A story is told that there was a wealthy merchant in Cairo named Hasan al-Jauhari al-Baghdadi, a man with huge resources of money, as well as innumerable jewels, precious stones and properties. God had provided him with a handsome son, well built, rosy-cheeked, a splendid youth, the acme of beauty. His father named him ‘Ali al-Misri and had him taught the Quran, scientific studies, eloquence and literature until he became outstandingly learned. It then happened that his father, under whose supervision his son had been working as a trader, fell ill and his condition worsened until he was sure that he was about to die. He summoned his son, ‘Ali al-Misri, and said: ‘My son, this world passes away but the next world remains. Every living creature must taste death, and as my own is near at hand, I want to give you some instructions. If you act on them, you will remain safe and happy until you meet Almighty God, while if you do not, you will accumulate troubles and have cause to regret not having followed them.’ ‘Ali said: ‘How could I possibly not listen to you and act as you tell me, when it is an obligation and a duty for me to hear and obey you?’
Hasan then went on: ‘My son, I have left you properties, estates, goods and huge quantities of money, so much so that were you to spend five hundred dinars a day, it would not make a hole in the total. In return, you must show piety towards God and follow His chosen Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace, by keeping to what tradition has recorded of his commands and prohibitions. Be assiduous in acting well, doing good and associating with the virtuous and the learned. You must look after the poor and needy and avoid stinginess, miserly conduct and associating with doubtful characters and evil men. Treat your servants and your family with kindness and do the same with your wife. She comes from a noble family and is pregnant with your child, and it may be that God will provide you, through her, with virtuous descendants.’
Hasan continued to exhort his son, weeping and saying: ‘I pray to the generous God, Lord of the throne, the Omnipotent, to save you, my son, from any difficulty into which you may fall and provide you with a speedy release from troubles.’ ‘Ali for his part wept bitterly and said: ‘What you say dissolves me with grief because you seem to be saying goodbye.’ ‘Yes,’ said his father, ‘for I know the state I am in. Do not forget my instructions.’ Then he started to pronounce the confession of faith and to recite verses from the Quran, until, when he was at the point of death, he told his son to come near. When he did so, his father kissed him and gave a last sigh. Then his soul left his body and was received into the mercy of Almighty God.
‘Ali was stricken with grief and the house was filled with noisy wailing. Hasan’s friends gathered around him and ‘Ali prepared his body for burial, rendering the last honours to him. He had the bier carried out with all pomp to where prayers were said over him, and then on to the cemetery, where the appropriate passages of the Quran were recited as he was buried. The mourners then returned to his house and paid ‘Ali their condolences before going on their way. ‘Ali had the Friday ceremonies of mourning and the recitations of the entire Quran performed for forty days, during which he stayed at home, only going out in order to pray. On Fridays he would visit the grave and he continued praying, reciting the Quran and performing acts of devotion until his companions from among the other young merchants came to visit him. ‘How long are you going to go on mourning,’ they asked, ‘while you neglect your own affairs and your trade, as well as abandoning your friends? This is going on too long and doing an increasing amount of harm to your health.’ When they came to him, their associate was Iblis, the damned, who was whispering to them.
They began to encourage ‘Ali to go off with them to the market, and again it was Iblis who tempted him to agree so that he left the house in their company. ‘Mount your mule,’ they told him, ‘and come with us to such-and-such an orchard, where we can enjoy ourselves and you can shed your cares and sorrows.’ So ‘Ali mounted his mule and, taking his slave with him, he set off with them to the orchard to which they were headed. When they arrived, one of them went to prepare a meal, which he brought there, and they ate happily and then sat talking until the end of the day, when they mounted and rode off, each to spend the night in his own house. The next morning they came back and told ‘Ali to come with them. ‘Where to?’ he asked, and they told him that they were going to another orchard, more attractive and more pleasant than the first one. ‘Ali went there with them, and on their arrival one of them went and prepared a meal, which he brought to the orchard, together with strong wine. They ate and then produced the wine, telling ‘Ali: ‘This is what removes care and burnishes pleasure.’ They kept on encouraging him to indulge until they overcame his scruples and he joined them in drinking. They stayed talking and drinking until the end of the day and then went home. ‘Ali, whose head was spinning because of what he had drunk, went to his wife’s room and when she saw him in this state she asked why he was so changed. ‘We were enjoying ourselves today,’ he told her, ‘when one of our friends brought us something to drink. I drank with the others and felt giddy.’ His wife said: ‘Have you forgotten your father’s injunction and done what he told you not to do by associating with men of dubious reputation?’ ‘These aren’t doubtful characters,’ he told her, ‘but young merchants, men with comfortable fortunes.’
