Hatim began to consider in his mind, “Now, where am I to go, of whom can I ask my way, and what plan ought I to adopt?” But, on further reflexion, he said to himself, “I have, by the aid of God, devoted my whole exertions to the service of my fellow-creatures, without any selfish consideration: assuredly, then, my Creator will condnct me to the proper place.” With this reflexion, he fixed his reliance on God, and proceeded towards the wilderness. After a few days he arrived in a desert where not a bird was seen to flap its wing. Two or three days thence he was startled at seeing a wolf in pursuit of a milch doe,* and so near that he was on the point of seizing her. Hatim shouted aloud to the wolf, “Ravenous animal, desist, she has a young one, and the milk flows from her udder.” The wolf stood still, and said, “Undoubtedly you are HATIM, as your heart is endowed with such compassion.” He asked, “How do you know that I am Hatim?” The wolf replied, “There is none but Hatim who evinces compassion and kindness to this extent towards his fellow-creatures, rational and irrational; and the name of Hatim is renowned in every quarter. But as you have this day withheld me from my prey, let me now have something to eat.” “What do you eat?” said Hatim. The wolf answered, “Flesh is my food.” Hatim said to him, “If the small quantity of flesh which is on my body be agreeable to you, say the word, and I will give it to you.” “Nothing can be better” replied the wolf, “than the flesh on your thigh.” Hatim then unsheathed his knife, and having cut away the flesh from his own thigh, he threw it to the wolf. The latter ate, and was satisfied, and said, “Oh, Hatim! why have you left your own capital of Yemen, and for what reason do you wander in this desert?” Hatim told the wolf, that the prince Munir Shami had fallen in love with Husn Banu; that she had seven questions for proposing and that she was to accept only that man who could answer them; “and I,” said Hatim, “have undertaken, through the aid of Providence, to accomplish this task. The first question is this; ‘Where is the man who exclaims, ‘What I once saw, I long for a second time?’ In order to be informed of this I sallied forth, recommending myself to God; but not knowing where that man is, I have directed my course to the desert, and thus far I have advanced.” The wolf here replied, “I do not know myself the place where that man is, but I have heard from the report of others that his abode is in the desert of Hāwaïda, and that whosoever goes thither will see him.” Hatim asked the wolf whether he knew where the desert of Hāwaïda lay; to which he answerd, “As you go forward from hence, the road branches into two; avoid the path to the left, and proceed on that to the right hand, it will lead you to the desert of Hāwaïda.”

Meanwhile the doe, having testified her gratitude to Hatim, departed; and the wolf likewise took his leave. Each of these animals looked back to see whether Hatim followed them; but the pain arising from his wound was so intense that he could not proceed, and he fell down at the side of a tree. It happened that underneath that tree a pair of jackals had formed their haunt, and were at that moment absent in search of food. When the two jackals returned, they observed Hatim asleep, and the female said to the male, “Here is one of the human race, how has he been brought hither? We must quit this place, for he can have no sympathy towards creatures of a different species.” The male replied, “It is probable that this is HATIM on his way to explore the desert of Hāwaïda; and has sunk down exhausted from the pain in his thigh.” The female said,* “How do you know this is Hatim?” M.— “I have been informed by the learned that on a certain day Hatim should arrive at this tree.” F.— “What sort of a personage is Hatim?” M.— “He is Prince of Yemen, and one of God’s elect, and many a trial awaits him; we must not leave him distressed in heart.”— F. “How has he fallen into this state?” M.— “A wolf was about to seize a milch doe (to devour her), and Hatim cut the flesh from his own thigh, and gave it to the wolf in lien of the doe, which he thus preserved by involving himself in calamity.” F.— “Among the human race, are there really some who are thus endowed with humanity? Heaven knows, there is little compassion in mankind!” M.— “The human race are the noblest of God’s creatures; and Hatim in particular is extremely generous, endowed with humanity, and of high honour; he is also one who feareth and adoreth the Creator, for whose sake he tore off his own flesh and gave it to the wolf.” F.— “Thus wounded in the thigh, how can he live? or when can he reach the desert of Hāwaïda?” M.— “If the brains of the fowl called the Pariru* could be applied to his wound, a complete cure would have taken place in the short space of an hour; but this remedy it is (almost) impossible to procure from the place where it is.” F.— “Where is it to be found?” M.— “In the desert of Mazanderan; it is a fowl like a peacock, with a head like that of the human race. He allures all those who attempt to seize him, by giving them sherbet to drink, by the gracefulness of his movements and the sweetness of his looks.”* F.— “Who is it then that can bring this remedy and by the grace of God restore Hatim to health?” M.— “If you will attend to this youth for the space of seven days I will go and bring the head of that fowl.” F.— “Nothing can be better, for it will be an instance of humanity from the part of the brute creation towards the human race. Until you return while life remains in my body, I will not suffer a living creature to come near this youth.”

