RECORD OF THE GOING OF THE QORAISH PRINCES TO THE CASTLE OF A’MDÂN, AND SAIF ZU YAZAN’S GIVING THE GLAD TIDINGS TO A’BD - UL - MUTTALLEB THAT THE PROPHET OF THE LATTER TIMES—U. W. B.—WOULD APPEAR.

Zu Yazan was of the dynasty of the kings of Hemiar and Yaman, respected and esteemed by the people on account of the nobility of his descent. At that time he was, moreover, the husband of a lady who had no equal in beauty, but was compelled by Abrahah, who had heard about her and coveted her, to surrender her to him. On account of this tyrannic act Zu Yazan laid his complaint before the court of the Qaissar, and having returned from it disappointed, he placed it before Naushirvân, the refuge of justice, where he also met with procrastination on account of the distance of the two kingdoms and the difference of the two religions, it being a long way from Madâin to the capital of Abyssinia; and the difference between Christianity, the yoke whereof Zu Yazan bore on his neck, and between ignolatry, which Naushirvân professed, was even greater. After Zu Yazan had for some time sojourned at Madâin he folded up the carpet of life, and Saif, the son of Zu Yazan, had—during the reign of Masrûq, the son of Abrahah, after the death of the latter—taken refuge with Naushirvân, and had been enrolled amongst his servants, until at last that just king took pity upon him, and liberating six hundred valiant and strong men who had for various crimes been confined in prison, sent them, under the leadership of a decrepit old man of the name of Hormuzd, under the shadow of the banners of Saif, the son of Zu Yazan, by way of the sea, which was the nearest, to Abyssinia and to Yaman. The reason why Naushirvân sent prisoners was that in case they should meet with disasters, either by sea or in Abyssinia, there would be no cause for sorrow and repentance. Accordingly, they embarked in six ships, and arrived after a prosperous voyage in Abyssinia, where Hor­muzd and Saif pitched their tents in a camp which they had selected for the purpose of resting a few days; and on that occasion the adherents of Saif in the country joined him. Their antagonists, however, reported to Masrûq, the son of Abrahah, what the aim of the invaders was; there­fore he sent an envoy to Hormuzd with the following message: ‘This man Saif has deceived you and your king. If you knew how large my army is you would offer your best excuses. I feel ashamed to wage war against you, and if you wish to return I shall furnish you with provisions, but if you remain in this country you will be more honoured than you ever were in Persia.’ When Hormuzd heard these words he asked, and afterwards obtained, one month’s truce, during which time many Hemiarites joined Saif, and after the expiration of it hostilities began by Masrûq’s despatching his own son with ten thousand cavalry against the enemy, to whom Hormuzd likewise opposed his own son with an equal number of horsemen. When the two armies met the Persians rained a shower of arrows upon the Abyssinians, put them to flight, and Masrûq’s son was killed. But the son of Hormuzd, who pursued them, also lost his life. The next day grief for his son impelled Masrûq with one hundred thousand cavalry to attack Hormuzd, who, having staked his life by burning his ships, and thus cutting off his own retreat, hastened to meet his antagonist with five thousand Hemiarites and six hundred Persians. Hormuzd asked for a bandage and tied it over his brows, because his hair was so long that it overshadowed his eyes; and his sight being also weak, he desired Masrûq to be pointed out to him; thereon he obtained the information that Masrûq was mounted on an elephant, and wore a crown with a ruby just over the forehead. When Hormuzd sighted the brilliancy of the ruby from a distance he said: ‘The elephant is a great vehicle; now he must be attacked.’ After a short time Masrûq alighted from the elephant and mounted a horse, of which circumstance the bystanders informed him, and he replied: ‘The horse is a noble vehicle. It is necessary to wait a little.’ Then Masrûq alighted from the horse and bestrode a mule, whereon Hormuzd said: ‘A mule is the progeny of an ass, but an ass is the vehicle of misery and scorn. Give me the bow imme­diately, for now is the propitious time.’ He took the bow into his hand, but ordered its hilt to be kept aiming at the ruby on the crown of Masrûq, and continued: ‘When, after shooting the arrow, you perceive the Abyssinians moving and gathering round their king, you may be sure that the arrow has taken effect; but if not, you must quickly give me another.’ In short:

Distich:

When his finger touched the dart It shot forth from the bow.