He continued to go out with his friends day after day, visiting place after place, eating and drinking, until they said to him: ‘We have all done our turns and now it is yours.’ He agreed to this willingly and the next morning he produced the necessary food and drink in twice the quantity that the others had done and he took with him cooks, attendants and coffee-makers. They made their way to al-Rauda and the Nilometer and there they stayed for a whole month, eating, drinking, listening to music and enjoying themselves. At the end of the month ‘Ali discovered that he had spent a sizeable amount of money, but Iblis, the damned, deluded him, saying: ‘If you spent this much every day you would be no less wealthy.’ As a result he paid no attention to his expenditure and carried on in the same way for three years in spite of the advice of his wife, who kept reminding him of what his father had said.
He paid no attention to her until he had used up all the ready cash that he had. Then he began to sell his jewels and spend what he got from them until this too was exhausted, after which he turned to his houses and property, until there was nothing of these left at all. Next came his estates and orchards, which he disposed of one after the other, and when these had gone he was left with nothing apart from the house in which he lived. He started to pull out its marble and its timbers, spending the money that these fetched until this too had gone, and then, when he was left with no source of spending money, he sold the house itself and spent what he got for it. Its purchaser told him to find somewhere else to live as he needed the house for himself. On thinking the matter over, ‘Ali decided that he had no need of a house except as a place for his wife, who had presented him with a son and a daughter. He had no servants left, and as there was only himself and his family he took a large room in a courtyard, and, after having been pampered in splendour with quantities of servants and wealth, he lived there, no longer having money enough for his daily bread. ‘This was what I used to warn you about,’ said his wife, ‘and I kept telling you to remember your father’s instructions, but you wouldn’t listen to me and there is no might and no power except with God, the Exalted, the Omnipotent. How are your little children going to be fed? Get up and go round your friends, the young merchants, and maybe they will give you something for today’s food.’
So ‘Ali got up and went to his friends, one after the other, but they refused to see him, heaping painful insults on him and refusing to give him anything. He went back and told this to his wife, who went to her neighbours to beg them to give her some food for that day. She went in to see a woman whom she had known in the old days and when she entered, the woman, seeing the state that she was in, welcomed her, shed tears and asked what had happened to her. So ‘Ali’s wife told her everything that her husband had done and the woman repeated her welcome and insisted that she come to her for all she needed, with no question of anything being asked in return. ‘Ali’s wife thanked her and was then given enough to see her and her family through an entire month. Taking this, she set off home and when ‘Ali saw her he wept and asked her where she had got it. ‘From So-and-So,’ she told him, ‘for when I let her know what had happened to us, she was generosity itself and told me to ask her for anything that we needed.’ ‘As you have this support,’ said her husband, ‘I can go off somewhere in the hope that Almighty God may grant us relief.’
He took his leave of his wife, kissed his children and left without knowing where he was going, walking on until he came to Bulaq, where he saw a ship that was going to Damietta. A man who had been a friend of his father’s caught sight of him and greeted him, asking where he was off to. ‘Damietta,’ ‘Ali replied, adding: ‘I want to make enquiries about some friends of mine and visit them before coming back.’ The man took him home, entertained him and provided him with provisions as well as some cash before seeing him on board the ship. When it reached Damietta, ‘Ali disembarked and went off, still with no idea where he was going, but as he was walking a merchant saw him and, taking pity on him, took him to his house. ‘Ali stayed with this man for some time, but at last he asked himself how long he was going to continue sitting in other people’s houses. He went out and found a ship that was about to sail to Syria. His host gave him provisions and brought him on board, after which ‘Ali set off and eventually reached Damascus.
