The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol 5 by Sir Richard Francis Burton (best romance novels of all time txt) 📕

When it was the Four Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the slave-girl to her master, “O my lord, carry me to Harun al-Rashid, fifth of the sons of Abbas, and seek of him to my price ten thousand dinars. If he deem me dear, say to him: ‘O

Prince of True Believers, my handmaid is worth more than this: do but prove her, and her value will be magnified in thine eyes; for this slave-girl hath not her equal, and she were unfit to any but thou.’” And she added, “Beware, O my lord, of selling me at less than the sum I have named; indeed ‘tis but little for the like of me.” Now her owner knew not her worth nor that she had no equal in her day; but he carried her to the Caliph and set her in the presence and repeated what she had bidden him say. The Caliph asked her, “What is thy name?”; to which she answered, “My name is Tawaddud.”[FN#294] He then enquired, “O Tawaddud, in what branches of knowledge dost thou excel?”; and she replied, “O my lord, I am versed in syntax and poetry and jurisprudence and exegesis and philosophy; and I am skilled in music and the knowledge of the Divine ordinances and in arithmetic and geodesy and geometry and the fables of the ancients. I know the Sublime Koran by heart and have read it according to the seven, the ten and the fourteen modes. I know the number of its chapters and versets and sections and words; and its halves and fourths and eighths and tenths; the number of prostrations which occur in it and the sum total of its letters; and I know what there is in it of abrogating and abrogated[FN#295]; also what parts of it were revealed at Al-Medinah and what at Meccah and the cause of the different revelations. I know the Holy Traditions of the Apostle’s sayings, historical and legendary, the established and those whose ascription is doubtful; and I have studied the exact sciences, geometry and philosophy and medicine and logic and rhetoric and composition; and I have learnt many things by rote and am passionately fond of poetry. I can play the lute and know its gamut and notes and notation and the crescendo and diminuendo. If I sing and dance, I seduce, and if I dress and scent myself, I slay. In fine, I have reached a pitch of perfection such as can be estimated only by those of them who are firmly rooted in knowledge.”[FN#296] Now when the Caliph heard these words spoken by one so young, he wondered at her eloquence, and turning to Abu al-Husn, said, “I will summon those who shall discuss with her all she claimeth to know; if she answer correctly, I will give thee the price thou askest for her and more; and if not, thou art fitter to have her than I.” “With gladness and goodly gree, O Commander of the Faithful,” replied Abu al-Husn. So the Caliph wrote to the Viceroy of Bassorah, to send him Ibrahim bin Siyy�r the prosodist, who was the first man of his day in argument and eloquence and poetry and logic, and bade him bring with him readers of the Koran and learned doctors of the law and physicians and astrologers and scientists and mathematicians and philosophers; and Ibrahim was more learned than all. In a little while they arrived at the palace of the Caliphate, knowing not what was to do, and the Caliph sent for them to his sitting-chamber and ordered them to be seated. So they sat down and he bade bring the damsel Tawaddud who came and unveiling, showed herself, as she were a sparkling star.[FN#297]

The Caliph set her a stool of gold; and she saluted, and speaking with an eloquent tongue, said, “O Commander of the Faithful, bid the Olema and the doctors of law and leaches and astrologers and scientists and mathematicians and all here present contend with me in argument.” So he said to them, “I desire of you that ye dispute with this damsel on the things of her faith, and stultify her argument in all she advanceth;” and they answered, saying, “We hear and we obey Allah and thee, O Commander of the Faithful.” Upon this Tawaddud bowed her head and said, “Which of you is the doctor of the law, the scholar, versed in the readings of the Koran and in the Traditions?” Quoth one of them, “I am the man thou seekest.” Quoth she, “Then ask me of what thou wilt.”

Said the doctor, “Hast thou read the precious book of Allah and dost thou know its cancelling and cancelled parts and hast thou meditated its versets and its letters?” “Yes,” answered she.

“Then,” said he, “I will proceed to question thee of the obligations and the immutable ordinances: so tell me of these, O

