The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 2

by Penguin; Robert Irwin; Malcolm Lyons; Ursula Lyons

  Set in a necklace, an image in a temple.

  She is slender, but if she wants to rise,

  Her buttocks say: ‘Stop and go slow.’

  I ask for union, and her beauty says:

  ‘Be generous,’ but her coquetry says: ‘No.’

  Glory be to the One Who gave her beauty as her portion,

  While the portion of her lover is the words of censurers.

  Her beauty and her flashing smile stole away the hearts of those who looked at her and she shot at them with the arrows of her eyes. In addition, she was eloquent and an accomplished poetess.

  When Abu’l-Husn’s other possessions had been lost and he was clearly destitute, this slave girl was the only thing left to him. For three days he tasted no food and did not sleep, so the girl told him: ‘Take me to the Commander of the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid…’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and thirty-eighth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the girl told her master: ‘Take me to Harun al-Rashid and ask him to pay you ten thousand dinars for me. If he thinks that this is too much, tell him: “Commander of the Faithful, the girl is worth more than that, and if you test her, her value will soar in your eyes, for she has no equal and she is only fit for one like you.” ’ She added: ‘Take care not to sell me for less than the price that I have quoted you, for this is cheap for someone like me.’

  Her master did not know her true worth or that she was unrivalled in her age, but he took her and presented her to the caliph, telling him what she had said. The caliph asked her her name and when she told him that it was Tawaddud, he asked her in what branches of learning she excelled. ‘Master,’ she replied, ‘I am familiar with grammar, poetry, jurisprudence, Quranic interpretation and philology. I know about music, the precepts of Islam, arithmetic, including division, as well as ancient legends. I know the glorious Quran and can recite it according to the seven, the ten and the fourteen readings. I know the number of its suras and its verses, and how it is to be divided into halves, quarters, eighths and tenths, together with the numbers of prostrations involved and the number of its letters. I know the abrogating and abrogated verses and those revealed at Medina and Mecca, with the reason for their revelation. I am familiar with the traditions of the Prophet, both as regards their content and their transmission, whether backed by complete and incomplete chains of authority. I have studied mathematics, geometry, philosophy, medicine, logic, rhetoric and exposition, much of which I know by heart. I am fond of poetry and can play the flute; I know the position of the notes and how the strings of instruments are to be moved or left at rest. If I sing and dance, I captivate, and if I adorn and perfume myself, I kill. In short, I have reached a pitch only attained by established scholars.’

  When the caliph heard these claims made by so young a girl, he was astonished at her eloquence and, turning to her master, he said: ‘I shall provide scholars to examine her in all the branches of knowledge to which she has laid claim, and if she can answer their questions, I shall pay the price you asked and more, but if not, then you had better keep her.’ Abu’l-Husn willingly accepted and the caliph wrote to instruct the governor of Basra to send him Ibrahim ibn Sayyar, the master of prosody, the most learned expert of the age in matters of litigation, rhetoric, poetry and logic. He was to bring with him Quran reciters, men of learning, doctors and physicians, astronomers, architects and philosophers. Ibrahim himself, however, was more learned than them all.

  It was not long before they arrived at the caliph’s palace, with no idea of what was going on. The caliph summoned them to his audience chamber and ordered them to sit, which they did. He then ordered the slave girl Tawaddud to be brought in. She came unveiled, looking like a gleaming star, and the caliph had a golden chair set out for her. She greeted him eloquently and said: ‘Commander of the Faithful, tell the learned men who are here, the Quran reciters, the doctors and physicians, the astronomers, the architects and the philosophers, to examine me.’ So he told them to examine her in respect of her religion and to refute all her claims. ‘To hear is to obey,’ they said, ‘both in respect of God and of you, Commander of the Faithful.’