As he was tramping the streets of Damascus he was seen by a virtuous man who brought him to his house, where he stayed for a time. Then, when he had gone out, he came across a caravan that was leaving for Baghdad. He went back to take his leave of the merchant with whom he had been staying and he then set off with the caravan. Almighty God, glory be to Him, inspired another merchant with pity for him, and ‘Ali continued to eat and drink with this man until the caravan was only a day’s journey from Baghdad. It was then attacked by highwaymen, who seized everything it was carrying, and each of the few who escaped made for some place of refuge. ‘Ali himself headed for Baghdad, which he reached at sunset, arriving as the gatekeepers were about to shut the gate. He called to them to let him in, which they did, and they then asked him where he was from and where he was going. ‘I’ve come from Cairo,’ he told them, ‘and I had with me merchants, laden mules, slaves and servants. I went on ahead of them to look for somewhere to store my goods, but as I did so and was riding on my mule, a band of highwaymen intercepted me. They took my mule and my goods and I was at my last gasp when I managed to escape from them.’
The gatekeepers gave him a hospitable welcome and invited him to pass the night with them, saying that in the morning they would look out somewhere suitable for him. ‘Ali hunted in his pocket and found a dinar left over from the ones that he had been given by the merchant in Bulaq. He gave this to one of the gatekeepers and told him to take it and spend it on something for them to eat. The man went off to the market and used the money to buy bread and cooked meat, which they all ate together, after which ‘Ali spent the night with them. The next morning one of them took him off to a merchant in the city, to whom he told the story. The man believed it and, thinking ‘Ali to be a trader himself, coming with merchandise, he showed him his shop and treated him with respect. He then sent to his house for a splendid robe and took him to the baths. ‘ALI SAID:
When we came out he took me back home, where he provided me with a meal, and after eating we relaxed. My host then told one of his slaves to take me off and show me two houses in such-and-such a quarter and to give me the key of whichever of them I preferred. The two of us set off and came to a street in which there were three new houses standing side by side. They were locked and the slave opened the first of them, which I looked around, and when we came out we went and inspected the second. ‘Which key do you want me to give you?’ the slave asked, but I said: ‘Whose is this big house?’ ‘Ours,’ he said, and so I told him to open it up for me to look at. ‘You don’t want to have anything to do with that one,’ the slave told me, and when I asked why, he told me that jinn lived there, adding: ‘Whoever spends the night in it is found dead next morning. We don’t open the door to bring out the corpse, but we have to go up to the roof of one of the other houses and fetch it out that way. This is why my master has left it empty, saying that he is not going to give it to anyone again.’ I told him to open it for me to inspect, saying to myself: ‘This is what I’ve been looking for. I shall spend the night here and by morning I shall be dead, having found relief from my present ills.’ The slave unlocked the door, and when I went in, I found that it was a place of incomparable splendour. ‘This is the one I choose,’ I said, ‘so give me the key.’ ‘Not before I have consulted my master,’ he replied.
Then the slave went back to his master and told him: ‘The Egyptian merchant says that he will only live in the big house.’
The owner came to ‘Ali and told him that he shouldn’t stay there, but ‘Ali insisted, saying that he wasn’t worried by the gossip. The owner told him to draw up a document stating that, were anything to happen to ‘Ali, the owner himself would not have any responsibility for it. ‘Ali agreed, and after a court witness had been summoned a document was written and kept by the owner, who then handed over the key to ‘Ali. He took it and went into the house, to which the owner sent a slave with bedding, which he spread out over a bench behind the door before going back.
When ‘Ali went in, he saw a well in the courtyard of the house and over it was suspended a bucket. He lowered this into the well, filled it and used it to perform the ritual ablution, and after the obligatory prayer he sat down for a time. A slave then brought him his evening meal from the owner’s house, together with a lamp, a candle and a candlestick, as well as a bowl, a ewer and a jug, before leaving him and going home. ‘Ali lit the candle and ate his meal, after which he relaxed before performing the evening prayer. He then told himself: ‘Come on, take the bedding upstairs and sleep up there, as that will be better than sleeping here.’ So he did this, and upstairs he found a huge room with a gilded ceiling and a floor and walls of coloured marble.
