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

by Penguin; Robert Irwin; Malcolm Lyons; Ursula Lyons

  He mounted the mare and rode out among the tents for some time, passing by the king’s kitchen before starting on his road. Here he saw cooking pots hanging up over lighted fires, each containing fifty camels. He looked with wonder at their huge size and as he was staring with more and more astonishment, the king looked out from the kitchen and noticed this. Thinking that Buluqiya must be hungry, he ordered two cooked camels to be taken to him, and when this was done they were fastened behind him on the mare’s back. Buluqiya then took his leave of the jinn and rode on until he had reached the boundary of Sakhr’s dominions. Here the mare halted and he dismounted, shaking the dust of travel from his clothes.

  At this point a group of men approached him. When they saw the mare they recognized it and brought it with them as they took Buluqiya to their king, Barakhiya. On entering the king’s presence, Buluqiya greeted him and was greeted by him in return. This king, Buluqiya saw, was seated in a great pavilion surrounded by his troops and his champions, with the jinn kings to his left and his right. He told Buluqiya to approach, and when he had done so, the king seated him by his side and ordered tables to be spread. Buluqiya saw that Barakhiya maintained the same state as did King Sakhr, and when the food had been fetched he ate his fill, as did the rest of the company, after which he gave thanks to Almighty God. When the food had been removed and the fruit that followed it had been eaten, the king asked him when it was that he had left Sakhr. ‘Two days ago,’ said Buluqiya. ‘Do you know what distance you covered in those two days?’ ‘No,’ replied Buluqiya. ‘It was a seventy-month journey,’ the king told him…

  Nights 495 to 514

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that THE QUEEN OF THE SNAKES TOLD KARIM:

  King Barakhiya told Buluqiya that he had covered the distance of a seventy-month journey in two days, adding: ‘When you mounted the mare it was afraid of you, knowing that you were a human, and it wanted to toss you from its back. That was why they loaded it with these two camels.’ Buluqiya was astonished by what the king told him and he gave thanks to Almighty God for having kept him safe. Barakhiya then asked him to tell him about his experiences and how he had come to this country. Buluqiya, in return, gave him the full story of his wanderings and of his arrival there, filling the king with amazement. He stayed there for two months.

  Karim was astounded to hear the snake queen’s story, and he then asked her if she would be kind enough to order one of her servants to bring him out to the surface of the earth so that he might return to his family. ‘Karim,’ she told him, ‘I know that when you get to the surface you will first go to your family and then to the baths, where you will wash yourself. As soon as you have finished, I shall die, as that is to be the cause of my death.’ ‘I swear to you that I shall never enter the baths as long as I live,’ Karim exclaimed, ‘and when I have to wash, I shall wash at home.’ She said: ‘Even if you swore a hundred oaths to me, I would not believe you. This is something that cannot be, for I know that you are a son of Adam and, as such, you do not keep your word. Your father Adam made a covenant with God and then broke it. God had kneaded the clay of which he was formed for forty mornings and had made the angels bow down before him, but still he broke his covenant, forgetting about it and disobeying the command of his Lord.’

  On hearing this Karim said nothing but burst into tears, and he continued to weep for ten days. After that, however, he asked the queen to tell him what had happened to Buluqiya after he had spent the two months with Barakhiya. SHE SAID:

  You must know that after his stay with King Barakhiya, Buluqiya took his leave and made his way across open country, travelling by night and day, until he came to a high mountain, which he climbed. There, on top of it, he saw a great angel sitting and repeating the Name of Almighty God, as well as invoking blessings on the Prophet Muhammad. In front of the angel was a tablet inscribed with black and white letters, at which he was looking. He had two wings, one stretching out to the east and the other to the west, and when Buluqiya came up and greeted him, he returned the greeting. He then asked Buluqiya who he was, from where he had come, where he was going and what was his name. ‘I am one of the sons of Adam,’ replied Buluqiya, ‘belonging to the children of Israel. I am a wanderer, travelling for love of Muhammad, may God bless him and give him peace, and my name is Buluqiya.’ After this he astonished the angel by telling him all that had happened to him and what he had seen on his travels. He then asked the angel: ‘Will you, for your part, tell me about this tablet and what is written on it? What is your task and what is your name?’ ‘My name is Michael,’ the angel told him, ‘and I am in charge of the succession of night and day, a task that is mine until the Day of Resurrection.’ Hearing this, Buluqiya was filled with wonder, amazed by the angel’s shape, the awe that he inspired and his enormous form.

  When he had taken his leave, he travelled night and day until he reached a vast plain and when he walked on to this he discovered seven rivers and many trees. As he made his way through it he saw a giant tree under which were four angels. He approached them and found, when he studied their shapes, that one had human form, while the second was shaped like a wild beast, the third like a bird and the fourth like a bull. They were engaged in reciting the Name of Almighty God, and each of them was saying: ‘My God, my Lord and my Master, I implore You by Your own truth and by the dignity of Your Prophet, Muhammad, may God bless him and give him peace, to pardon and forgive all that You have created in my own shape, for You have power over all things.’

