Prevod

In the days of the Caliph Harun Rashidi, Commander of the Faithful, he was sitting in his council chamber with his viziers when he saw a young servant enter. The servant said to him, “My lady, Sitti Zubede, sends her greetings. She has had a crown made to wear, but she is short of one jewel. She asks you to find her a large one.” He looked through his coffers and searched, but could find none as large as she wanted.

He said, “Bring me the crown, so that I may look at it.” The servant brought him the crown, which was made entirely of jewels. He showed it to the viziers sitting with him and said, “I want a jewel fit for the top of this crown.”

Each man went home to search for the jewel the Caliph wanted, but none could find it. Those they possessed were small and would not do for the top of the crown. They went among the wealthy merchants of the city, looking for a large jewel, but none was to be found.

Then a man spoke, saying to the Caliph, “The jewel you need is not to be found anywhere in Baghdad. But in Basra there is a young man named Mohammadi the Sluggard. You may find it there.”

The Caliph summoned his vizier, Masruri Sayafi, and told him, “Take a letter and travel to Basra, to the governor, Mohammad Zabidi.” He was the Caliph’s governor in the land of Basra.

Masruri Sayafi was given the letter and set out overland with a large company of soldiers. They travelled until they reached Basra, where they went to the governor, Mohammad Zabidi.

He brought out the letter and gave it to him to read. When the governor had finished reading, he welcomed him into his house and prepared a great feast, and they went in and ate. When they had finished, Masruri said to him, “I have no orders to stay with you. My orders are to give you the letter and, once you have read it, to go with you to Mohammadi the Sluggard. So let us leave at once.” They went out together and made their way to Mohammadi the Sluggard. The vizier Masruri Sayafi brought out the letter from Harun Rashidi. Mohammadi received it with both hands, opened it respectfully, and read the Caliph’s letter.

When he had finished reading, he said, “Welcome to my house.” Masruri replied, “I have no orders to enter your house. I was told to give you the letter and, when you had read it, to set out with you. For the Caliph told me, ‘Do not linger. Give him the letter and come back together.’” On hearing this, Mohammadi said, “I hear and obey. But please, have a cup of coffee.” He replied, “I was not ordered to drink coffee in your house.” Mohammadi said, “You must drink my coffee.” He pressed him so insistently that at last he reluctantly agreed. He entered the house and went upstairs to the reception room, where his host welcomed him in and invited him to sit.

Once he was seated, a purse of five hundred dinars was brought to him. His host said, “Please go into the bath, for you have endured many days of overland travel and must be tired. Do, please, take a bath.”

So he rose and went into the bath, whose pools were filled with rosewater. He stepped in and bathed. Young servants and eunuchs came and rubbed him with silk cloths. When he had finished, he came out and was given garments with which to dry himself, all of silk and gold brocade. He dried himself, and when he took them off, a bundle of other clothes was brought to him, finer still than those he had used to dry himself. He dressed, while the others were folded and put beside the purse he had been given earlier. Then he went to the reception room and sat down.

As he sat there, he raised his eyes and looked at the room, its ornaments, and the carpets spread upon the floor. He marvelled greatly, thinking to himself, “Not even the Caliph’s chamber is adorned like this.” Water was brought, and he, Masruri Sayafi, washed his hands, as did the governor, Mohammad Zabidi, and everyone else in the room. When they had finished washing, young servants came in bearing food, which they set out, and they ate. When the meal was over, he thought that such dishes were hardly to be found in this world.

He was given a bedroom. When he entered the room prepared for his rest, slave girls came in, dressed in splendid garments, each carrying a musical instrument. They played and sang to entertain him, while others danced and recited verses in his praise. He grew sleepy and lay down for his afternoon sleep.

When he awoke, attendants were already waiting at the door to accompany him to the bath. He went there and took off his clothes, which were folded and placed with the first set. He entered the bath and found everything as before, only more splendid. When he came out, he was given clothes with which to dry himself. Once dry, he took off these garments of silk and gold brocade, and another set was brought for him to wear to the reception room, every garment precious. He dressed and went out.

As he emerged, the food was ready. They went in and ate, then sat talking until night fell, when another room was prepared for him. He went to bed. Looking about that chamber at its decorations and furnishings, he saw that it surpassed the room where he had slept during the day. He slept until morning.

