78-2 - Aboo
Muhammad Hight Lazybones
Lazybones Marries
One
day, as we both were sitting on our Deevaan, the ape began to turn right and
left, and I said to myself, "What is ailing him?" Then he spoke
to me - "O Aboo Muhammad." As he spoke, I got afraid but he said
- "Don't be afraid, I tell you my story. I am a Mareed of a Jinn and
came to you because you were poor, but today you don't know your wealth.
Now I need you, if you will help me it will be well for you." I asked
him, "What is it?" he said - "I want you to marry a
beautiful girl." "How so?" He said - "Tomorrow you
wear your richest dress, mount your mule with the saddle of gold and ride
to the Hay Market. There you enquire about the shop of Shareef (a high
status man). Go to him and ask his daughter's hand for yourself If he
says, "You don't have money." Give him 1,000 Deenaars, and if he
asks more, give him more."
So
next day, I did as the ape said to me. I gave him a 1,000 Deenaars, but he
asked more and I gave him 3,000 Deenaars more. Seeing that money, he shut
his shop, invited his brother merchants and married his daughter to me. He
said - "I will bring my daughter to pay you first visit after 10
days." I came home and told what had happened. When the day of my
going to wife came nearer, he said to me - "Do one thing more so that you can
order me to do anything you want." I asked - "What?"
He
said - "There
is a chest in your upper chamber where you will meet your wife. It has a
ring padlock on its door and the keys under it. Take the keys, open the
cabinet, you will find an iron chest with four flags. Those flags are
Talismans. At its corners and in its midst stands a brass basin full of
money. On one side of the chest, a white cock is tied; on its other side
are 11 serpents and on the other side is a knife. Take the knife, slaughter the
cock, cut away the flags and upset the chest and go back to your
bride."
On the
appointed day, when I went to my bride and entered her chamber. She was
very beautiful. When she slept, then at midnight, I rose and went to the
cabinet and did what the ape told me to do. When I was upsetting the
chest, my wife awoke and seeing the closet open, and the cock with cut
throat exclaimed - "Oh Allaah, The Mareed has got hold of me."
And immediately the Mareed jumped down, snatched away my bride and flew
away with her.
At the
same moment the Shareef came and asked me - "What have you done, O
Aboo Muhammad? I kept this Talismaan in the cabinet fearing for my
daughter from this Mareed, because he had been trying to steal away my
girl for six years, but you spoiled everything. Go now from here." I
came back to my home and searched for the ape but could not find him
anywhere. I knew that it was he who carried away my wife. He tricked me to
get my wife by destroying the Talismaans and the cock which hindered him
taking her away.
I did
not know what to do so I wandered around till night fell. I was deeply sad that I
saw two serpents, one brown and other white. They were fighting to kill
each other. So I took up a stone and killed the brown one with one hit. In
the meantime the white one disappeared and reappeared soon with 10 other
white serpents which tore the dead serpent. I was tired so I lay down and
as I lay down I heard a voice, though I did not see anyone.
I
asked - "Who are you?" Then the Invisible speaker took the form
of a man and said to me - "Do not be afraid, we are the people of
Jinn and let us know what is your wish?" I said - "I am in great
trouble." He asked me - "Are you Aboo Muhammad?"
"Yes." "I am the brother of the white serpent whose foe you
have killed. We are four brothers and we are very grateful to you. He who
has played trick on you is the Mareed of the Mareeds of the Jinn. He loved
that girl, and he was not able to get her so he used you. But you don't
worry, we will bring her to you after killing him, because you have been
kind to us."
Then
he cried in a loud voice and a group of Jinn appeared there. He asked if
anyone knew the abiding place of the ape. One of them said, "I know.
He lives in the City of Brass where the Sun doesn't rise." Then he
said to me - "Take this Jinn with you and he will tell you how to get
your girl back. But remember this slave is the Mareed of Mareeds, so never
utter the name of Allaah in front of him, otherwise he will flee away and you will fall
down and die." I said, "Yes." and I mounted over him and he
flew to the sky.
Soon
we lost the sight of the earth and we saw a man clad in green and carrying
an instrument. He said to me - "O Aboo Muhammad, Say that there is no god
but the God and Muhammad is the Apostle of the God, otherwise I will kill
you with this instrument." I was already heartbroken so I said that,
and as soon as I said that, that man killed the Jinn, he melted away and I
fell down in the sea by a ship with five sailors. They saw me falling in
the sea and took me
up on their ship. They talked to me in an unknown language, so I told them
by signs them
that I did not understand their language. At the end of the day they
caught a fish, broiled it and gave me to eat. Then they sailed again and
came to their city and presented me to their King.
He
spoke to me in Arabic - "I appoint you as my officer." I asked
him the name of the city, he told me that it was "Hanaad" and
was in China. He gave me a dress of honor also. He handed me over to his
Vazeer and asked him to show me the city. Once there lived non-believers
in Allaah, till Allaah turned them into stones. I stayed there for a month. As I sat
on the bank of a river, a horseman came and asked me - "Are you Aboo
Muhammad?" "Yes." "Do not be afraid for the report of
your good deed has reached us." I asked him, "Who are you?"
He said - "I am a brother of the white serpent, and you are at the
place of the girl whom you seek."
So
saying he took off his clothes and put them on me and said - "Don't
be afraid, who was destroyed in the sky, he was one of our slaves."
Then he took me to a desert place on his horse. There he asked me to
dismount the horse and walk on between these two mountains till you see
the City of Brass. Then just halt a bit far from the city and wait for me,
then I will tell you what to do. So I came to the City of Brass and looked
for a gate but could not find any.
In the
meantime I saw the serpent's brother coming to me. He gave me charmed
sword which will hide me from seeing me by others. After a while I found
myself amongst the people whose eyes were on their chests. Seeing me they
asked me - "Who are you and how did you come to this place?" I
told them my story. At this they said - "The girl you are looking for
is in this city with the Mareed, but we do not know what he has done with
her. We are also white serpent's brothers, you enter the place where the
water is going in. It will take you in the city." So I followed the
water course and I came to Saradaab - a vaulted room beneath the earth, from
which I ascended and found myself in the city.
Here I
saw the girl sitting on a golden throne surrounded by golden trees whose
fruits were jewels. She recognized me and asked me how did I come there. I
told her the whole story. She said - "This Mareed loves me very much
and has told me everything. He said that there is a Talismaan by which he
could destroy the whole city and whoever will possess it he could order to
Ifrit to do anything. It stands on a pillar." I asked her where was that
pillar. She told me its location and that it was in the shape of a vulture
and upon a writing which she could not read. She asked me to take a dish
and throw some musk into it. This would produce smoke and all Ifrit would appear before me. Then I could ask them to do anything for me.
I did
as she said to me, and when all Ifrit appeared before me, I asked them to
bind the Mareed who brought the girl here. They did that. Then I took my
wife and came to the city. I asked them the way to my home. They brought
me to seashore and boarded us in a vessel, till we reached Basaraa city.
My father-in-law was very happy to see us both. Then I fumigated the
vulture with musk and Ifrits flew to me from all sides. I ordered them to
transport all that was in the City of Brass to my house in Basaraa and the
ape too. I ordered them to shut the ape in a brass box and seal it. Now I
have lots of rare precious jewels and limitless money in my control. I can
command the Jinn to fulfill your any desire."
Then the Caliph bestowed on him
many imperial gifts in exchange of his presents.
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