The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10) — John Shaqi
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Jamrkan
islamised and kissed the ground between the hands of Gharib; and, as
they were thus, behold, a great cloud of dust towered till it walled
the wold and Gharib said to Sahim, “Go and see for us what it be.” So
he went forth, like a bird in full flight, and presently returned,
saying, “O King of the Age, this dust is of the Banu Amir, the comrades
of Jamrkan.” Whereupon quoth Gharib to the new Moslem, “Ride out to thy
people and offer to them Al-Islam: an they profess, they shall be
saved; but, an they refuse, we will put them to the sword.” So Jamrkan
mounted and driving steed towards his tribesmen, cried out to them; and
they knew him and dismounting, came up to him on foot and said, “We
rejoice in thy safety, O our lord!” Said he, “O folk, whoso obeyeth me
shall be saved; but whoso gainsayeth me, I will cut him in twain with
this scymitar.” And they made answer, saying, “Command us what thou
wilt, for we will not oppose thy commandment.” Quoth he, “Then say with
me:—There is no god but _the_ God and Abraham is the Friend of God!”
They asked, “O our lord, whence haddest thou these words?” And he told
them what had befallen him with Gharib, adding, “O folk, know ye not
that I am your chief in battle-plain and where men of cut and thrust
are fain; and yet a man single-handed me to prisoner hath ta’en and
made me the cup of shame and disgrace to drain?” When they heard his
speech, they spoke the word of Unity and Jamrkan led them to Gharib, at
whose hands they renewed their profession of Al-Islam and wished him
glory and victory, after they had kissed the earth before him. Gharib
rejoiced in them and said to them, “O folk, return to your people and
expound Al-Islam to them;” but all replied, “O our lord, we will never
leave thee, whilst we live; but we will go and fetch our families and
return to thee.” And Gharib said, “Go, and join me at the city of
Cufa.” So Jamrkan and his comrades returned to their tribal camp and
offered Al-Islam to their women and children, who all to a soul
embraced the True Faith, after which they dismantled their abodes and
struck their tents and set out for Cufa, driving before them their
steeds, camels and sheep. During this time Gharib returned to Cufa,
where the horsemen met him in state. He entered his palace and sat down
on his sire’s throne with his champions ranged on either hand. Then the
spies came forwards, and informed him that his brother Ajib had made
his escape and had taken refuge with Jaland[FN#12] bin Karkar, lord of
the city of Oman and land of Al-Yaman; whereupon Gharib cried aloud to
his host, “O men, make you ready to march in three days.” Then he
expounded Al-Islam to the thirty thousand men he had captured in the
first affair and exhorted them to profess and take service with him.
Twenty thousand embraced the Faith, but the rest refused and he slew
them. Then came forward Jamrkan and his tribe and kissed the ground
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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