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It is also related that a certain learned man said: “Among women, I have never seen anyone quicker of mind, keener of understanding, richer in knowledge, more gifted in expression, or more gracious in manner than a woman preacher from Baghdad known as Sayyidat al-Mashayikh, the Lady of the Shaykhs. She happened to come to the city of Hama in the year five hundred and sixty-one, and there she would sit upon the preaching chair and deliver sermons that soothed the soul. Groups of students of jurisprudence and men of learning and letters used to visit her house, putting questions of law to her and debating disputed points. I went to see her with a companion versed in literature. When we had taken our seats, she set a platter of fruit before us and seated herself behind a curtain, while a handsome brother of hers stood attending to us. After we had eaten, we began discussing jurisprudence. I asked her about a legal question on which the imams differed, and she began to answer while I listened closely. My companion, meanwhile, kept gazing at her brother’s face and admiring his beauty, paying no heed to her words, though she was watching him from behind the curtain. When she had finished speaking, she turned to him and said, ‘I take you to be one of those who prefer men to women.’ ‘Indeed I am,’ he replied. ‘And why is that?’ she asked. ‘Because God has given the male precedence over the female,’ he answered.” But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

Then, when it was the four hundred and twentieth night,

She said: “It has reached me, O fortunate King, that the shaykh answered her, ‘Because God has given the male precedence over the female, and I love the superior and dislike the inferior.’ She laughed, then said, ‘Will you deal fairly with me in debate if I dispute this matter with you?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Then what proof have you that the male is superior to the female?’ she asked. He said, ‘Both received authority and reason. As for received authority, there are the Book and the Sunna. In the Book, the Almighty says, “Men are the guardians of women, because God has favored some over others”; and He says, “If there are not two men, then one man and two women”; and, concerning inheritance, He says, “If they are brothers and sisters, the male shall have the share of two females.” Thus God—glorified and exalted be He—has favored the male over the female in these passages and declared the female to count for half the male, because he is superior to her. As for the Sunna, it is related that the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, fixed a woman’s blood money at half that of a man. As for reason, the male is the doer and the female the one acted upon, and the doer is superior to the one acted upon.’ She said to him, ‘Well spoken, my lord! Yet, by God, your own tongue has made my case against you, and the proof you have uttered tells against you, not in your favor. For God—glorified and exalted be He—has preferred the male to the female solely by virtue of maleness, and on that point you and I have no quarrel. An infant, a boy, a young man, a middle-aged man, and an old man all share that quality equally, without distinction. If his superiority comes from maleness alone, your inclination should draw you to an old man, and your heart should delight in him, just as it delights in a young man, since there is no difference between them in maleness. But our dispute concerns those qualities sought in pleasant companionship and enjoyment, and you have offered no proof that a young man is superior to a woman in these.’ He replied, ‘My lady, do you not know the special gifts of a young man: his shapely figure, rosy cheeks, charming smile, and sweet speech? In these respects young men surpass women. The proof is the saying related of the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace: “Do not gaze long upon beardless youths, for in them is a glimpse of the wide-eyed maidens of Paradise.” The superiority of a young man to a maiden is plain to everyone. How well Abu Nuwas said:

“Among the least of his virtues is this: you need fear neither his monthly blood nor his pregnancy.” And another poet said: “The master Abu Nuwas, whose authority is followed in the laws of wantonness and pleasure, declared: O people who love the down upon a cheek, enjoy a delight that is not to be found in everlasting Paradise!” Moreover, when someone goes to great lengths in describing a maiden, seeking to commend her by recounting her beauties, he compares her to a young man.” But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

Then, when it was the four hundred and twenty-first night,

She said: “It has reached me, O fortunate King, that the shaykh said, ‘Moreover, when someone goes to great lengths in describing a maiden, seeking to commend her by recounting her beauties, he compares her to a young man because of his excellent qualities, as the poet says:

“With boyish hips she sways in youthful grace, as a branch sways in the north wind.” Were a young man not finer and more beautiful, a maiden would not be likened to him. Know, too—may God Most High preserve you—that a young man is easy to lead, compliant with one’s wishes, pleasant in companionship and character, and inclined to harmony rather than disagreement, especially when fine down adorns his cheeks, his mustache begins to darken, and the flush of youth flows over his face until he becomes like the full moon. How well Abu Tammam said:

“The talebearers said, ‘His beard has begun to show upon his cheek.’ I answered, ‘Say no more: that is no blemish in him.’ When he bore hips that tugged against his gait, and his mustache darkened above his pearly teeth, the roses swore solemn oaths that their marvels would never leave his cheeks. I spoke to him with silent eyelids, and his eyebrow made reply: ‘His beauty is as you have always known it; the hair has guarded it against those who seek it.’ His ways were never sweeter or more lovely than when his beard appeared and his mustache darkened. And he who once reproached me for loving him now says, when our story is told, ‘His friend!’” Another poet spoke beautifully:

“My censurers said, ‘Why this passion for him? Do you not see that hair has sprouted on his cheeks?’ I said, ‘By God, if the man who reproaches me looked closely at the wisdom in his eyes, he could not stand his ground. And one who dwelt in a land when no green thing grew there—how could he leave it now that spring has come?’” And another said:

“My censurers said, ‘He has forgotten.’ They lied: whoever is touched by longing knows no forgetfulness. I could not forget when the rose of his cheek stood alone; how should I forget now that basil surrounds the rose?” And another said:

“A slender youth, whose glances and whose down join forces to make war on men: he sheds their blood with a sword of narcissus, whose scabbard hangs from straps of myrtle.” And another said:

“It was not his wine that made me drunk; it was his temples that left all mankind reeling. His beauties envied one another, until every beauty wished to become the down upon his cheeks.” Here is an excellence granted to young men and denied to women; it is enough to give them pride and precedence over women.’ She replied, ‘May God Most High keep you well! You pledged yourself to a debate, and you have spoken at length, sparing no effort, and brought these proofs to support your claims. But now the truth has become plain, so do not turn aside from its path. If a general proof will not satisfy you, I shall give you its particulars. I ask you by God, how can a young man compare with a maiden? Who would set a kid beside an oryx? A maiden is soft of speech and fair of form, like a sprig of basil, with teeth like chamomile blossoms, hair like ropes, cheeks like scarlet anemones, a face like an apple, lips like wine, breasts like pomegranates, and a supple body like swaying boughs. Her figure is well proportioned, her flesh firm and rounded; her cheek gleams like a flashing sword blade, her brow is radiant, her eyebrows meet, and her eyes are dark as though lined with kohl. When she speaks, fresh pearls scatter from her mouth, and the delicacy of her thoughts draws hearts to her. When she smiles, you would think the full moon shone between her lips; when she casts a glance, swords are drawn from her eyes. In her all beauty reaches its perfection; around her turn the thoughts of traveler and stay-at-home alike. She has two red lips softer than butter and sweeter to taste than honey.’” But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

Then, when it was the four hundred and twenty-second night,

She said: “It has reached me, O fortunate King, that when the woman preacher described the maiden, she said, ‘She has two red lips softer than butter and sweeter to taste than honey.’ Then she continued, ‘Her bosom is broad as an open highway, and upon it are two breasts like ivory caskets. Her belly is delicately waisted, like a fresh blossom, with folds curving and overlapping one another. Her full thighs are like two pillars of pearl, and her buttocks surge like a sea of crystal or mountains of light. Her feet are dainty, and her hands are like ingots of gold. Poor fellow, how can mortals compare with the jinn? Do you not know that mighty kings and noble lords are ever subject to women and depend upon them for their pleasures? Women say, “We have mastered men’s necks and stolen their wits.” How many a rich man has a woman impoverished, how many a mighty man has she humbled, how many a nobleman has she made her servant! Women have bewitched men of letters, stripped the virtuous of their virtue, impoverished the wealthy, and turned men of ease into wretches. Yet the wise only love and honor them the more, counting none of this oppression or humiliation. How many a servant of God has disobeyed his Lord for their sake and angered his father and mother! All this is because love of them holds such sway over men’s hearts. Do you not know, poor fellow, that for them palaces are built and curtains drawn, for them slave girls are bought and tears shed? For them are procured fragrant musk, jewels, and ambergris; for their sake armies are mustered and country estates established, provisions gathered and necks struck off. Whoever says that the world is nothing but women speaks truly.

