A Tale of Four Dervishes (Penguin Classics)

by Mir Amman

  ‘When the ambassador thus explained himself, I too was reminded of what my vizier had said. So I ordered the merchant to be produced before me with his son and his dog and the cages with the two persons within. The guards immediately left and brought them. I called them before me. First the Khwaja and his son (the vizier’s daughter) came forward. They were richly dressed. All were astonished to see the beautiful young merchant (the vizier’s daughter) who laid before me a golden tray full of jewels which illuminated the whole place. After bowing down he stood in respect to me. The Khwaja also kissed the ground and invoked blessings of God on me. Sweetly did he speak like a singing nightingale! In my heart I admired his eloquence and good manners but feigning anger I said to him, “You are a devil in the garb of a man! What is this devilish net you have cast? You have dug an infernal pit for yourself! What is your religion and what rite is this? What prophet do you follow? Even if you are an infidel, what is the idea behind all this? What is your name and what exactly do you aim at?” He said, “God bless Your Majesty and may you prosper ever more! The religion of this humble being is this: God is One; He is Incomparable; Muhammed (God bless and keep him and his progeny!) is His messenger; after him I hold his four companions and the twelve Imams as my guides; I say my prayers five times a day and observe fasts and I have also performed my Haj pilgrimage; I distribute one-fifth of my wealth as alms and charity; and I am a Muslim. But there is a reason, which I cannot disclose, for all that I do and for which I am condemned by everyone and I have earned your displeasure too. They call me a dog-worshipper and I have agreed to pay double taxes for it but I have not disclosed my secret to anyone.” I was all the more enraged to hear these words and said, “You want to fool me with all these excuses. I am not going to be carried away by any one of them. You will not save your life unless you give sufficient reasons for your wayward behaviour. Know it that I will get your belly torn open as an exemplary punishment so that no one may dare to defile the Muhammedan faith.” The Khwaja said, “Your Majesty, please do not shed the blood of this ill-fated humble being. Confiscate all my boundless wealth instead, and please spare my life and my son’s.” With a smile I said, “So you want to bribe me with your wealth. Know it, you fool, you will not be spared your life unless you tell the truth.” The Khwaja burst into tears. He looked towards his son, raised a sigh and said to him, “I am a criminal in the eyes of His Majesty. What shall I do now? Who shall I entrust you to?” I threatened him and said, “You impostor, enough of these excuses! Stop all this and whatever you have to say, say it quickly!” He came near the throne and kissed it. He then praised me and said, “Your Majesty, if you had not ordered me to be put to death, I would have gladly undergone every pain and suffering rather than relate my story. But life is dear to everyone. No one likes to jump into a well. To save oneself is, therefore, right. And not to do what is right is against the commandment of God. If Your Majesty be so pleased, I humbly relate the story of my life. But first please let the two cages, in which the two men are confined, be brought before you. I now begin my life-story. Please confirm from them and convict me if I tell a lie and let justice prevail.” I appreciated what he said and got the two men out of the cages and made them stand by his side.

  Adventures of Khwaja the Dog-Worshipper

  The Khwaja began, “Your Majesty, these men are my brothers. The one on the right is the eldest. I am younger than both of them. Our father was a merchant in Persia. When I was fourteen he passed away. After the burial ceremonies and other rites were over, both these brothers said to me, ‘Let us now divide our father’s property and let each do with his share what he likes.’ I said, ‘My dear brothers, why do you utter such words? I am like your servant. I do not claim equal rights with you. Our father is dead but I take you both in his place. What I need is a little to sustain myself only to be able to remain in your service. What shall I do with my share? I will rather live on your charity and remain with you. I am just a boy and have not yet learnt to read and write. Look after me, please. This is all I want.’ They said, ‘So you want us also to be wronged and ruined with you!’ Quietly I retired to a corner and wept. I said to myself, They are my elder brothers, after all. They show anger so that I may learn something and improve myself.’ With these thoughts I fell asleep. In the morning a bailiff of the Qazi came and took me with him to his court. Both these brothers were already there. The Qazi asked me, ‘Why don’t you agree to divide your father’s property?’ I repeated to him what I had said to my brothers at home. They said to me, ‘If you really mean what you say, let us have a release from you stating that you have no claim, whatsoever, on our father’s property.’ Even then I said to myself, ‘As they are my elders, whatever they say will be for my good. Perhaps they apprehend that I might waste all my share.’ So I gave them the release with the Qazi’s seal. They were satisfied and we returned home.

  ‘“The next day they said to me, ‘O brother, dear, we require the apartment where you live. You better hire another place.’ It was then that I realized they did not even want me to live in my father’s house. I was helpless and so I decided to leave the house. Your Majesty, as everyone loves the youngest child most, my father used to give me some of the presents and rarities he brought with him from the different lands he visited. I sold those presents and raised a small capital of my own, With that sum I ran a small business. Once my father had brought a slave-girl for me from Turkey whom I kept. And once he gave me a colt which I used to feed out of my own pocket. I sold the colt and bought a house and shifted there. I bought some household goods and two slaves to serve me. With the remaining amount and with trust in God, I started running a cloth shop. I was contented with my lot. My brothers had been unkind but God was kind to me. Within three years I had established myself and was counted a man of credit. Every costly item required by nobles and officials could be had from my shop. I made a lot of money and lived in comfort and ease. I praised God and would often recite:

  Let the king be displeased;

  We have nothing to do with him.