He spread out his bedding and sat reading a portion of the glorious Quran when he was taken unawares by a voice that called out to him: ‘‘Ali, son of Hasan, shall I send you down the gold?’ ‘Ali asked where this gold might be, but before he had finished, gold poured down as though shot from a mangonel, and it kept on falling until it had filled the room. When this had stopped, the voice said: ‘Now set me free so that I can go on my way, as my service is done and I have given you what was left in trust for you.’ ‘In the Name of God, the Omnipotent,’ said ‘Ali, ‘I conjure you to tell me how this gold comes to be here.’ ‘Since ancient times,’ the voice replied, ‘it has been kept for you by a talismanic spell. I come to everyone who enters this house and say: “‘Ali, son of Hasan, shall I send you down the gold?” This terrifies them and they cry out, after which I come down and break their necks, and then leave. But when you came and I called out your name and that of your father, asking you whether to send down the gold, and you asked where it was, I realized that you were its rightful owner and sent it down. There is another treasure waiting for you in Yemen, and were you to go and get it before coming back here, it would be better for you. Now I want you to set me free so that I may go on my way.’ ‘By God,’ said ‘Ali, ‘I am not going to free you until you fetch me the Yemeni treasure.’ ‘If I do that,’ said the voice, ‘will you free me and free the servant of the other treasure?’ ‘Ali agreed and was asked to swear to this, which he did.
The servant of the treasure was then about to set off when ‘Ali said: ‘There’s something else that I want you to do for me.’ ‘What is that?’ asked the other, and ‘Ali said: ‘I have a wife and children in such-and-such a place in Cairo and I want you to fetch them to me gently and without harm.’ ‘God willing, I shall bring them with due pomp on a litter attended by eunuchs and servants together with the treasure from Yemen,’ said the servant, who asked for three days’ leave, promising that by the end of this time ‘Ali would have everything delivered to him. He then left, and in the morning ‘Ali went round the room to see whether he could find a safe place in which to store the gold. The room had a dais at whose edge he saw a marble slab with a screw set in it, and when he turned this the slab slid away to reveal a door. ‘Ali opened it, and when he entered he discovered a large chamber containing sacks made from materials sewn together. He started to take these, fill them with gold and carry them to the chamber until he had transferred the whole pile of gold and put it there. Then he shut the door and turned the screw so that the slab went back to its place, after which he went down to sit on the bench behind the front door.
While he was sitting there, a knock came at the door and when he had got up and opened it he found the owner’s slave. When the man saw him sitting there, he hurried back to his master to give him the good news, telling him: ‘The trader who stayed in the haunted house is safe and sound and is sitting on the bench behind the front door.’ His master got up joyfully and set off for the house, taking with him food for breakfast. When he saw ‘Ali, he embraced him, kissed him between the eyes and asked how he had got on. ‘Ali told him: ‘All went well and I slept upstairs in the marble chamber.’ ‘Did anything approach you or did you see anything?’ the man asked. ‘No,’ replied ‘Ali. ‘I recited some passages from the glorious Quran and then slept until morning, when I got up, performed the ritual ablution and prayed, after which I came down and sat on this bench.’ ‘Praise be to God that you are safe,’ he said, after which he got up and left ‘Ali, and then sent him slaves, mamluks and slave girls, together with household effects. They swept out the house from top to bottom and furnished it in lavish style, after which three of the mamluks, together with three black slaves and four slave girls, stayed to serve him while the rest went back to their master’s house. When the other merchants heard about him, they sent him all kinds of valuable gifts, including food, drink and clothing, and they took him to sit with them in the market. They asked him when his merchandise would arrive, and he told them that this would be after three days. At the end of the three days, the servant of the first treasure, who had poured down the gold for him, came to him and said: ‘Get up and see the treasure that I have brought you from Yemen, together with your family. Part of the treasure comes in the form of precious merchandise, but everything that accompanies it in the way of mules, horses, camels, eunuchs and mamluks consists of jinn.’
When the servant of the treasure reached Cairo, he had found that in ‘Ali’s absence his wife and children had been reduced to nakedness and ever-increasing hunger. He carried them away from their lodging and out of Cairo on a litter, and provided them with magnificent clothes from the Yemeni treasure. When he returned to tell ‘Ali of that, ‘Ali went to invite the Baghdadi merchants to come out of the city with him to meet the caravan that was carrying his goods, adding: ‘Do me the honour of bringing your wives in order to meet mine.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ they said, and after sending for their wives, they sat talking in one of the orchards of the city.
