83-4 - Noor
al-Deen Alee and the Damsel Anees al-Jalees:
Noor is Saved by the Caliph
Seeing
the two young people and Ibraaheem, the Caliph got very angry and said to
Zaafar - "Come and see yourself, who allowed them to enter here? But by
Allaah, I have never seen such beauties before." Then Zaafar also climbed
up the tree and saw the same what the Caliph saw just now. He started
trembling in fear. In the meantime, Anees asked Ibraaheem to bring some
instrument, and Ibraaheem got up and brought the instrument. The Caliph
said - "By Allaah, If she did not sing well, I will crucify all of you;
but if she will sin well, I will pardon them and crucify only you." Zaafar
prayed - "O Allaah, Let her not sing well." "Why?" "Because then you will
crucify all of us, so at least we all will have each other's company." The
Caliph laughed at his speech.
The
girl started singing and she sang so well that the Caliph's anger went
away. Zaafar got very happy to see this and both came down. Now the Caliph
insisted that he would like to hear her music sitting with them. Zaafar
stopped him doing so saying - "The girl might be frightened by this, and
Ibraaheem might die with embarrassment." The Caliph said - "Then tell me
some other way so that I can listen to her music sitting there only."
They
went to the banks of Tigris and presently saw a fisherman fishing standing
near the pavilion window. Now only a few days ago the Caliph asked
Ibraaheem to stop all fisherman fishing there. The Caliph went to the
fisherman and called him - "Kareem." Kareem started trembling with fear
and asked his forgiveness saying - "It is only because of poverty, Sir."
The Caliph asked him to cast his net in his name, which he did and caught
many fishes. The Caliph warned him not to do this again. Then he exchanged
his coarse woolen coat and the turban never unwound for three years with
his own clothes and asked him to go his way. The fisherman thanked him for
his kindness and went away.
The
Caliph took up the basket of fish, put some green grass over it and went
to Zaafar. Zaafar took him as Kareem and asked him to go from there
immediately. The Caliph laughed and said - "When you, my Vazeer, could not
recognize me, then how can anyone else can recognize me, so I am OK now.
Let us go to those people now." And the all went there where the trio were
making merriment. The Caliph knocked the door and Ibraaheem asked - "Who
is it?" The Caliph said - "I am Kareem. I saw you making some feast so I
have brought you some fish." Ibraaheem saw the fresh fish still jumping in
the basket. The girl said - "If these fish were fried." Ibraaheem asked
Kareem - "Why didn't you bring us these fish already fried?" "So be it."
The
Caliph first went to Zaafar and told him that they wanted the fish fried,
and then he went to gardener's hut to fry the fish. When it was ready, he
laid them on a banana leaf along with fresh fruits, lemon, lime etc, all
gathered from the garden and presented to them. All of them ate them and
got very happy. Noor took out three Deenaars and giving them to the
fisherman said - "If I had known you before what has befallen me, I would
have made you rich; but for now this is the only thing I can give to you."
Keeping the money in his pocket, the Caliph said - "That is fine, but tell
your girl to sing loudly so that I can also hear it." Anees sang so well
that the Caliph exclaimed - "By Allaah, it is very good." Then he said to
Noor al-Deen - "You are fortunate to have such a good girl." Anees again
sang some more lines. Noor also accompanied her. Their song told the
Caliph that he deceived her master and he had a claim on them. So the
caliph asked Noor as who was it? Noor asked - "Will you hear my story in
prose or verses?" The Caliph answered - "The prose is a wordy thing but
the verses are pearls on strings." The Noor told him his story in verses.
The Caliph asked him where did he want to go now." "Anywhere, Allaah's
world is wide."
The
Caliph said - "I will write a letter to the Sultaan Muhammad bin Sulaimaan
al-Zainee and he will not hurt you after reading that." Noor laughed and
said - "What? On a fisherman's letter to the Sultaan, the Sultaan will not
hurt me?"
On the
38th Night
The Caliph said - "You are right, but what happened that we both
attended the same school under one schoolmaster. I was his monitor. Allaah
made him the Sultaan and me the fisherman. Since that day, I do not ask
him anything still he takes care of me." "OK, Then write the letter, so
that I may see."
The
Caliph took ink and a pen and wrote a letter to the Sultaan that as soon
as he receives this letter from Haaroon al-Rasheed, he should invest all
powers to Noor as before. Do not disobey me." Noor took he letter, kept it
in his turban and started for Basaraa.