  Thou art the King of kings, O my Lord,

  Thee alone I shall adore.

  Let my brothers be displeased;

  They can do me no harm.

  Thou alone art the Rescuer;

  Who else but Thee shall we look to for help!

  Let the friend or foe be displeased,

  Thou alone wilt carry me through.

  The world is displeased with me

  But Thou art above the world;

  If Thou art not displeased with me

  All the people will kiss my feet.

  One Friday I was sitting at home when a slave of mine who had gone out to purchase some household goods returned with tearful eyes. I asked him the reason. Rather harshly he said, ‘What is it to you? You live in comfort and enjoy yourself but how shall you explain all this on the Day of Judgement?’ I said, ‘You nigger, what calamity has befallen you?’ He said, ‘A Jew has got your brothers’ hands tied behind their backs and he is belabouring them with a stick out there in the street. He is deriding them and says, “If you do not pay me my money I will beat you to death and it will be a good deed for me.” This is how your brothers are being treated and you do not care. Just imagine what people will say?’ Hearing this a fraternal feeling warmed up in me and asking my slaves to bring some money after me, I ran out barefoot into the street. There I found that the slave had not at all exaggerated. My brothers were indeed being cruelly beaten. I pleaded with the bailiffs not to beat them and to allow me to ask the Jew the reason for this cruel punishment. I went to the Jew and said, ‘It is Sabbath today. Why are you beating them?’ He said, ‘If you really mean to plead for them, pay me my dues or mind your own business.’ I asked, ‘What money? Show me the deed and I’ll settle it here and now.’ He said he had filed the deed in the court. Meanwhile, my slaves brought me two bags of money. I gave a thousand pieces to the Jew and got my brothers released. They were hungry and had no clothes on their bodies. I took
them to my house and gave them new clothes to wear and sent them to the bath. Then they had a hearty meal with me. I said nothing about their shares of our fathers wealth lest they should feel ashamed. They are here; Your Majesty may please ask them if it is not true. A few days later when they recovered from the bruises and pain of the beating I said to them, ‘My dear brothers, you have lost your credit in the city. Better if you go on a journey for a few days.’ They agreed. I arranged for conveyance and tents and purchased merchandise worth twenty thousand for them. Then I sent them along with a caravan to Bokhara. After a year the caravan returned but I heard nothing about them. I asked a friend to tell me on oath what had become of my brothers. He said, ‘When they reached Bokhara, one of them lost all his money at a gambling house and presently he is a sweeper there. He keeps the dice plank clean for gamblers and waits on them. He lives on what they give him as alms and charity. The other became enamoured of a brewer’s daughter. He spent on her all he had and now serves at the brewer’s shop. The people of the caravan do not relate it to you lest you should feel hurt.’ I was so disturbed to hear all this that I could neither eat nor sleep. Taking some money with me I at once left for Bokhara. I found them with great difficulty and brought them to the place where I stayed. I asked them to bathe and got them new clothes. But I didn’t say a word to them lest they should feel ashamed.

  ‘“I again purchased goods for them and set out for home. When we reached a village near Nishapur I left them there with all the goods and came secretly to my house so that no one might know of my return. After two days I made it known that my brothers had returned from their journey and that I would go out to receive them the next day. In the morning, as I was about to leave, a man from the village came to me. He was crying. I asked him the reason. He said, ‘Our houses have been plundered because of your brothers. Would that you had not left them there!’ I said, ‘But tell me what happened.’ He said, ‘A gang of robbers came at night and plundered their goods and ransacked our houses too.’ I felt pity for them and asked where my brothers were. He replied, ‘They are outside the city, distressed and with no clothes to wear. Immediately I took clothes for them and reached there, got them properly dressed and brought them with me to my house. Hearing of the robbery the neighbours came to see them. My brothers would not leave the house out of shame.

  ‘“Three months passed in this way. I thought, ‘How long will they remain confined? Better if I take them with me on a business trip.’ I put this proposal before them. They kept silent. So I made preparations for the journey, purchased goods and set out with them. After I had distributed alms and loaded the goods on the boats, the anchor was weighed and we set sail. This dog was sleeping on the shore. When it saw the boat sailing away it barked, jumped into the waters and swam towards the boat. I sent a small boat for it and it was brought onto our vessel. We safely passed a month on the waters. During this period my second brother became enamoured of my slave-girl. He said to the eldest brother, ‘It is shameful for us to remain under the obligation of a younger brother. How shall we pay for it?’ The eldest confided to him, ‘I have a plan. If we are able to carry it through, it will do.’ So together they made a plot to kill me and thus take all my wealth and property.