When he awoke, attendants came and took him to the bath. On coming out, he was given another set of clothes with which to dry himself, and afterward fresh garments were brought for him to wear. Those he had worn before were folded and put away, and every time clothes were brought to him, they came with a purse of five hundred dinars.

He went out and ate. When they had finished, he said to Mohammadi the Sluggard, “I have no permission to stay two days, and today is already the second. Make ready, then, and let us be on our way.”

Mohammadi replied, “Wait until this day is over, for I need mules to carry the gifts I am taking to the Caliph.” Masruri said, “I grant you today.” Mohammadi busied himself with his preparations throughout the day, while his guest passed the time at ease until sunset. Then the vizier Masruri Sayafi went into the bath. When he emerged, clothes like the earlier ones were brought for him to wear. Every garment he took off was folded and placed in a chest, together with a purse of five hundred dinars. All these clothes and all this money belonged to Masruri Sayafi himself.

They remained until morning, then prepared to depart. Four hundred mules were brought to carry Mohammadi the Sluggard’s belongings. They loaded them, and he ordered two of his own mules to be saddled with golden saddles, golden bridles, and silken reins. Mohammadi the Sluggard mounted one, and the vizier Masruri Sayafi mounted the other. With the governor, Mohammad Zabidi, they set out for the Caliph in Baghdad, travelling with a great company.

When the sun went down, they pitched their tents and slept. Mohammadi the Sluggard’s tent was of silk, with poles of aloeswood, and there he and the vizier Masruri Sayafi slept.

In the morning they rose, brought out their food and drink, and ate and drank. When they had finished, their beasts were saddled and they mounted. So they continued: at sunset they rested, and at daybreak they travelled on. During the journey, the vizier Masruri Sayafi thought to himself, “When I reach the Caliph, I shall tell him to ask how this man came by such great wealth. For I knew his father, who was a cupper in a bathhouse.”

They went on until they reached the Caliph and offered their greetings before him. The Caliph was seated with his viziers around him, and he welcomed them. Mohammadi the Sluggard fell at the Caliph’s feet and said, “I beg your pardon, for there is something I wish to tell you.” The Caliph said, “Speak.” Mohammadi raised his face and looked upward. He moved his lips, and the space above the palace opened, revealing palaces and gardens, with trees whose leaves were pearls and whose fruit was coral.

The Caliph was utterly astonished. He asked him, “Where did you get all this wealth? We knew you only as Mohammadi the Sluggard, and your father was a cupper in a bathhouse. How, then, did you come by all these things?” He answered, “If you command me, I shall tell you my story. Nor have I brought you these things out of fear, but because I considered them fit for none but you, my sovereign. If you wish to hear my story, I shall tell it.” The sovereign gave him leave, saying, “Tell your story.”

He said, “Long ago, when I was young and my father had died, I was so lazy that my mother had to feed me. When I lay down, I could not even turn onto my other side; my mother had to come and turn me over. She would go begging, and whatever she obtained, she fed to me. I lived in this idleness for fifteen years.

“Then one day my mother went out begging and obtained five dirhams. She came to where I lay at home and said, ‘Today I went begging and received these five dirhams. Take them to Sheikh Abalmathfar. The sheikh is setting out on a voyage to China. Take him these five dirhams, and perhaps he will buy you some merchandise there, so that you may make a profit here. The sheikh is a devout man who loves the poor. Get up, then, and take him these five dirhams.’ I answered, ‘Mother, I cannot go, and do not speak to me of this again.’ She said, ‘If you will not go, I shall abandon you. I shall give you neither food nor water. If you lie in the sun, I shall not move you; I shall leave you to die of hunger.’ She swore an oath to me, and I saw that I should indeed die.

“I said to her, ‘If it must be so, bring my shoes here.’ She brought them, and I said, ‘Put them on my feet.’ She put them on. I said, ‘Give me my kanzu,’ and she brought it. I said, ‘Put it on me.’ She also gave me a cloth to wrap about myself. Then I said, ‘Give me my walking stick, so that I may lean on it.’ She brought it near. I said, ‘Lift me up, then, so that I can stand,’ and she lifted me. I said, ‘Stay behind me and push, so that I can walk.’ And so we went, with her pushing me while I lifted one foot at a time, until we reached the shore. We looked for Sheikh Abalmathfar and found him loading his ship.

“When he saw me, he was astonished and said, ‘What has happened today, that you have come all the way to the shore?’ I gave him my five dirhams and said, ‘I entrust this to you. Take it with you and buy me merchandise wherever you are going. That is why I have come to the shore.’ Sheikh Abalmathfar accepted the money. Then I returned home and resumed my old ways, lying down, being fed, and having water given to me.