damsel, and who is thy Lord, who thy prophet, who thy Guide, what is thy point of fronting in prayer, and who be thy brethren? Also what thy spiritual path and what thy highway?” Whereto she replied, “Allah is my Lord, and Mohammed (whom Allah save and assain!) my prophet, and the Koran is my guide and the Ka’abah my fronting; and the True-believers are my brethren. The practice of good is my path and the Sunnah my highway.” The Caliph again marvelled at her words so eloquently spoken by one so young; and the doctor pursued, “O damsel, with what do we know Almighty Allah?” Said she, “With the understanding.” Said he, “And what is the understanding?” Quoth she, “It is of two kinds, natural and acquired.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel continued, “The understanding is of two kinds, natural and acquired. The natural is that which Allah (to whom be honour and glory!) created for the right direction of His servants after His will; and the acquired is that which men accomplish by dint of study and fair knowledge.” He rejoined, “Thou hast answered well.” Q “Where is the seat of the understanding?”—“Allah casteth it in the heart whence its lustrous beams ascend to the brain and there become fixed.” Q “How knowest thou the Prophet of Allah?” “By the reading of Allah’s Holy Book and by signs and proofs and portents and miracles!” Q “What are the obligations and the immutable ordinances?” “The obligations are five. (1) Testification that there is no il�h[FN#298] but Allah, no god but the God alone and One, which for partner hath none, and that Mohammed is His servant and His apostle. (2) The standing in prayers.[FN#299] (3) The payment of the poor-rate. (4) Fasting Ramazan. (5) The Pilgrimage to Allah’s Holy House for all to whom the journey is possible. The immutable ordinances are four; to wit, night and day and sun and moon, the which build up life and hope; nor any son of Adam wotteth if they will be destroyed on the Day of Judgment.” Q “What are the obligatory observances of the Faith?” “They are five, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage, fighting for the Faith and abstinence from the forbidden.” Q “Why dost thou stand up to pray?” “To express the devout intent of the slave acknowledging the Deity.” Q “What are the obligatory conditions which precede standing in prayer?”

“Purification, covering the shame, avoidance of soiled clothes, standing on a clean place, fronting the Ka’abah, an upright posture, the intent[FN#300] and the pronouncing ‘Allaho Akbar’ of prohibition.”[FN#301] Q “With what shouldest thou go forth from thy house to pray?” “With the intent of worship mentally pronounced.” Q “With what intent shouldest thou enter the mosque?” “With an intent of service.” Q “Why do we front the Kiblah[FN#302]?” “In obedience to three Divine orders and one Traditional ordinance.” Q “What are the beginning, the consecration and the end of prayer?” “Purification beginneth prayer, saying the Allaho Akbar of prohibition consecrateth, and the salutation endeth prayer.” Q “What deserveth he who neglecteth prayer?” “It is reported, among the authentic Traditions of the Prophet, that he said, ‘Whoso neglecteth prayer wilfully and purposely hath no part in Al-Islam.’”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Fortieth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that after the damsel had repeated the words of that Holy Tradition the doctor cried, “Thou hast replied aright: now say me, what is prayer?”

“Prayer is communion between the slave and his lord, and in it are ten virtues: (1) it illumineth the heart; (2) it maketh the face shine; (3) it pleaseth the Compassionate One; (4) it angereth Satan; (5) it conjureth calamity; (6) it wardeth off the mischief of enemies; (7) it multiplieth mercy; (8) it forfendeth vengeance and punishment; (9) it bringeth the slave nigh unto his lord; and (10) it restraineth from lewdness and frowardness.

Hence it is one of the absolute requisites and obligatory ordinances and the pillar of the Faith.” Q “What is the key of prayer?” “Wuzd or the lesser ablution.”[FN#303] Q “What is the key to the lesser ablution?” “Intention and naming the Almighty.”

Q “What is the key of naming the Almighty?” “Assured faith.” Q

“What is the key of faith?” “Trust in the Lord.” Q “What is the key of trust in the Lord?” “Hope.” Q “What is the key of hope?”

“Obedience.” Q “What is the key of obedience?” “The confession of the Unity and the acknowledgment of the divinity of Allah.” Q

“What are the Divine ordinances of Wuzu, the minor ablution?”

“They are six, according to the canon of the Imam al-Sh�fi’�

Mohammed bin Idris (of whom Allah accept!): (1) intent while washing the face; (2) washing the face; (3) washing the hands and forearms; (4) wiping part of the head; (5) washing the feet and heels; and (6) observing due order.[FN#304] And the traditional statutes are ten: (1) nomination; (2) and washing the hands before putting them into the water-pot; (3) and mouth-rinsing; (4) and snuffing;[FN#305] (5) and wiping the whole head; (6) and wetting the ears within and without with fresh water; (7) and separating a thick beard; (8) and separating the fingers and toes;[FN#306] (9) and washing the right foot before the left and (10) doing each of these thrice and all in unbroken order. When the minor ablution is ended, the worshipper should say, I testify that there is no god but the God, the One, which for partner hath none, and I testify that Mohammed is His servant and His apostle.

O my Allah, make me of those who repent and in purity are permanent! Glory to Thee, O my God, and in Thy praise I bear witness, that there is no god save Thou! I crave pardon of Thee and I repent to Thee! For it is reported, in the Holy Traditions, that the Prophet (whom Allah bless and preserve!) said of this prayer, ‘Whoso endeth every ablution with this prayer, the eight gates of Paradise are open to him; he shall enter at which he pleaseth.’” Q “When a man purposeth ablution, what betideth him from the angels and the devils?” “When a man prepareth for ablution, the angels come and stand on his right and the devils on his left hand.[FN#307] If he name Almighty Allah at the beginning of the ablution, the devils flee from him and the angels hover over him with a pavilion of light, having four ropes, to each an angel