  Tawaddud looked down and then asked: ‘Which of you is the expert in law, the readings of the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet?’ ‘I am the man you are looking for,’ said one of them, and she then told him to put what questions he wanted. ‘You have read God’s glorious Quran,’ he asked, ‘and know the abrogating and abrogated verses, and you have studied its verses and its letters?’ ‘Yes,’ she told him, and he said: ‘Then I will ask you about the obligatory ordinances and what follows the established path. Tell me about these, girl, and tell me who is your Lord, who is your Prophet, who is your imam, in what direction do you turn to pray, who are your brothers, what is your path and what is your way.’

  She answered: ‘God is my Lord; Muhammad, on whom be blessing and peace, is my Prophet; my imam is the Quran; I turn towards the Ka‘ba to pray; my brothers are the Muslims; good is my path, and my way is the sunna.’ The caliph was astonished at how eloquently she spoke, young as she was. Her interrogator then asked: ‘Tell me, through what do you know Almighty God?’ ‘Through my intellect,’ she answered. ‘And what is intellect?’ he asked. ‘There are two forms of it,’ she said. ‘One which is given to us and one which is acquired.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and thirty-ninth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Tawaddud said: ‘There are two forms of intellect, one given and one acquired. The first is created by God, Great and Glorious, and given by Him to whichever of His servants He wishes, while the second is acquired by men through education and learning.’ ‘Well done,’ said the questioner, and he then asked: ‘Where is this intellect to be found?’ She replied: ‘God casts it into the heart and its rays rise to the brain until it becomes fixed there.’ ‘Well done,’ said the man, before asking: ‘How do you come to a knowledge of the Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace?’ ‘By reading God’s book,’ she replied, ‘and by the signs, tokens, proofs and miracles.’

  ‘Well done,’ he said, ‘so tell me about the obligatory ordinances.’ ‘There are five of them,’ she said. ‘The confession of faith that there is no god but God alone, Who has no partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and apostle; the performance of the prayer; the payment of the alms tax; the fast of Ramadan; and for those who can do so, the pilgrimage to God’s sacred House. As for what follows God’s established path, these are four things, night and day, sun and moon. They are what build life and hope, and no man knows whether at the end of things they will be destroyed.’

  ‘Good,’ he said, ‘so now tell me, what are the practices of faith?’ She answered: ‘These comprise prayer, the alms tax, fasting, pilgrimage, the holy war and the avoidance of what is forbidden.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and how should prayer be performed?’ She replied: ‘With the intent to worship God and to acknowledge His divinity.’ ‘What obligations has God imposed on you before you may perform the prayer?’ he asked. ‘Purification,’ she said, ‘the veiling of the private parts, avoidance of soiled clothes, taking one’s stance in an undefiled place, turning towards the Ka‘ba, standing up, having the proper intention and beginning the consecration with the formula “God is greater”.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘so now tell me what you should take with you when you go out of your house to pray.’ ‘An intention to worship God,’ she replied. ‘And with what do you enter the mosque?’ ‘An intention to serve God.’ ‘Why do you turn to face Mecca?’ ‘Because of three divine precepts and the sunna of the Prophet.’

  ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and tell me, what is the beginning of prayer, the beginning of the consecration and the conclusion?’ She replied: ‘Prayer begins with purification; the consecration starts with the words “God is
greater”; and it ends with the word “peace”.’ ‘What is the necessary consequence of the abandonment of prayer?’ he asked. She said: ‘It is recorded in the collected traditions of the Prophet that whoever abandons prayer deliberately and on purpose, without excuse, has no share in Islam.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and fortieth night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the girl mentioned the traditions of the Prophet. ‘Good,’ the questioner said, ‘and what is prayer itself?’ ‘It is what connects God’s servants to their Lord, and it has ten properties: it illumines the heart; it lights up the face; it pleases the Merciful God; it angers the devil; it wards off tribulation; it protects against the evil done by enemies; it increases God’s mercy and guards against His punishment; it brings the servant close to God, his master; it prevents evil and reprehensible behaviour; it is one of the necessary obligations laid down in the Quran and it is the pillar of faith.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and what is the key to prayer?’ ‘The ritual ablution.’ ‘And what is the key to this ablution?’ ‘The naming of God.’ ‘And what is the key to this naming?’ ‘True faith.’ ‘And what is the key to faith?’ ‘Reliance on God.’ ‘And what is the key to this reliance?’ ‘Hope.’ ‘And what is the key to hope?’ ‘Obedience.’ ‘And what is the key to obedience?’ ‘The acknowledgement of God’s unity and the admission of His divinity.’