“The sheikh sailed away to China. They carried on their trading until they were finished, then set sail again. They had travelled for two days before he remembered my dirhams, which he had forgotten, buying me nothing. He said to his fellow merchants, ‘We must turn back. I have forgotten what Mohammadi the Sluggard entrusted to me.’ His fellow merchants replied, ‘Would you turn back for five dirhams, when we have loaded so much wealth aboard the ship?’ He said, ‘If you will not turn back, each of you must set aside a fixed sum for him.’ The merchants agreed.

“They sailed on until they reached an island called Sunudi. They went ashore to rest from the hardships of the sea and walked about the town.

“The sheikh to whom I had entrusted my money passed a shop and saw monkeys tethered there. Among them was a small one that had lost all its fur, and the others kept beating it. When the sheikh saw it, he took pity on it, asked its owner for it, and bought it with my five dirhams. He intended to bring it to me as a plaything, knowing that I had no occupation.

“They sailed on until they reached a second island, called Sodani, whose inhabitants and their fellows ate human flesh. When they saw the ship arrive, they boarded it and bound everyone aboard. Some they slaughtered and ate. Sheikh Abalmathfar remained, with two of his companions and half the sailors. They were kept bound, to be slaughtered in the morning.

“When night came, the monkey got up and first untied itself. Then it freed Sheikh Abalmathfar, and afterward all the remaining companions, until it had released them all. Finding themselves free, the sheikh and the others fled to their ship. They found it still sound and undamaged, hoisted sail, and escaped. They continued their voyage home across the sea.

“Now, the men aboard that ship used to dive for pearls. When the monkey saw them diving, it plunged in with them. The sheikh said, ‘Now I have lost that poor soul’s good fortune altogether.’ But when the men came back, the monkey returned with them. It too had brought pearls, finer than any the men had found, and it threw them down at its master’s feet.

“Then the sheikh said to his companions, ‘We should never have escaped but for this monkey. Let each man give twelve hundred dinars, to be taken to its master as the ransom for his life.’ They gave the money, and Sheikh Abalmathfar gathered it together with the pearls the monkey had found. He packed the proceeds of my five dirhams into chests, locked them, and marked them with the name of Mohammadi the Sluggard.

“They sailed on until they reached Basra, where they fired their cannon and went ashore. My mother heard that Sheikh Abalmathfar had returned and came to tell me, ‘Go and see Sheikh Abalmathfar, and shake his hand to welcome him safely home.’ I said, ‘I cannot go. Come and lift me up.’ She lifted me and put on my shoes and clothes. Then I said, ‘Give me my stick,’ and she gave it to me. I said, ‘Stand behind me and push.’ She stood behind me and pushed, and I lifted one foot; she pushed again, and I lifted the other, until at last we arrived.

“I met him and shook his hand. He asked after my health, then said, ‘What you entrusted to me will be delivered to your house.’ When our greetings were over, we left, and my mother pushed me all the way home. Once there, I returned to my place and lay down.

“A little while later, a man came in and handed me a monkey. He said, ‘Greetings from Sheikh Abalmathfar.’ I accepted the monkey and let it loose, and the man who had brought it went away.

“I called my mother, and when she came, I showed it to her and said, ‘What a grand thing Sheikh Abalmathfar has brought me! Here monkeys sell at ten for a dirham, yet for five dirhams he has brought me just one.’

“Before I had finished saying this to my mother, I heard someone knock and call, ‘May I come in?’ I said, ‘Come in.’ He entered carrying keys and handed them to me. Behind him I saw porters coming in with astonishingly large chests. He said, ‘These are the keys to these chests.’ I asked, ‘Why have you brought these chests to me?’ He replied, ‘This is what came of the money you entrusted to him to buy merchandise for you.’

“I said, ‘Sheikh Abalmathfar has no reason to mock me, a poor servant of God. I am a young man before him, and he is my elder. He has no reason to make fun of me. What did I give him, that he should bring me these chests? I gave him five dirhams, and this monkey he has sent is what those five dirhams bought. He has no reason to make a mockery of me, a poor servant of God.’

“The man who had delivered the chests said, ‘He is not mocking you, by God. He is not a man to make fun of you. He will be here himself in a moment.’