  Buluqiya, filled with amazement at this, left them and walked on night and day until he reached Mount Qaf, to whose summit he climbed. There he found another enormous angel seated, praising and glorifying God and calling down blessings on Muhammad. He saw that the angel was clenching and then unclenching his hand and folding and unfolding his fingers. While he was doing this, Buluqiya came up to him and, after they had exchanged greetings, the angel asked him: ‘What are you? Where have you come from? Where are you going and what is your name?’ Buluqiya told him: ‘I am a son of Adam, belonging to the children of Israel. My name is Buluqiya and I am a wanderer, inspired by love for Muhammad, but I have lost my way.’

  He went on to tell the angel all that had happened to him and when he had finished, he asked the angel: ‘Who are you? What is this mountain and what is this task that is occupying you?’ ‘Know, Buluqiya,’ the angel answered, ‘that this is Mount Qaf, a mountain range that encircles the earth, and I hold in my hand every land that God has created in this world. When He intends to visit one of them with an earthquake, famine or fertility, war or peace, He orders me to see to it and I bring it about while still seated here. For you must know that my hand grasps the roots of the earth.’

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the angel told Buluqiya that he held in his hand the roots of the earth. Buluqiya then asked whether God had created on Mount Qaf any land other than the one where the angel was, to which he replied: ‘Yes, He has created a land white as silver whose extent is known only to Him and in which He has placed angels, whose food and drink is His praise and glorification and the invocation of blessing after blessing on Muhammad, may God bless him and give him peace. Every Friday night they come and gather on this mountain, and they spend the whole night until morning calling on Almighty God, assigning the rewards that they earn by their praise and glorification of Him, as well as their acts of worship, to sinners from among the people of Muhammad, as well as to those who perform the Friday ablution. They will continue to do this until the Day of Resurrection.’

  Buluqiya next asked the angel whether God had created any mountains behind Mount Qaf. ‘Yes, indeed,’ the angel answered. ‘Behind Qaf is a mountain ra
nge of snow and ice stretching the distance of a five-hundred-year journey, and it is this that protects the world from the fires of hell, which otherwise would burn it up. Also beyond Qaf are forty lands each forty times as large as this world of ours. Some are of gold, some of silver and some of sapphire, and each of them has its own colour. In them God has placed angels, whose only concern is to praise and glorify Him, reciting the formula of His unity and His greatness and calling on Him to bless the people of Muhammad. They know nothing of Adam and Eve or of night and day. You must know, Buluqiya, that these lands form seven layers, one on top of the other, and that God has created an angel whose qualities and power are known only to Him and who supports the seven layers on his shoulder. Beneath the angel God has set a rock, and beneath the rock he has created a bull that rests on a fish, and beneath the fish is a vast ocean. God told Jesus, upon whom be peace, about the fish, and when Jesus then asked to be allowed to look at it, He ordered an angel to take him to see it. The angel came to Jesus and took him to the ocean where the fish lived, telling him to look. Jesus did so, but did not see the fish until it passed by him like a lightning flash, at which he fell unconscious. When he had recovered, God spoke to him through the voice of inspiration and said: “Jesus, did you see the fish and did you note its dimensions?” “By Your glory and majesty, Lord,” Jesus replied, “I did not see it. A huge bull, three days’ journey in length, went past me, but I don’t know what it was.” God said: “Jesus, the thing that passed you, three days’ journey in length, was merely the head of the bull (that stands on the fish), and you must know that every day I create forty such fish.” When he heard that, Jesus marvelled at the power of Almighty God.’

  Then Buluqiya asked the angel what God had created beneath the ocean that contains the fish, and the angel said: ‘Beneath the sea is a huge region of air. Under this He has created fire, and under the fire is a giant snake called Falaq, which, were it not for its fear of Almighty God, would swallow everything on top of it, air and fire, together with the angel and what he carries, without noticing it.’

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that the angel described the fish to Buluqiya and added: ‘Were it not for its fear of Almighty God, it would swallow everything on top of it, air and fire, together with the angel and what he carries, without noticing it. When God created that snake He used the voice of inspiration to tell it: “I want to leave a deposit in your charge, so guard it.” “Do as You wish,” the snake replied, and at God’s command it opened its mouth and God put hell into its belly, saying: “Guard this until the Day of Resurrection.” When that day comes, God will order his angels to come bringing chains with which they will lead hell to the place of the Last Judgement. At His command hell will open its gates, and sparks larger than mountains will fly out from it.’

