Al-Amin in njegov stric Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi

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Al-Amin in njegov stric Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi

It is told that al-Amin, the brother of al-Ma’mun, once entered the house of his uncle Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi and saw there a slave girl playing the lute. She was among the fairest of women, and his heart was drawn to her. His uncle Ibrahim noticed this, and sent her to him with sumptuous garments and precious jewels. When al-Amin saw her, he supposed that his uncle Ibrahim had lain with her, and for that reason was reluctant to be alone with her. He accepted the gifts she had brought but sent her back. Ibrahim learned what had happened from one of the servants, so he took a robe of brocade and wrote these two verses in gold upon its hem:

No, by Him before whom all foreheads bow, I know nothing of what lies beneath her hem; nor of her mouth, nor have I ever sought it—there has been nothing but talk and glances. Then he dressed her in the robe, gave her a lute, and sent her to al-Amin a second time. When she entered his presence, she kissed the ground before him, tuned the lute, and sang these two verses to its accompaniment:

By rejecting the gifts you have laid bare your heart, and your estrangement from me now stands revealed. If you bear a grudge for something past, then for the caliphate’s sake forgive what has gone before. When she had finished her verses, al-Amin looked at her and saw what was written upon the hem of her robe, and could no longer contain himself. But dawn overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

Then, when the four hundred and nineteenth night had come,

She said: It has reached me, O fortunate king, that when al-Amin looked at the girl and saw what was written upon the hem of her robe, he could no longer contain himself, but drew her close and kissed her. He set aside a private chamber for her, thanked his uncle Ibrahim for what he had done, and bestowed upon him the governorship of Rayy.