“We had scarcely finished speaking when I heard, ‘May I come in?’ I looked and saw Sheikh Abalmathfar. I rose of my own accord, sat upright, and welcomed him.

“He sat down and told me his story from beginning to end, describing all that had happened since they set sail. He said, ‘These chests and everything in them are your profit, and this monkey is your original capital.’ He earnestly begged my pardon, saying, ‘I am not a man to make a mockery of you.’ We took leave of one another, and he went away.

“We opened a chest, looked inside, and saw great wealth. My mother said to me, ‘You were idle and had nothing, but now Almighty God has blessed you. Get up, then, and find a fine house to live in.’ So I rose and went to look for a house. I bought a fine one and bought furnishings for it. I bought household slaves, slave girls, slaves born in the country, and Abyssinians, and installed them in my house. Everything the house required I bought and put in its place. I also bought merchandise and opened a shop.

“I would sit in the shop, with my monkey beside me. One morning the monkey went out and did not return until evening. When it came back, it carried a purse in its mouth. It came up to me and laid it before me. I took the purse, opened it, and looked inside. It contained gold. I poured out the gold coins and counted five hundred. I put them away and remained there until morning. When I ate, the monkey came and ate with me. So it continued: it went out in the morning and returned with a purse of gold coins. Many days passed in this way.

“Then one night, as I lay asleep in my upper room, the monkey came to me and greeted me. I returned its greeting, but my heart was troubled and I was terribly afraid to hear a monkey speak. It said, ‘Mohammadi, do not be afraid. Almighty God has caused me to become a monkey, but I am no monkey: I am a marid jinn. Almighty God has made me the key to your good fortune, to bring you out of poverty. Do not be afraid. There is something I wish to tell you. You were a poor man, with nothing before you and nothing behind you. Almighty God caused me to be changed into a monkey for your sake, so that you might gain wealth. Yet what you possess is not true prosperity, for you have no wife. I have found a woman for you and wish you to marry her. Once you have this wife, your heart will be at ease, and you will gain still greater wealth.’

“I asked, ‘Who is this woman?’ It said, ‘Tomorrow morning, make yourself handsome and dress in your finest clothes. Saddle your mule with golden trappings, take some of the best young servants among your slaves, and go to the fodder market. Go to a certain veranda, where you will see a sharif dressed in the garments of a devout man. Approach him, greet him, and explain that you seek a wife and have come to ask for his daughter’s hand. He will tell you that you have neither lineage nor pedigree. Say to him, “My lineage is a thousand dinars, and my pedigree another thousand.” Tell him all that you wish, and when you have given him your lineage and pedigree, he will consent. But he will demand a great deal of money. Whatever he asks, give it to him, and do not be stingy. Once you are married, you will recover all you have spent, and more besides.’ We parted, and I went to sleep.

“At daybreak I did as it had told me. I arrayed myself, my slaves, and my mule in splendour, mounted, and went to that market. I found the sharif and greeted him, and he returned my greeting. I respectfully made my request and explained my purpose. He answered in the very words the monkey had foretold, saying, ‘You have neither lineage nor pedigree.’ I gave him two thousand dinars, a thousand for lineage and a thousand for pedigree. He consented and laid down his conditions.

“He said, ‘A thousand dinars for the marriage payment, a thousand for clothes, and a thousand for my turban.’ I gave him five thousand dinars, then took out another thousand and distributed them among those present, and I was married. When the marriage ceremony was over, I went and told the monkey that I had married.

“It said, ‘Now the world will prosper for you. Go and arrange the hour when you are to enter your bride’s house, for there is something I wish to tell you.’ I went and arranged the hour, then returned and told it, ‘It is settled.’

“Then it said, ‘On the night you enter the house, after you pass through the first doorway, look into the courtyard. You will see a door on the left, with a ring on it and a key in the ring. Unlock it and go inside. You will see a great chest filling the storeroom. On the chest is a cooking pot, and on the pot is a bowl, and in the bowl is water. On your left is a red cock, and on your right is a knife inscribed with talismans. Take that knife and slaughter the cock over the chest. When you have slaughtered it, pour the water from the bowl and wash the knife. Once you have done this, you will see the chest open, and inside it you will find treasure of which even the sharif knows nothing. When you have obtained it, you will live at ease. For Almighty God made me a monkey so that I might become the key to your good fortune. You will enjoy your life, and I shall go my way. But you must do exactly as I have said. If you do not, you will see no good, only evil.’