  ‘Good,’ he said. ‘Now tell me of the precepts that govern ritual ablution.’ ‘There are six of these,’ she replied, ‘according to the doctrine laid down by the imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i, may God be pleased with him. These are: the intention behind the washing of the face; then the washing of the face; the washing of the hands and forearms; the wiping of a portion of the head; the washing of the feet and ankles; and the order in which these are done. There are ten things established by tradition: the invocation of God’s Name; the washing of the hands before they are dipped in the water bowl; the rinsing; the clearing of the nose; the wiping of the whole head; cleaning the ears both outside and in with fresh water; combing the beard if it is thick; cleaning between fingers and toes; washing the right before the left; and doing all this thrice without interruption. When the worshipper has finished his ablution, he recites: “I bear witness that there is no god but God, Who is alone and without a partner. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His apostle. O my Lord, place me among the penitent and set me with the purified. Glory be to You, my Lord! In Your praise I bear witness that there is no god but You. I ask You for forgiveness and I turn to You in repentance.” It is recorded in the traditions of the Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace, that he said: “For those who recite these words after each ablution, the eight gates of Paradise will be opened and he can enter by whichever he wishes.” ’

  ‘Well done,’ said the man, ‘and when someone intends to perform the ablution, what of the angels and the devils?’ She replied: ‘When he gets ready for this, the angels stand at his right hand and the devils at his left. Then, when at the start of the ablutions he mentions the Name of Almighty God, the devils flee from him and the angels take him under their protection in a tent of radiance with four ropes, each attended by an angel glorifying God and asking forgiveness for the man as long as he stays silent or calls on God’s Name. But if at the start of his ablution the man fails to mention God, Great and Glorious, and does not stay silent, the devils take power over him, the angels leave, and the devil whispers to him until he begins to doubt and fails to perform his ablutions properly. The Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace, said: “The ritual ablution, when properly performed, drives off the devil and protects against the injustice of the ruler.” He also said: “If someone who has not performed the ablution is struck by misfortune, he has no one to blame but himself.” ’

  ‘Good,’ the scholar said, ‘and now tell me what someone should do on waking from sleep.’ She replied: ‘On waking from sleep, people should wash their hands three times before dipping them in the water bowl.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and now tell me about the precepts that govern washing as well as what is governed by tradition.’ ‘The precepts,’ she told him, ‘comprise intention, and the use of water to wet the entire body, including hair and skin. As for tradition, this comprises a preliminary ablution, massage, the combing of the hair, and the statement that the cleansing of the feet will be postponed until the final stage of the washing.’ ‘Good,’ he said…

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and forty-first night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that when Tawaddud told the scholar about the precepts and traditions governing ritual ablution, he said: ‘Good, and now tell me about the ablutions performed with sand or dust, and the precepts and the traditions governing this.’ She replied: ‘There are seven reasons for this form of ablution: lack of water; fear; need for water; losing one’s way on a journey; disease; bones in splints; and wounds. As for the precepts, there are four of them, covering intention, the dust, its use on the face and its use on the hands. As for tradition, this covers the pronouncing of God’s Name and the cleansing of the right side before the left.’

  He approved of this answer and asked her to tell him about the conditions governing prayer, its bases and its traditions. ‘There are five conditions,’ she told him. ‘The limbs must be clean and the private parts concealed. The time must be right or thought to be so, and the worshipper must face Mecca and stand somewhere that is undefiled. As for its bases, these are: intention; the introductory formula “God is greater”; standing, when the worshipper is capable of doing so; the recitation of the first sura of the Quran, and, in accordance with the doctrine of the imam al-Shafi‘i, the recitation of the Quranic phrase “in the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful”; bowing and maintaining the position without movement; prostration and the maintenance of the position without movement; sitting down between the two prostrations and the maintaining of the position; then the final confession of faith – after which the worshipper sits, then calls down blessings on the Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace, followed by the first invocation of peace and then the expressed intention to end the prayer.