While they were doing this, a dust cloud was seen rising from the heart of the desert. They got up to see what had caused it, and when it cleared, under it could be seen mules, men, baggage handlers, servants and lantern bearers. They were coming forward singing and dancing, and the leader of the baggage handlers came up to ‘Ali, kissed his hand and said: ‘We have been delayed on the road, sir. We had intended to enter the city yesterday, but we had to wait for four days in the same place for fear of highwaymen, until Almighty God dispersed them for us.’
The Baghdadi merchants got up, mounted their mules and accompanied the caravan, while their wives waited for ‘Ali’s family to mount and go with them. They entered Baghdad in a great procession, with the merchants admiring the mules loaded with chests, and their wives admiring the dress of ‘Ali’s wife and the clothes of her children, saying to each other: ‘Not even the ruler of Baghdad or any other king, noble, or merchant has clothes like these.’ The procession continued on its way, the men with ‘Ali and the women with his family, until they came to his house, where they dismounted. The laden mules were led into the centre of the courtyard, where their loads were removed and placed in the storerooms. The women went with ‘Ali’s family to the upper room, which they found resembled a luxuriant garden, magnificently furnished, and here they sat in happy enjoyment until noon, when a meal of the most magnificent foods and sweetmeats was brought to them. They ate and tasted the most splendid of drinks, and afterwards used rosewater and incense to perfume themselves. The company then took leave of ‘Ali, and both men and women went back to their own houses. When they had got home, the men began to send the kind of presents to ‘Ali that matched their own wealth, while the women sent gifts of their own to his family. As a result, he and his wife collected a large number of slave girls, slaves and mamluks, as well as accumulating stores of all kinds such as grain, sugar and other goods past all number.
The owner of the house, the Baghdadi merchant, did not leave ‘Ali but stayed and said: ‘Let the slaves and the servants take the mules and the other animals to another house to rest,’ but ‘Ali told him: ‘They are going to such-and-such a place tonight.’ He then gave them permission to leave the city so that when night fell they could go on their way. As soon as they were sure that they had his permission, they took their leave of him. They went out of the city and then took to the air and flew back to where they came from.
‘Ali sat with the owner of the house until the end of the first third of the night, when they broke off their session, the owner returning to his own house and ‘Ali going to his family. He greeted them and asked what had happened to them in the period after he had left them. His wife told him of the hunger they had had to endure, their lack of clothes and their hardship. He praised God for their safety and asked how they had come to Baghdad. His wife said: ‘Last night I was sleeping with the children and then before I knew where I was, someone had lifted them and me up from the ground and we were flying through the air without suffering any harm. This went on until we landed in a place that looked like a Bedouin camp. We saw a number of laden mules and a litter carried by two large mules and surrounded by eunuchs, both boys and men. “Who are you?” I asked them. “What are these loads and where are we?” They said: “We are the servants of ‘Ali ibn Hasan al-Jauhari of Cairo, and he has sent us to take you to him in the city of Baghdad.” “Is it a long or a short way from here to Baghdad?” I asked. “Baghdad is not far away,” they said, “and we can cover the distance while it is still dark.” They then set us on the litter, and by the time that it was morning we had arrived here without having suffered any harm at all.’ ‘And who gave you these clothes?’ ‘Ali asked. His wife said: ‘The leader of the caravan opened one of the chests that were being carried by the mules and took the clothes out of it. He gave me this to wear and produced others for the children, after which he locked the chest and handed me the key, telling me to keep it safe until I could give it to you. I have it here.’
She brought it out for him and he asked her if she could recognize the chest. ‘Yes, certainly,’ she said, and ‘Ali then went down with her to the storerooms and showed her the chests. When she pointed out the one from which the clothes had been taken, he took the key from her, put it in the lock and opened it. In it he discovered a great quantity of robes, together with the keys of all the other chests. He removed these and started to open the others one by one and to investigate their contents, which consisted of jewels and precious stones the like of which no king possessed. He then locked the chests, took the keys and went with his wife to the upper room. ‘All this comes through the grace of Almighty God,’ he told her, and he led her to the marble slab with the screw, which he turned. He opened the door of the treasure chamber and went in with his wife to show her the gold that he had deposited there.