“I told it, ‘I shall do as you have said.’ I went and entered the house, carrying out its instructions. As I opened that door, I heard the young woman, the sharif’s daughter whom I had married, cry, ‘The jinn has taken me!’ When I had finished inside and came out, I went to my wife’s room, but she was gone. The jinn had already carried her away. I became like a madman. Her father, the sharif, heard the news and at once came to the house, weeping, beating himself, and tearing his clothes. When he reached me, he said, ‘This is what he wanted! Long ago I saw that the jinn wished to steal my child, so I bound him with these talismans, which you have now undone. Those were the spells that held him bound and changed him into a monkey. Now you have come and freed him, robbing me of my child. It would be best for you to leave my sight, for I loved my daughter and grieve for her. Do not make me harm you.’

“When he said this, I saw how matters stood. I rose and went home, where I sat down to think and ponder. But I found I could not remain in the house, so I went out to search for my wife. I set off without knowing where to go. I took a path that led into the forest.

“There I saw two snakes, one white and one black. The black one was pursuing the white with its mouth open. I stepped forward, struck the black snake, and killed it. The white one went away. Then I saw it returning with three other white snakes like itself. They seized the black snake, cut it into little pieces, and scattered them. They said to me, ‘Your kindness will not go unrewarded.’

“They asked, ‘Are you not Mohammadi the Sluggard?’ I told them, ‘I am indeed the Sluggard.’ They said again, ‘Your kindness will not go unrewarded. We know what has driven you from home. It is because of the woman, the sharif’s daughter. That marid had long wished to steal her. He was no monkey, but a jinn, and what he told you about treasure was a lie. It was no treasure: those were the bonds with which the sharif had bound him and changed him into a monkey. Now, God willing, you will find your wife.’

“One of them went away and returned with a man of astonishing size. He asked him, ‘Do you know so-and-so?’ The one he named was the marid who had been a monkey. The great man answered, ‘I know him. He has now returned to his former shape, and he has obtained and carried off the woman for whom he had been waiting. He has gone to the city of Nubas, for he found that nowhere else in all the world could shelter him.’

“Then they told him, ‘Take this master of yours and go with him to the city of Nubas, where his wife is.’ He said, ‘I obey.’ They told him to bend down, and when he did, they lifted me onto his back. One of them said to me, ‘This is a marid. While you are on his back, do not invoke the name of Almighty God, for if you invoke God’s name, he will melt away, since he is a marid.’ I told them, ‘I shall not invoke it.’

“He said to me, ‘Hold tightly to me.’ I held on fast. Once I had secured myself, he took flight and rose into the air with me upon his back. He soared so high that the earth I had been looking down upon vanished from sight, and I could see nothing but the air. We travelled on until we heard the angels singing praises in heaven, while he continued to climb with fierce determination.

“As we rose, I saw a young man of great beauty, wearing a turban of green shawl-cloth and carrying a fiery meteor. He called me by name: ‘Mohammadi the Sluggard!’ I answered him, and he said, ‘Invoke the name of Almighty God, or I shall strike you with this meteor.’ So I invoked it.

“The instant I did so, the jinn let me fall from his back. As he released me, the young man struck him with the meteor he held, and he melted like lead.

“I went falling down until I reached the earth, and plunged into the sea. As I fell, I saw a fishing boat. When the fishermen saw me, they came and picked me up, taking me aboard. They brought out fish, roasted them for me, and I ate. After eating, I soon felt well again. They spoke to me, but we could not understand one another’s language.

“They took me with them to their king. Their king spoke Arabic, and the country itself was one of the lands of India. The king addressed me in Arabic and asked my story: where I came from, how I had travelled, and how I came to be picked up in the sea. I told him all that had happened to me. The king summoned his vizier, placed me in his care, and said, ‘Keep him with you and treat him well until he recovers.’ So I followed him. He gave me a fine house, a comfortable bed, and good food, and treated me kindly in every way.

“I stayed with him for some time. The house where I lived had a garden, and one day I opened a window overlooking it and gazed out. I was greatly taken with the garden. I saw a stream running through it and wished to bathe there. I went down, entered the water, and bathed. Then I followed the stream, and it led me out of the city.