‘As for the noble tradition you quoted, it is evidence against you, not in your favor. For the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not gaze long upon beardless youths, for in them is a glimpse of the wide-eyed maidens of Paradise.” Thus he compared beardless youths to the maidens of Paradise, and there is no doubt that the model of a comparison is superior to the thing compared with it. Were women not finer and more beautiful, others would not be likened to them. As for your claim that a maiden is compared to a young man, that is not so: rather, the young man is compared to the maiden, and people say, “This young man is like a maiden.” As for the verses you cited as evidence, on reflection they spring from an aberration of nature. It is the transgressive sodomites and disobedient libertines whom God Most High censured in His mighty Book, condemning their shameful deed when He said, “Do you approach males among all creatures, and leave the spouses your Lord created for you? Indeed, you are a transgressing people.” It is these men who liken a maiden to a young man, so far have they gone in wickedness and disobedience, following their own desires and Satan. They have even said that she serves both purposes, turning away from the path men know to be right, as their chief, Abu Nuwas, said:

“Slender-waisted and boyish, she suits both the sodomite and the fornicator.” As for what you said of the beauty of budding whiskers and a darkening mustache, and how these add to a young man’s beauty and loveliness, by God, you have strayed from the path and spoken falsely! For facial hair turns the merits of beauty into faults.’ Then she recited these verses:

“Hair appeared upon his face and avenged his lover for the wrong he had done him. No sooner did I see smoke upon his face than his temples were black as coals. If the margin of his paper has turned black, what do you imagine of the place where the pen is used? If they prefer him to another, it is only because the judge is ignorant.” When she had finished her verses, she said to the man, ‘Glory be to God the Almighty…’” But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

Then, when it was the four hundred and twenty-third night,

She said: “It has reached me, O fortunate King, that when the woman preacher had finished her verses, she said to the man, ‘Glory be to God the Almighty! How can you fail to see that perfect pleasure lies with women, and that abiding bliss is found only with them? For God—glorified and exalted be He—has promised the prophets and the saints wide-eyed maidens in Paradise, making them the reward for their righteous deeds. Had God Most High known that the pleasure of enjoyment lay elsewhere, He would have rewarded them with it and promised it to them. And the Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “Three things of your world have been made dear to me: women, perfume, and the solace of my eyes in prayer.” God made the young men servants of the prophets and saints in Paradise only because Paradise is an abode of delight and pleasure, and these are not complete without the attendance of young men. To employ them for anything other than service is folly and ruin. How well the poet spoke when he said:

“A man’s desire for backsides brings him backward; those who turn to noble women are noble men. How many a dainty wit has spent the night mounted on a young man’s rump, and risen in the morning a perfumer! His clothes are yellowed by the saffron of that anus, making his disgrace and shame plain to see. He cannot deny it when it soils him, with traces of dung upon his clothes. How far removed is he from one whose mount through the night was a wide-eyed beauty with an enchanting gaze! He rises from her, and she has bestowed on him a fragrance whose precious perfume fills the house. No young man is her equal, to be weighed against her: can filth be compared with fragrant aloeswood?” Then she said, ‘Good people, you have driven me beyond the bounds of modesty and the company of honorable women into idle and indecent talk unworthy of the learned. But the hearts of honorable people are the graves of secrets, what is spoken in company is held in trust, and deeds are judged only by intentions. I ask God the Almighty to forgive me, you, and all Muslims. Truly He is the All-Forgiving, the Merciful.’ Then she fell silent and would answer us no further. So we left her, delighted by what we had learned from debating with her, and sorry to take our leave.”