‘Where did you get all this from?’ she asked, and he told her: ‘This came through God’s grace. When I left you in Cairo I walked off without knowing where I was going, and when I got to Bulaq, I found a ship that was going to Damietta. I boarded it and when I got to Damietta, a merchant who had known my father met me and hospitably took me in. He asked where I was going and I told him I was on my way to Damascus, where I had friends.’ He then went on to tell his wife everything that had happened to him from beginning to end. She said: ‘All this has happened because of the prayers that your father offered for you before his death, when he used to say: “I pray to God that, if He ever brings you into difficulties, He may grant you speedy relief.” Praise be to Him that He has done this for you and has returned to you more than you lost. So I implore you, my husband, in God’s Name, not to return to your former association with notorious persons but show piety towards Almighty God, both openly and in secret.’ She admonished him and he said: ‘I accept what you say and I ask God to remove evil associates from me, helping me to serve Him obediently and to follow what has been sanctioned by His Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace.’
‘Ali, his wife and his children now led the most prosperous of lives. ‘Ali opened a shop in the merchants’ market and stocked it with a quantity of jewels and precious stones, sitting there with his sons and his mamluks. He became one of the leading merchants of Baghdad and news of him reached the king, who sent for him. The king’s messenger arrived to tell him to obey the summons and ‘Ali replied: ‘To hear is to obey.’ He then prepared a gift for the king, taking four trays of red gold which he filled with jewels and precious stones such as no king possessed, and with these he went off to the king. On entering the king’s presence he kissed the ground before him and prayed eloquently for the continuation of his glory and good fortune. ‘Merchant,’ said the king, ‘your presence has delighted our land,’ to which ‘Ali replied: ‘King of the age, your servant has brought you a gift which he hopes you will be generously pleased to accept.’ He then produced the four trays. The king removed their coverings and when he looked at them, he saw jewels more splendid than any of his own, worth immense stores of money. ‘Your gift is acceptable, merchant,’ said the king, ‘and, God willing, we shall repay you with one to match it,’ after which ‘Ali kissed his hands and left.
The king then summoned his principal officers of state and asked them: ‘How many kings have asked for my daughter’s hand?’ ‘Very many,’ they replied. ‘And did any of them give me a gift like this?’ he went on. ‘No,’ they said in unison, ‘for not one of them has ever had treasures like these.’ The king then said: ‘I have asked God for guidance as to whether I should marry my daughter to this merchant. What is your opinion?’ ‘You should do as you think fit,’ they said, and he then ordered that the trays together with their contents be taken by the eunuchs to the women’s quarters. There he went to his wife and put the trays before her. When she uncovered them, she saw gems more magnificent than any single one that she owned. ‘What king has sent these?’ she asked, adding: ‘Perhaps it is one of the suitors for your daughter’s hand.’ ‘No,’ he told her, ‘this comes from an Egyptian merchant who has arrived in our city. When I heard of this, I sent a messenger to fetch him in order to enjoy his company, thinking that he might have some jewels that I could buy for our daughter’s wedding. He answered the summons, bringing these four trays, which he presented as a gift. I saw that he was a handsome young man, dignified and intelligent, with a graceful appearance, who might even be a prince. I was pleased with him and attracted to him, and I would now like to marry him to my daughter.’
The king went on to tell her how he had shown the present to his officers of state and of the questions he had asked them and of their answers, as well as how he had consulted them about the princess’s marriage and what they had said. ‘What have you to say yourself?’ he then asked. ‘It is for God and for you to decide, king of the age,’ she replied, ‘and what God wishes will happen.’ ‘God willing, then,’ the king said, ‘we shall marry her to no one but this young man.’ When he went to his court the next morning, he ordered that ‘Ali be brought to him together with all the merchants of Baghdad. When they were all assembled in front of him, he ordered them to sit, and when they were seated, he sent for the qadi of the court. The qadi came and was told by the king to draw up a marriage contract between his daughter and ‘Ali, the Cairene merchant. ‘Forgive me, lord king,’ ‘Ali exclaimed, ‘but it is not right that a merchant like me should become your son-in-law.’ ‘This is a favour that I have granted to you,’ the king replied, ‘together with the vizierate.’ He immediately followed this by investing ‘Ali as vizier, after which ‘Ali took his seat on the vizier’s chair.