  ‘“One day when I was asleep in my cabin and the slave-girl was giving me a massage, my second brother came in and woke me up. He asked me to come with him. Startled, I followed him. This dog also followed me. I saw my eldest brother leaning over the side of the boat and closely watching the waters as he called me. I went up to him and said, ‘What is it? All is well, I hope.’ He said, ‘Just look, look here. It is a strange sight. Mermen are dancing under the water with pearl oysters and branches of coral in their hands.’ I would not have believed such a stupid thing had anyone else said it; since my elder brother said it, I took it to be true and leaned over to look. However much I tried I couldn’t see any such thing. But he kept on saying, ‘See! do you see it? Do you see it?’ Had there really been any such thing, I would have seen it. When they found that I was not on my guard, my second brother gave me such a strong push from behind that I could not keep my balance and fell into the sea. They stood there crying, ‘Come, help, our brother has fallen overboard, The boat sailed forth and the waves carried me away from it. After a while I was completely exhausted and in my heart I prayed to God. Then my hand struck something. I looked at it. It was this very dog. When they pushed me overboard, it had also jumped into the waters and kept swimming next to me. I held on to its tail.

  God made this dog the cause of my survival. Seven days and nights I passed in this manner. When at last on the eighth day we drifted to the shore, I had no strength left within me. I rolled and staggered along and somehow threw myself on dry land. For one whole day I lay completely unconscious. On the second day I heard the dog’s bark as I came to myself. I praised God. Looking around I perceived a city far away, but where had I the strength to go there! I would crawl a bit and then rest. In this way I managed only about two miles by the evening. There was a hill on the way to the city. I lay there all night. The next morning I reached the city.

  ‘“There in the city I saw shops of confectioners and bakers. How I wished to have something from them, but I had no money and I would not beg. I went along, saying to myself that I would ask for something at the next shop. At last whatever little strength I had gave way and my stomach burned with hunger. I was about to collapse when perchance I saw two young men dressed like Persians coming along arm in arm towards me. I was happy to see them and I thought of relating to them my sad plight if they were of my acquaintance. When they came near I discovered they were my own brothers. I was overjoyed and thanked God that He had spared me the disgrace of begging from others. I went up to them and greeted them and kissed the eldest brother’s hand. Recognizing me they raised a hue and cry. The second brother slapped me in my face with such force that I staggered and fell to the ground. I held the eldest brother’s robe and hoped he would help me. But he gave me a kick. In short, both of them beat me much and behaved with me as Yusuf’s brothers had with him. However humbly I requested them to desist, for God’s sake, they showed no pity. Meanwhile, people crowded there and asked them what my fault was. These brothers of mine said, This rascal was our brother’s servant. He pushed him overboard and has taken all his property. We have been in search of him for long. Today we have found him here.’ To me they said, You cruel being, what got into your head that you killed our brother? What wrong had he done to you? Was it so bad a thing that he made you incharge of his affairs?’ They tore their clothes and wept and wailed feigning grief for their brother and beat me mercilessly. In the meantime the bailiffs of the magistrate arrived there. They rebuked them and said, ‘Why do you beat him thus?’ Then holding me by my hand they took me to the magistrate. These two also went along and repeated the same false story to him. They bribed him and sought blood for blood. The magistrate asked me if I had anything to say. I could not even utter a word in reply because I was already exhausted by hunger and the severe beating received at their hands. I stood silent, hanging my head down. Thus the magistrate concluded that I was indeed guilty. He decreed that I should be taken to an open piece of land and hanged on the gallows.

  ‘“I had paid money to get these two released from the Jew’s bondage, Your Majesty, but they spent money to take away my life in return. They are both present here. They may be asked if I have said anything but the truth in relating all these events. Well, I was taken to an open piece of land. When I saw the gallows I took myself as lost. Except this dog none else was there to grieve for me. Restless, it rolled on the ground and licked everyone’s feet and barked. Some beat it with sticks and others threw stones but it would not leave that place. I stood with my face turned in the direction we face when we say our prayers and in my heart I prayed to God: ‘In this moment of distress I have no one except Thee to help and save an innocent one like me. Only if Thou savest am I saved.’ Then I recited the creed aloud and staggered to
the ground.

  ‘“Mysterious are the ways of God. It so happened that the king of that country suddenly developed a shooting colic pain. The nobles and the physicians assembled. No medicine proved effective. A holy man said. The best medicine will be to give alms and to release the prisoners. Prayer is better then medicine.’ Immediately royal messengers ran towards the prison. One of them happened to pass our way too. Seeing the crowd he inquired and found that I was going to be hanged. He thus galloped fast towards the gallows and cut the ropes with his sword. He rebuked and threatened the magistrate’s men and said, ‘What is this? At a time when the king is in such agony you are putting a man, a creature of God, to death!’ Thus he got me released. But these two brothers went to the magistrate and again urged him to put me to death. As he had been bribed he did what they told him to do. He said, ‘Rest assured. This time I’ll put him in such a prison that he will starve to death and nobody will even know of it.’ So I was detained by him. There was a mountain about two miles away from the city in which a djinn had dug a dark, narrow well in the times of Solomon. It was called the Prison of Solomon. Whoever earned the wrath of the king was confined to that well and there he met his death. In short, these two brothers and the magistrate’s men carried me there secretly at night. They returned satisfied after pushing me into that well.