The eagle of fate, represented by the four-feathered arrow, flew forth from the nest of the bow, reached its aim, and stuck fast in the proud head of the King of Abyssinia.

Distich:

Each arrow-glance of thy quiver eye had an aim Which struck the bosom as thy heart desired.

Masrûq alighted from the mule, and the Abyssinian army surrounded him. When Saif Zu Yazan and Hor­muzd perceived what had taken place, they unsheathed the scimitar of revenge, attacked and put to flight the hosts of Abyssinia, whose dead were innumerable. Zu Yazan made his triumphal entry in S’anâ, and erected the throne of his dominion in the castle of A’mdân, a building the like of which had never before existed on earth. The simple and the gentle from near and far hastened to offer their congratulations at the court of that powerful king. Among the visitors were also the princes of the Qoraish tribe, such as A’bd-ul-Muttalleb Bin Hâshem, Wahab Bin A’bd Munâf, Amanah Bin A’bd-ush-Shams, Tolhah Bin Khovilad, A’bdullah Bin Juda’an, with others who had left their country, and had come to S’anâ for the purpose of waiting upon the king. After a chamberlain had obtained an audience for them, they, with other chieftains from various places, laid the hands of courtesy on their bosoms and were admitted. After the Qoraish had offered their gifts of homage, A’bd-ul-Muttalleb requested permission to speak, and the king replied that there was no objection provided he was skilled in using language suitable to a royal court. A’bd-ul-Muttalleb then uttered congratula­tions at the accession of the king in suitable terms, and introduced his companions in such a manner that he was applauded by all:

Quatrain:

Though no one has introduced me to thee To say what my station and dignity are, My speech itself is a sign of excellence, Like the breeze that wafts from a rose-grove.

After the king had ascertained the high personal character of A’bd-ul-Muttalleb, he made inquiries about his family, which were replied to. Then Saif continued his royal favours, saying: ‘Thou art the son of my mother’s sister, who likewise belongs to the noblest of the tribe of the Bani-an-najâr,’ and having expressed his joy and pleasure at their visit, he sent them to the mansion of hospitality, where they found entertainment during a whole month, without, however, being allowed either to meet him or to depart. When the just-mentioned time had expired he invited A’bd-ul-Muttalleb to his private apart­ments, where he treated him very courteously, and after the usual preliminaries addressed him as follows: ‘The figures of affairs now hidden, and events concealed, but which are about to happen, have appeared on the speculum of my mind, and I am unwilling to reveal them to strangers, but as you are a treasury of secret wisdom, a depository of excellent qualities, and a manifest evidence of the approach of the realization of the promised event, even the most scrupulous caution does not persuade me to conceal this matter from you:

Distich:

In this bosom is a secret which I cannot reveal, Which I cannot reveal, and cannot conceal.