‘Ali then said: ‘King of the age, you have honoured me by showing me this favour, but listen to what I have to say to you.’ ‘Speak on,’ said the king, ‘and have no fear.’ ‘Ali said: ‘Since you have proclaimed your august intention to give your daughter in marriage, this should be to my son.’ ‘Have you a son?’ asked the king, and when ‘Ali confirmed that he had, the king told him to send for him immediately. ‘To hear is to obey,’ said ‘Ali, and he sent one of his mamluks to fetch his son, who, when he came into the king’s presence, kissed the ground before him and stood there respectfully. Looking at him, the king could see that he was better-looking than his daughter and superior to her in the symmetry of his figure and the perfection of his handsomeness. ‘What is your name?’ the king asked him. ‘Your majesty,’ the fourteen-year-old youth replied, ‘my name is Hasan.’ The king then told the qadi to draw up the marriage contract between his daughter, Husn al-Wujud, and Hasan, son of the merchant ‘Ali of Cairo. The qadi did this, and when this stage had been successfully completed, all those who were present in the king’s court went off on their way.
The merchants followed ‘Ali, the new vizier, back to his house and then left, after having congratulated him on his appointment. ‘Ali went to his wife, who, seeing him wearing the robe of the vizierate, asked him what had happened. He told her the whole story from beginning to end and said: ‘He has given his daughter in marriage to Hasan, my son.’ She was overjoyed by this, and after having spent the night at home, ‘Ali returned to court the next morning, where the king greeted him warmly and seated him close to his side. ‘Vizier,’ he said, ‘our intention is to hold the wedding feast and to bring your son to my daughter.’ ‘Lord king,’ said ‘Ali, ‘whatever you consider right and proper is so.’ The king then gave orders for the feast; the city was adorned with decorations and the festivities lasted for thirty days, to the enjoyment and delight of the people. At the end of the thirty days, Hasan lay with the princess, enjoying her beauty and grace.
When the king’s wife saw Hasan, she became very fond of him and also of his mother. On the king’s orders a large palace was quickly built for him, and when he took up residence there, his mother used to stay with him for days on end before returning home. So the queen said to her husband: ‘Hasan’s mother cannot stay with her son and leave her husband, the vizier, nor can she stay with her husband, leaving her son.’ ‘That is true,’ said the king, and he gave orders for a third palace to be built next to the palace of Hasan. This was done within a few days and, on the king’s instructions, ‘Ali’s possessions were moved to the new palace, where he took up residence. The three palaces were interconnected and when the king wanted to talk with his vizier, he could walk to his palace at night or send for him, and the same was true of Hasan and his mother and father.
They continued to lead an enjoyable and pleasant life together for some time, until the king fell ill. When his condition worsened, he summoned his principal officers of state and said: ‘I am gravely ill and as this illness may prove fatal, I have brought you here in order to consult you, so advise me on what you think is the proper course.’ They asked: ‘On what point is it that you want advice from us, your majesty?’ He said: ‘I am old and ill and I am afraid that after my death my kingdom may be attacked by enemies. I want you all to agree on one man for whom I can have the oath of allegiance taken as my successor, while I am still alive, so that you may feel easy about the matter.’ They replied unanimously: ‘We would all be content with the husband of your daughter, Hasan, the son of the vizier ‘Ali. We have seen his intelligence and perfect understanding, and he knows the position of everyone, both great and small.’ ‘Perhaps you are saying this in my presence out of deference, but behind my back you say something else.’ ‘By God,’ they all said, ‘what we say openly and in secret is one and the same thing, and we will accept him willingly and cheerfully.’ ‘If that is so,’ said the king, ‘order the qadi who decides matters of religious law, together with all the chamberlains, legates and officers of state, to present themselves before me tomorrow so that we may settle the matter in the proper fashion.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ they said, and they then left to brief all the religious scholars and the leading emirs.