  ‘As for what is covered by tradition, this comprises the call to prayer with the worshipper rising to his feet, the raising of his hands at the introductory “we take refuge with God”, the amen, the recitation of the sura that follows the Fatiha, the recitation of the formula “God is greater” as the worshipper changes position, the words “may God listen to those who praise Him” and “our Lord, to You be the praise”, words being spoken aloud in their proper place and under the breath in the proper place, the first confession of faith for which the worshipper sits, the prayer for the Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace, the prayer for his family, and the second confession of faith and the second invocation of peace.’

  ‘Well done,’ he said, ‘so tell me about the obligations of the alms tax.’ She replied: ‘It is to be levied on gold, silver, camels, cattle, sheep, wheat, barley, millet, maize, beans, chickpeas, rice, raisins and dates.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and now tell me at what rate it is charged on gold.’ ‘It cannot be levied on less than twenty mithqals, but the tax due on this amount of gold is half a mithqal and so on proportionately.’ ‘How much is due on silver?’ he asked. ‘No tax is due on less than two hundred dirhams. On this the tax is five dirhams and above this amount it rises proportionately.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and now tell me what is due on camels.’ ‘For every five camels, one sheep is due, and for twenty-five, a female camel just entering its second year.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and what about sheep?’ ‘For forty sheep, one is owed as tax.’

  ‘Good,’ he said, ‘so now tell me about the precepts that govern fasting.’ She replied: ‘These comprise intention as well as abstinence from food, drink, s
exual intercourse and deliberate vomiting. It is incumbent on all who are subject to the laws of Islam except for those who are menstruating or within forty days of having given birth. It must start with the appearance of the new moon or with reliable notice of its sighting which is taken as true by the one who is told of it. It is also necessary that the intention to fast must be formed on the preceding night. Tradition requires that the meal that breaks the fast should be hurried on and the last meal before daybreak delayed and that what words are spoken should be restricted to what is good, the mention of God and the recitation of the Quran.’ ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and so tell me about what does not render the fast invalid.’ ‘The use of ointment or kohl,’ she replied, ‘dust from the road; the swallowing of saliva; the emission of semen, whether this be nocturnal or caused by the sight of an unfamiliar woman; bleeding; and cupping. For none of these things invalidate the fast.’

  ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and now tell me about the prayers performed at the two festivals.’ ‘These traditionally comprise two rak‘as with no summons to prayer, when the worshipper does not rise. He says: “Prayer brings the people together,” and in the first prayer he recites the formula “God is greater” seven times, in addition to its use as an introduction, while in the second, according to the doctrine of the imam al-Shafi‘i, may God Almighty have mercy on him, it is repeated five times in addition to its use as a signal for the worshippers to rise. This is followed by the confession of faith.’

  Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the four hundred and forty-second night, SHE CONTINUED:

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the girl told the scholar about the prayers to be performed at the two festivals. ‘Good,’ he said, ‘and now tell me about the prayers to be used during eclipses of the sun and the moon.’ ‘These comprise two rak‘as without a summons to prayer or standing on the part of the worshipper. In each rak‘a, he bends and straightens up twice, prostrates himself twice, then sits, recites the confession of faith and pronounces the formula of peace.’ ‘Well done,’ he said, ‘and now tell me about the prayer for rain.’ She replied: ‘It comprises two rak‘as, with no call to prayer and no standing. The worshipper utters the confession of faith and the formula of peace and the preacher substitutes a prayer for God’s mercy in place of the formula “God is greater” in the sermons of the two feasts. He turns his cloak upside down and produces prayers of intercession.’