I inform only very wise and discriminating persons of this secret, therefore you must communicate it neither to friend nor foe, nor even trust your own shadow as a confidant in this matter.’ Although the king had enjoined such secrecy, he informed him that soon an object would be transferred from the invisible to the visible world, which will become the cause of honour and glory to mortals in this, and of exaltation to the dead in the next world. ‘By their closer connection with that precious gift, the inhabitants of Mekkah, but more especially thy noble family, will become distinguished above all the other inhabitants of the world.’ After this, A’bd-ul-Muttalleb asked for explanations and details concerning the time when the promised event would take place, and the king replied: ‘When in the honoured sanctuary and noble city of Mekkah a merciful guest who has a mole between his shoulders makes his appearance, arriving from the invisible in the visible world, genii and men will be inclined to follow him, and by the advent of that blessed personage thou wilt be ennobled to the top of the firmament.’ A’bd-ul-Muttalleb said: ‘Praise and thanks be to Allah, because I am return­ing to my native country from the treasury of the exalted king, with a precious robe and costly diadem, which will be an object of pride to me and to my descendants; and if awe and respect for your majesty were not restraining me I would make such inquiries on this subject that no kind of doubt or suspicion would remain in my mind.’ The king continued: ‘The time has arrived when a person— endowed with the dignity of Nûh [Noah], with the nature of the Friend,* with the intrepidity of Mûsa [Moses], and with the breath of I’sa* [Jesus] — of the name of Muhammad will be, and is perhaps already born. One sign is, that in his infancy he will be separated from his parents, and will be taken care of by his grandfather and uncle. By the special favour of the Lord he will be exalted to the dignity, and will be invested with the precious robe of prophecy. Although himself unable to write, he will draw the pen of abrogation across the injunctions of previous pages of former books, and will invite the inhabitants of the world to abandon Satan and to worship Allah. He will vanquish the nations opposing him, destroy idols, demolish temples, and will quench the ardour of the ignolaters with the refulgent scimitars of his adherents, and despite his being a favourite of the Almighty, he will not cease for a single moment to worship Him.’ A’bd-ul-Muttalleb then said: ‘Trusting in your royal mercy, I hope your majesty’s pearl-dropping words will still more plainly reveal this matter to me.’ Saif Zu Yazan replied: ‘By the Lord of glory and possessor of the Ka’bah! I have, for a certainty, learnt that thou wilt be his grandfather, and what I have told thee is nothing but the pure truth, which I have ascertained from inspired books and heavenly chronicles, not intelligible to ordinary intellects.’ Hereon A’bd-ul-Muttalleb, overwhelmed with feelings of humility, placed his forehead of submission and awe upon the ground, offering praises and thanksgivings. The king continued: ‘Cease thy prostrations, because thy having received this communication is a sign that thou art worthy thereof.’ A’bd-ul-Muttalleb then raised his head and said: ‘I had a son, A’bdullah by name, who was very intelligent, acute, humane and brave. He was the most beloved of my children, and to establish him in life I married him to Aminah, the daughter of Wahab Bin A’bd Munâf. She was decorated with the ornaments of beauty and modesty, but when she became pregnant, A’bdullah, the apple of my eye and object of my existence, folded up the carpet of life in the exuberance of youth and vigour of manhood, and, removing it to the eternal world, abandoned me to the pangs of sorrow, grief, and disappointment. After this dreadful event, Aminah gave birth to an infant endued with laudable qualities and with the signs mentioned by your majesty, so we called him Muhammad [laudable], to make his qualities agree with his name. Now he has left the boundaries of infancy and has entered the stage of boyhood, but individuals of intelligence and foresight have observed signs of nobility and of blessedness on his august person, and in his company I feel as if A’bdullah were still living:

Distich:

He is living, in whose family People remain to recollect him.

When A’bd-ul-Muttalleb had brought his narrative thus far, Saif Zu Yazan advised him to keep this event [of the prophet’s birth] secret from the Jews, because they would become his enemies, as also from his own people, for fear of exciting their jealousy, and informed him that as soon as Muhammad—u. w. b.—receives his mission the Qoraish will become his foes, will contend with him, and will, for the purpose of removing him, concoct stratagems and raise troubles, wherefore his lordship will be compelled to leave Mekkah to roam in the desert of exile, and to meet the inhabitants of Madinah, who will become his adherents, where also the same faith will be established. He further continued: ‘Could I trust this perishable life, I would get ready an army and hasten to Yathreb* to be in waiting for his advent, and to promote the victory of the true religion; but as that time is yet distant, I shall most probably not survive to witness the blessed commencement and joyful termination of his mission:

Distich:

There is an angel in the azure sky Who draws a curtain before a lover’s eye.’

After the king had thus announced the glad tidings of the advent of the lord of the immaculate family, and had completed his directions to keep them secret, he called for all the Qoraish princes, who were ten in number, and pre­sented each one of them with ten slave-boys and ten girls, ten pieces of striped cloth, five Ratls* of gold, ten Ratls of silver, a vase full of amber, and with one hundred camels. He presented A’bd-ul-Muttalleb with the whole amount of what he had given to each of them singly, and requested him to come again next year to the capital S’anâ for the purpose of renewing their amity. Then he bade a friendly farewell to all of them, and sent them back to the honoured city of Mekkah; and as Divine providence would have it, during that very same year the bird of this excellent king was captured, in the hunting park of life, by the fowler of death. Such details are, however, foreign to the scope of this work. Some maintain that death would not permit A’bd-ul-Muttalleb again to go and to visit the king; after all, however, the words of the latter had confirmed the belief of the former in the interpretation of the dream which he had dreamt before the birth of the prophet (u. w. b.).