  On hearing the angel’s words, Buluqiya wept bitterly. He then took his leave and went off towards the west until he came on two creatures seated by a great door that stood shut. When he came near, he saw that one of them was shaped like a lion and the other like a bull. He exchanged greetings with them and they asked: ‘What are you? Where have you come from and where are you going?’ Buluqiya told them: ‘I am one of the sons of Adam and am wandering because of my love for Muhammad, may God bless him and give him peace, but I have strayed from my way.’ He then asked the two what they were and what was the door by which they sat. ‘We are the guardians of the door,’ they told him, ‘and our only concern is to praise and glorify God and to invoke blessings on Muhammad.’ Buluqiya wondered at their words and asked them what was on the other side of the door. ‘We do not know,’ they said, at which he begged them by the truth of their mighty Lord to open it for him so that he could see for himself. ‘We cannot open it,’ they said, ‘nor can any other created being except for Gabriel, the trusted servant, upon whom be peace.’ On hearing this, Buluqiya implored God to send him Gabriel in order to open the door so that he might see what lay on the other side. God answered his prayer and ordered Gabriel to go down to earth and to open the door of the junction of the two seas so that Buluqiya might look. Gabriel came down and, after having greeted Buluqiya, he went to the door and opened it. ‘Enter,’ he told Buluqiya, ‘for God has commanded me to open it for you.’

  When Buluqiya had gone through, Gabriel locked the door and went back up to heaven. On the inner side of the door Buluqiya found a vast sea, half of which was salty and the other half sweet. The sea was flanked by two mountains of rubies and, when he approached them, he saw there angels engaged in praising and glorifying God. He greeted them and they returned his greeting, after which he asked them about the sea and the mountains. They told him: ‘This place is set beneath the empyrean and this ocean supplies water to all the seas in the world. We distribute water to the lands, sending saltwater to salty parts and fresh water to the fresh, while these two mountains were created by God to hold back the water. This is our task until the Day of Resurrection.’

  The angels in their turn then asked Buluqiya where he had come from and where he was going, at which he told them his story from beginning to end. He asked them the way and they told him to go out on to the surface of the sea. So he rubbed his feet with the liquid that he had with him, took his leave and walked night and day over the sea. In the course of his journey he caught sight of a handsome young man who was also walking on the water. He approached the man but left him after they had exchanged greetings. He then saw four angels who were also walking on the sea and moving like flashes of lightning. He stood in their way, and when they came up to him he greeted them and said: ‘By the truth of the Great and Glorious God, I ask you to tell me your names, where you have come from and where you are going.’ The first said: ‘I am Gabriel; the second angel is Israfil, the third Michael and the fourth ‘Azra’il. An enormous serpent has appeared in the east, destroying a thousand cities and swallowing their inhabitants, and we have been commanded by God to go and seize it and then to throw it into hell.’

  Buluqiya, astonished by the size of the angels, went on his way, travelling as usual by night and day. He reached an island and, when he had walked on it for some time…

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

  I have heard, O fortunate king, that Buluqiya reached an island and, when he had walked on it for some time, he came in sight of a handsome young man with a radiant face. When he approached, he saw that this man was seated, weeping and wailing between two tombs. Buluqiya went up to him and asked: ‘What is the matter with you? What is your name? What are these two tombs between which you are sitting, and why are you shedding tears?’ The young man turned towards him, weeping so bitterly that his clothes were soaked, but he then said: ‘Know, my brother, that mine is a strange and wonderful story. Please sit with me and tell me everything that you have seen in your life, why you have come here and where you are going, as well as your name. Then I in my turn will tell you my own story.’

  So Buluqiya sat down beside the young man and told him all that had happened to him in his wanderings from beginning to end, how his father had died, leaving him as his heir, how he had opened the chamber and found the box, how he had seen the book containing the description of Muhammad, may God bless him and give him peace, how love for Muhammad had become fixed in his heart and how because of this love he had set off as a wanderer. He then gave an account of all his experiences up to the time of his meeting. ‘This is the whole of my story,’ he said, adding: ‘God knows better, but what will happen to me after this I do not know.’ On hearing this, the young man sighed and exclaimed: ‘Poor man, how little you have seen in your life! Know that I have seen King Solomon in his time, as well as innumerable other things, for mine is a strange and wonderful tale. Sit with me so that I may tell
it to you and let you know why it is that I am sitting here.’

  When he heard what the snake queen had to say, Karim was filled with astonishment but he said: ‘I conjure you in God’s Name, queen, to let me go and to order one of your servants to bring me to the surface of the earth. I swear to you that never as long as I live will I enter the baths.’ ‘This cannot be,’ she replied, ‘and I do not trust your oath.’ On hearing this, Karim burst into tears, and all the snakes wept for him and began to intercede for him with their queen, saying: ‘We want you to tell one of us to bring this man to the surface and he will swear to you that he will never in his life enter the baths.’ The queen, whose name was Yamlikha, heard what they said; she went up to Karim and asked him to swear an oath, which he did, after which she told one of her snakes to take him to the surface. The snake came and was about to go off with him, but just then Karim said to the queen: ‘I would like you to tell me the story of the young man with whom Buluqiya was sitting between the two tombs.’

  The snake queen said: ‘You must know that Buluqiya sat with the young man and told him his own story from start to finish in order that the young man in his turn might reply by telling of what had happened to him in his life and why he was sitting between the tombs.’