So Noor came to Basaraa, went to the Sultaan, kissed the ground before him
and presented the Caliph's letter to him. The Sultaan took the letter, kissed it
three times and after reading it, he called four Qaazees and the Ameers and
was about to divest his royal robe, that al-Mueen came in. The Sultaan
gave him the Caliph's letter. He read it and tore it to pieces. The Sultaan
got very angry at this asked him - "What did you do?" Al-Mueen
said - "This man has never met the Caliph and his Vazeer. He has got
some paper written in Caliph's handwriting which served his purpose. The
Caliph would certainly not send him to take the Saltanat from you without
the imperial autograph and the Diploma of investiture; and he would have
certainly dispatched with him an official or a Minister. He has come
alone, so he has not come from the Caliph, never, never."
The
Sultaan asked him - "Then what is to be done?" "Leave him
to me, I will send him back to Bagadaad city under the charge of an
official. If he is speaking truth, they will send him again with autograph
and investiture. And if not, I will take my due out of this debtor."
So the Sultaan handed him over to al-Mueen. Al-Mueen took him to his house
and beat him till he fainted. Then he put chains in his feet and took him
to the jail. He kept him there in an underground cell and tortured him day
and night. But the jailor who was given his charge treated him kindly. He
loosened his chains and did not beat him too.
On the
41st day, a present came from the Caliph for the Sultaan, so the Sultaan
got very happy, but then he came to know that it was not for him, but for
the new Sultaan. Al-Mueen said - "It had been better if we had put
him to death the day he came." The Sultaan said - "Go and fetch
him so that I can cut his head." Then he announced in the city that
"whoever would like to see beheading Noor, let him come to the
palace." When people heard this they wept, even the little ones,
merchants, traders.
The
jailor took off his clean clothes and dressed him in two filthy vests and
took him to the Vazeer. The Vazeer ordered Noor to mount on the bare back
of a mule and ask people to throw stones at him. Noor said - "Do not
do so. Nobody dies before his death day is decreed." But they gave
him a round of the city and brought him beneath the palace windows. The
executioner came and asked him - "I am but slave in this
matter, tell me your desire that I may fulfill it." Noor looked to
his left and to his right, before and behind him and asked him some water
to drink. He brought some water for him, but Vazeer sprang up from his
place, took the pot from his hand and broke it. Then he cried at the
executioner to cut his head.
So he
covered his eyes, and a loud wail rose from the crowd. At the same moment,
a cloud of dust rose. The Sultaan asked al-Mueen to find out about it, he
replied - "Not until we have beheaded him." "No, Wait till
we have found out what is this all about?" Now this dust was because
Zaafar was coming with his people. What happened that the Caliph did not
remember Noor for 30 days, nor anybody reminded him, till one day when he
was passing by Anees' room and he heard her weeping and singing.
He
entered her room and asked her - "Who are you?" "I am the
one whom Noor gave you as a gift, and you promised him to send me to him
with the robe of honor. I have not slept for 30 days." So the Caliph
said to Zaafar - "We have not heard anything from Noor and I suppose
that the Sultaan has slain him, but if this has happened, I will slay him
whoever is the cause of this. So you go to Basaraa and bring the news of
my cousin Muhammad as how he had dealt with Noor. Tell him the whole story
of Noor and how I sent him to him with my written order. Bring the Sultaan
and his Vazeer to me."
So
Zaafar set out to Basaraa and reached there in time. He asked - "What
is this gathering?" The people told him about Noor. He quickly came
to the Sultaan and told him the purpose of his coming. He took the custody
of the King and his Vazeer, released Noor, and enthroned him as the
Sultaan. He stayed in Basaraa for three days. On the 4th day morning Noor
said - "I long to see the Caliph." Zaafar said - "OK, Say
your prayers, and get ready for the journey." The Vazeer was
repenting for what he had done with Noor.
When
they had come to Bagadaad and the Caliph found that Noor was at the point
of death, he gave a sword to him and asked him to cut the head of his
enemy. He too the sword, stepped up to al-Mueen who looked at him and said
- "I did according to my mother's milk, you do according to
yours." Upon this, Noor threw the sword and said to the Caliph -
"He has flattered me with his words." The Caliph said -
"Leave him then." Then he said to Masaroor - "You cut his
head." So Masaroor rose and cut his head.
The
Caliph asked Noor to ask for a boon from him. He said - "I don't need
the kingship of Basaraa, I wish to serve you only just by seeing
you." So the Caliph sent for Anees, bestowed plentiful favors upon
both and gave them one of his palaces in Bagadaad. He made Noor one of his
cup-companions. Noor lived there till his death came.
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