The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 02 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 02 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
told that he was the Imam Al-Shafi'i. Al-Shafi'i was wont to remark, 'I love
to see folk profit by this learning of mine, on condition that nothing of it be
attributed to me."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Eighty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir Dandan
continued to Zau al-Makan, "The old woman bespake thy sire, saying, 'The Imam
Al-Shafi'i was wont to remark, I love to see folk profit by this learning of
mine on condition that nothing of it be attributed to me.' He also said, 'I
never disputed with any one, but I would that Almighty Allah should give him
the knowledge of the Truth and aid him to dispread it: nor did I ever dispute
with anyone at all but for the showing forth of the Truth, and I reck not
whether Allah manifest it by my tongue or by His.' He said also (whom Allah
accept!), 'If thou fear to grow conceited of thy lore, then bethink thee Whose
grace thou seekest and for what good thou yearnest and what punishment thou
dreadest.' It was told to Abu Hanífah that the Commander of the Faithful, Abú
Ja'afar al-Mansúr, had appointed him Kazi and ordered him a salary of ten
thousand dirhams; but he would not accept of this; and, when the day came on
which the money was to be paid him, he prayed the dawn-prayer, then covered his
head with his robe—and spoke not. When the Caliph's messenger came with the
money, he went in to the Imam and accosted him, but he would not speak to him.
So the messenger said, 'Verily this money is lawfully thine.' 'I know that it
is lawfully mine,' replied he: 'but I abhor that the love of tyrants get a hold
upon my heart.'[FN#371] Asked the other, 'If thou go in to them canst thou not
guard thyself from loving them?' Answered Abu Hanifah, 'Can I look to enter the
sea without my clothes being wet?' Another of Al-Shafi'i's sayings (Allah
accept him!) is,
'Oh soul of me, an thou accept my rede, * Thou shalt be wealthy and of grace entire:
Cast off ambitious hopes and vain desires, * How many a death was done by vain desire!'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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