Hatim was listening the conversation of the jackals, but he was so exhausted that he had not the strength to rise up. Meanwhile the male jackal, leaving the female, set out for Mazanderan; and on his arrival there, he saw the animal he was in quest of, sleeping underneath a tree. He approached it, and seizing its head (in his mouth), he gave it, such a pull that he severed it from the body, and returning with it he arrived agreeably to his promise. The female (during his absence) had rested neither night nor day did she suffer any living creature to approach the tree. Hatim was conscious of all this, how the jackal having procured the head of the Pariru, had now placed it before his female companion. The female jackal then with her mouth forced open the head, and having extracted the brain, applied it to Hatim’s wound. The instant it was applied Hatim’s pain was removed; he rose up, and looking at the jackals, said, “You, though of the brute creation, have acted most humanely towards me; but you have without cause deprived another animal of life: in this you have not done well.” The male jackal said, “For that crime let me be answerable; and do you rest at ease. What, though I am of the brute creation, still I acknowledge a merciful God.” About an hour passed in such discourse, after which the flesh closed on Hatim’s wound, and he experienced a complete cure. He then addressed the jackals, saying, “You have acted most beneficently towards me; com­mand me then in any way I can do you a favour, and what­ever service you will require of me I will with all my heart and soul accomplish.” The jackals replied, “In this neigh­bourhood there lives a couple of ravenous hyenas, that every year devour our young ones, our strength being of no avail against them. If it is in your power, remove from us their depredations, and it will be doing us the highest of favours.”

Hatim requested the jackal to shew him the haunt of the hyenas; which being done, he set out, but found that the place was empty. He there sat down till it was night, when both hyenas male and female arrived, and were sur­prised at seeing a man stationed in their abode. Growling, they said to him in their own language, “Oh, son of man! this is our dwelling place, not yours; how came you to sit here? Arise, and go your way, otherwise we shall tear you to pieces in this very spot.” Hatim replied, “Creatures of the Almighty, your own lives are dear to you, so ought you to consider the lives of others; and if you delight in destroy­ing life, tremble for your own. On what account do you devour the young of the helpless jackals? Truly you have not the fear of God, and you have need to repent.” They said to him, “How come you to feel sympathy for the jackals? Why do you not look after your own affairs?” Hatim replied, “I beseech you, by that God who hath created you and the whole universe, to abstain from eating their flesh; God is bountiful, and he will assuredly send you sustenace.” The hyenas, in answer to this, said, “We never will spare them.”

When Hatim found them thus callous and unmerciful, and disinclined to act honestly, he sprung forward and suspended himself to the necks of the hyenas, by which means he threw them down, and fettered them. He then considered with himself, “If I kill them (it will be con­trary to my nature), for hitherto I have not inflicted pain on any living creature;” but on farher reflection it came into his mind, that it was highly proper to chastise ferocious animals. He therefore drew forth his knife, and having broken the teeth and cut off the claws of the hyenas he left them, and devoutly prayed to God to relieve the pain of the animals. The Hearer of prayers attended to Hatim’s request, and removed the pain from the hyenas. Hatim then united the fetters and set the animals at liberty; they fell at his feet, saying: “How can we henceforth receive suste­nance?” He replied, “God is bountiful” Meanwhile the jackals presented themselves, and said, “Henceforth let the maintenance of the hyenas be left to our care, and while we live we shall provide for them.”