily. He opened a shop in the merchants' Bazaar and soon he
became the most considerable merchant of Bagadaad. His name reached to he
King also and he summoned him in his court. He immediately got ready to go
to the King with precious gifts such as no King had ever had, greeted him
in the finest language he could. The King said - "You are increasing
our glory with your presence." Then he presented the King four trays
of gems. Seeing them the King got very pleased, he said - "Your gift
is accepted." Alee went away, and the King called his Minister and asked
him, "How many have asked our daughter in marriage?"
"Many." "Has any of the given me gift like this?"
"None of them." "I wish to marry my daughter to this
merchant, what do you say?" "As you wish."
Then
he showed those four trays to his queen. His wife asked him - "From
which King you have got these jewels? Maybe one of those kings who want our
daughter?" He said - "Not so. I have them from one of the
Egyptian merchants. He has lately come to our city. I called him so that we
my buy some jewels for our daughter, he came to me with these four trays.
He is a handsome youth of dignified aspect, intelligence and elegance. I
wish to marry my daughter to him." So he slept with this
resolve that he would marry his daughter to this merchant.
Next
day he called Alee and other merchants, and his Deevaan and Qaazees and
asked Qaazees to write the contract between his daughter and Alee. But
Alee said - "How it is possible that a merchant can be the son-in-law
of a King?" The King said - It is my will, my wife's will and all our
Vazeers will. And then he bestowed him with the robe and chair of Vazeer."
Alee spoke - "I am honored by your offer, but I wish to say you one
thing." "What?" "Since it is your wish to marry your
daughter, it is better to marry her to my son."
The
King asked - "Oh, Do you have a son?" "Yes."
"Bring him here." Alee sent for his son who came and kissing the
ground stood in an attitude of respect. The King found him yet comelier
than his daughter. He asked him -"What is your name, Son?"
"My name is Hasan, O Lord." He was only 14 years old. Then the
king married his daughter to him. Alee's family was very happy with this.
Next
morning Alee the Vazeer went to the King and the King said to him that he
wanted to begin the marriage festivities. He replied, "As you feel
appropriate." So the festivities for her marriage were celebrated in
a grand way. The King built a palace for Hasan and his daughter near his
palace.
One
day the Queen said to the King - "Hasan's mother cannot live with her
son and leave the Vazeer; nor she can leave Vazeer and live with her
son." "You are right." So the King built a third palace
beside Hasan's palace. They arranged Alee's baggage shift from his old
house to his new palace, and they started living there. Now whoever wanted
to see each other could see with ease. Thus time passed till one day that
King fell ill. He called all his lords to consult about to whom to appoint
as the King. They, with one voice, approved his daughter's husband, Hasan,
to be the King of his kingdom. "We have seen him very well, he is
good." So the King called the Qaazee to perform all the necessary
rites to appoint him as a King.
When
Hasan was called and let know this development, he said - "But there
are many other older people and of greater worth than myself. My father is
older to me and it does not befit me to advance over him." But Alee
said - "I consent to all people and the King." And Hasan was
made King. When everything was over, Hasan went to his father-in-law and
kissed his hands. The King said - "Rule over the kingdom with the
fear of Allaah." And after the King's death Hasan ruled with order and
affection. He had three sons who inherited the kingdom after him.
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