The next morning, they arrived at court and sent a message to the king asking leave to enter. When this had been granted, they went in, greeted him and said: ‘We are all here in your presence.’ So the king said: ‘Emirs of Baghdad, who will you be content to have as your king to succeed me, so that I can confirm him as my heir before I die in the presence of you all?’ They all said: ‘We are agreed on Hasan, son of the vizier ‘Ali, the husband of your daughter.’ The king then said: ‘If that is so, then go, all of you, and bring him before me.’ They all rose, and after going to Hasan’s palace they told him to come with them to the king. When he asked why, they told him: ‘This is for something that will be good both for us and for you.’ He accompanied them to the king and kissed the ground before him. ‘Sit, my son,’ said the king, and when he had taken his seat, the king went on: ‘All the emirs have approved of you and have agreed to appoint you as their king after my death. My intention is to nominate you as my heir while I am still alive in order to have the matter settled.’
At that, Hasan got up, kissed the ground before the king and said: ‘Your majesty, some of the emirs are older and senior in rank to me, so allow me to decline.’ The emirs, however, insisted that they would only be satisfied with him as their king. ‘My father is older than me,’ said Hasan. ‘He and I are one and the same thing, and it would not be right for me to be placed ahead of him.’ ‘Ali, however, replied: ‘I approve of nothing except what my brother emirs agree on, and as they are unanimous in their choice of you, you should not disobey the king’s command or go against the choice of your brothers.’ Hasan looked down at the ground out of diffidence towards the king and his father. The king then asked the emirs: ‘Are you content with him?’ ‘We are,’ they said, and they all recited the opening sura of the Quran seven times. ‘Qadi,’ said the king, ‘draw up a legal document confirming that these emirs have agreed to the transfer of power to Hasan, the husband of my daughter, and that he is to be their king.’ This the qadi did, and he signed the document after they had all taken the oath of allegiance to Hasan as king, as had the old king himself, who then told Hasan to take his seat on the throne. Everyone rose and kissed the hands of King Hasan, son of the vizier, in a show of obedience to him. His judgements that day were exemplary and he distributed splendid robes of honour to the officers of state.
The court was then dismissed and Hasan went to his father-in-law and kissed his hands. ‘Hasan,’ said the old king, ‘in the treatment of your subjects display piety towards God.’ ‘I shall achieve success through your blessing, father,’ replied Hasan. He then went to his palace, where he was met by his wife and her mother, together with their servants, who all kissed his hands and congratulated him on his office, exclaiming: ‘This is a blessed day!’ From his own palace he then went to that of his father, where there was great rejoicing at the favour God had bestowed on him by entrusting him with the kingship. His father enjoined him to fear God and to show compassion towards his subjects, and after spending a happy and joyful night, the next morning he performed the ritual prayer, recited the specified portion of the Quran, and then went to his court. All his troops and officials were present; in delivering his judgements he ordered what was good and forbade what was evil, and he appointed some to office and deposed others. This went on until the end of the day, when the court was dismissed with due ceremony and the troops, together with everyone else, went off on their way.
Hasan then returned to the palace, where he found his father-in-law gravely ill. When Hasan wished him well, he opened his eyes and called his name. ‘Here I am,’ said Hasan, and the old king said: ‘I am near my end. Look after your wife and her mother; fear God and be dutiful towards your parents. Live in fear and awe of God, the Judge, and know that He orders you to act with justice and charity.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ replied Hasan. The old king lived for three more days but was then gathered to the mercy of Almighty God. They prepared his body, covered him with a shroud, and recited the Quran, both in sections and in full, over his grave for a total of forty days. Hasan then ruled alone. His subjects were delighted with him and the days of his reign were filled with joy. His father continued to serve as principal vizier at his right hand, and he appointed a second vizier at his left. Everything was well ordered and Hasan remained as king of Baghdad for a long time. His wife, the old king’s daughter, presented him with three sons, who inherited the kingdom after his death. They lived the pleasantest and happiest of lives, until they were visited by the destroyer of delights and the parter of companions – praise be to the Eternal God, Who has the power both to destroy and to establish.
[Nights 424–34]