I was bewildered, knowing neither where I had come from nor where I was going, like a man struck senseless. Just then I saw a man on horseback, who rode up to where I stood. He called me by name and said, “Your kindness has not been forgotten.” He asked, “Do you know me?” I told him, “I do not.” He said, “I am the brother of that white snake. Now I have come to fulfil our promise.” He beckoned to me and said, “Come, let us mount the horse.” We both mounted and rode away. He told me, “We are now approaching the city of Nuhas.” Still I knew neither where I had come from nor where I was going. I knew neither what lay ahead nor what lay behind; I had lost all sense of myself. We went on until we came to a rocky height, with a river flowing beneath it. There we dismounted. When I looked for him after getting down, he was nowhere to be seen.

So I found myself once more in the same bewildered state as before, and sat there for a little while. Then I heard someone greet me, and I returned his greeting. He asked, “Do you know me?” I told him, “I do not.” He said, “I am the brother of the white snake. There are three of us, and each of the others has done what he could for you. Now I too have come to do what I can. We have reached the city of Nuhas. There it is, before your eyes.”

I said to him, “I see it, but how am I to enter?” He drew out a sword and gave it to me, saying, “Take this sword.” The blade was covered with talismanic inscriptions. I took hold of it and asked him, “Where is the way in? The gate of Nuhas cannot be opened by one man, nor by two, nor even by three, and it is shut. Where am I to pass through?” He told me, “Follow the river. It flows into the city of Nuhas.”

I followed the river, carrying my sword in my hand, until I entered the city. Once inside, I saw wonders of every kind, things I knew and things I had never seen before. I went on through the city with my sword in my hand, walking about its streets. I could see the inhabitants, but they could not see me, because of the talismans inscribed upon my sword.

I wandered about until I saw a woman—my wife. The moment I saw her, I knew her, and she knew me. I went up to her, and we greeted one another and exchanged our news. I asked her, “Who brought you here?” She told me, “It was that ape who brought me. When you had finished performing that rite, I saw a man who seized me, and we did not stop anywhere until we reached this place. Wherever else he wished to settle, he could find no rest; only here, for no human being could ever hope to reach this place. So he brought me here to keep me. He has gone away on his wanderings, and comes here only at his appointed times. But now have no fear. Since you have reached this place and we have found one another, we shall return home.”

Then she told me about him. “He holds command over all the jinn in this city of Nuhas,” she said. “He performs rites by which he binds them to his will. Now go,” she instructed me. “You will find an iron bar with a ring attached to it, and there will be a censer and incense. Take the incense, put it in the censer, and fumigate the bar, reciting the proper incantations. Then take this ring and strike it against the ring attached to the bar. Jinn of every kind will appear before you, each trembling for his own safety. When they come, they will say, ‘We are your slaves, and yours is the command. Order us to do whatever you wish, and we shall do it.’ Once they have come, the command is yours, and what you choose to do to him will be for you to decide.”

These were my wife’s instructions. I rose and hurried to where the iron bar stood, and did as she had told me. As soon as I struck it, I saw beings appearing before me: some with one eye, some with one arm, some with one leg. They came in every shape and form. They said, “What is your wish? We are your slaves, and yours is the command. Say what you desire.” I asked them, “Where is the marid who brought a woman here, the one who was turned into an ape?” They told me, “He is away on his wanderings. He has been gone for two months, and now it is time for him to return.” I said, “Make haste! Bind him and bring him here.” At once I saw him brought before me, his hands bound behind his back. I asked him, “Are you the one who carried off that young woman?” He answered, “I am.” Then I told him, “The Sharif turned you into an ape and cast you out into the world, but I shall shut you in a brass bottle and cast you into the sea.”

So I took him and shut him in a brass bottle. I carried him to the young woman, and together we threw him into the sea. Then I commanded the jinn to gather up every precious thing and every gift. My wife and I sat upon a couch, with the iron bar, the censer and its incense, and everything else that pleased me. Then I ordered the jinn to carry us away.

The jinn bore us to the city of Basra and set me down inside my own house. In the morning I sent for my father-in-law, the Sharif, and he came with my mother, my relatives, and those I loved. We met in great joy, talking and laughing. I held another wedding feast, a splendid celebration full of rejoicing, and the young woman’s father was overjoyed. So we settled down happily, talking and laughing together.

“Now, do not say that I have done this for you out of fear. Rather, I saw that these things were of no use to me, and thought it better to give them to you. You are the Caliph, a great man, while I am but a humble one.”

The Caliph said to him, “Thank you. Remain here, and do not return to Basra.” Men were sent to Basra to fetch his possessions. They brought them to Baghdad, and he settled there in comfort and contentment.