81-2 - Joodar
and His Brethren:
History of the Moors
Joodar
came back to his mother and gave that money to her. She asked him -
"Where did you get this money?" He told her all that happened.
She said - "O Son, Do not go again to the lake Qaaroon. I fear from
Moors for you." Joodar said - "But I do by their own wishes,
what am I to do? This brings me a 100 Deenaars a day. I will not leave
going there until all the westerners have come there and none of them is
left."
So
next day, the third day, he went again to that lake and stood there, till
there came the third Moor and said - "Peace be with you, O
Joodar." Jodar thought, "How come that all know me?" and he
returned his greetings. The Moor asked him - "Have any Moors passed
by here?" Joodar said - "Two." "Where did they
go?" Joodar replied - "I tied their hands and cast them into the
lake, where they got drowned and the same fate is in store for you."
The Moor laughed and said - "Every life's term is fixed. Do the same
for me." And he gave a silken cord to him. So Joodar did the same
with him too.
Joodar
waited for a while, and the Moor showed his hands first above the water.
He cried - "Cast your net soon to take me out." So he cast the
net and drew him out of the lake. He had a fish as red as coral in his
each hand. He asked Joodar to bring the two caskets which were in his
saddle bags. Joodar brought them to him and opened them. He laid one fish
in each casket and shut them. Then he embraced Joodar, kissed him on his
cheek and said - "Allaah save you from all stresses. If you had not
cast your net on me and pulled me out, I should have kept holding these
two fishes till I drowned, for I could not come to the shore myself."
On the
610th Night
Joodar
said - "Tell me the whole history of the two downed men, these two
fishes and the Jew." The Moor said - "Know O Joodar, These two
who had drowned were my brothers by name Abd al-Salaam and Abd al-Ahad. My
own name is Abd al-Samad and the Jew is also my brother, his name is Abd
al-Raheem. He is not a Jew but a Maalikee. Our father whose name was Abd
al-Wadood, taught us magic and the art of solving mysteries and bringing
hoards (treasures) to light. We compelled the Ifrits and Mareeds of the
Jinn to serve us. Later our father died and left us much wealth. We
divided his treasure and Talismaans amongst ourselves, till we came to
books when we fell out over a volume called "The Fables of the
Ancients" which is not available anywhere at any price, not its value
can be estimated in jewels or gems, for in it are the particulars of all
the hidden hoards of the earth and the solution of every secret. Our
father used it and we also remembered some of it by heart, and each of us
desired to have it.
Now
when we were dividing the wealth, there was an old man also with us named
Kohan al-Abtan who brought up our father and taught him the divination. He
said to us, "Bring me the book." So we gave that book to him. He
said - "You are my son's son, and I cannot do any wrong with
anyone of you, so whoever wants to have this book, let him achieve the
treasure of al-Shamardal and bring me the celestial planisphere and the
Kohl-phial and the seal-ring and the sword.
For
the ring has a Mareed that serves Al-Raad al-Qaasif, and whosoever will
have him, no King or Sultaan can be against him. Even he can make that
person the master of the earth. If he says - "Slay your host."
the sword will come as a lightning and will kill the whole army. Whoever
will possess the planisphere, its possessor has only to turn its face
toward any country, and he will see that country and its people as they
were between his hands just sitting at his place. And if he wants to burn
any city, he can turn the planisphere towards the Sun saying, "Let
such and such city be burnt." The Kohl-phial has the power to show
one all the treasures of the earth after is has been applied in the eye.
And I make this condition with you that whoever fails to hit upon the hoards
will leave his rights; and only he who will achieve the treasure and bring
me those four things will have his claim on this book."
So we
all agreed to his condition. He further said - "O my sons, Know that
the treasure of al-Shamardal is under the commandment of the sons of Red
King; and your father told me that the Red King himself tried to open the
treasure, but could not open it as his sons fled from him to Egypt and
took refuge in a lake called Qaaroon. Although he pursued them there, but
could not control them because they hid in the lake which was guarded by a
spell."
On the
611th Night
Shaharzaad continued - "So
your father returned to me empty-handed complaining about it. Then I drew
an astrological figure and found that the treasure will be achieved only
by means of a fisherman of Cairo, Joodar bin Umar. He should be the means
of capturing the sons of the Red King and that the charm would not be
dissolved, except he should bind the hands of the treasure-seeker behind
him and cast him into the lake to battle with the sons of Red King. And he
whose fate is to succeed will lay hands upon them, but if it were not
destined to him he will die and his feet will appear above the water. Now
whoever is successful, his hands will show up first, and Joodar will draw
him out of the water by casting his net."
My
brothers - Abd al-Salaam and Abd al-Ahad, said - "We will go and
try for it whether we die or live." And I said - "I will also
go." but my brother Abd al-Raheem (the Jew) said - "I have no
mind upon this." So he went to Cairo in the disguise of a Jew, so
that if one of us dies in the lake, he might take his mule and saddle bags
and give the bearer a 100 Denaars. The first who came to you, the sons of
the Red King slew him; and so was done to my second brother; but they
could not kill me, and I caught them."
Joodar
cried - "And where is the catch?" The Moor asked - "Did you
not see me shutting them in the caskets?" "But those were
fishes." The Moor said - "No, They were Ifrits in the guise of
fish. But O Joodar, You must know that only you can open the treasure, so
tell me, will you go with me to the City Faiz and Maiquinaiz where we will
open the treasure; and after I will give you what you will, you will
always be my brother and return to your family happily." Joodar
said - "I have two brothers and a mother. I have their
responsibility; and if I will go with you, who shall give them bread to
eat?"
On the
612th Night
The Moor said - "This is lame excuse. If only this is the
reason, I will give you a 1,000 Ducats (Deenaars) for your mother till you
come back. You will certainly return before the end of four months."
Joodar said "Agreed." So the Moor took out the money and gave it
to Joodar who took it to his mother and told her the whole story and said
- "Keep these 1,000 Deenaars and spend them carefully while I go to
Morocco with the Moor. Bless me before I leave you." She said -
"I fear for you, my son." Joodar said - "No fear for whom
who is under Allaah's keeping."
So
Joodar took away the leave from his mother, went away and came to Moor.
The Moor asked - "Have you taken permission from your mother?"
"Yes, And she has blessed me." "OK, Then come and sit
behind me." Joodar sat behind him on the mule and they rode on.
|
