Javami' al-ḥikāyāt va lavami' al-rivāyāt - The Jawamiul-Hikayat wa Lawamiur-Riwayat

Compendiums of Reports and Illumination of Narratives

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D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part II, Chapter XIX = XLIV: On the Excellence of Fidelity to Promises and good Faith.
f164b f217a 1466 Introductory remarks about good faith, illustrated with quotations and lines from various poets. Ghádira, the favourite slave-girl of al-Amín, breaks her promise after the death of al-Amín and gives herself up to the wishes of al-Ma’mún; the apparition of al-Amín in the bridal chamber, and his warning and the death of Ghádira.
f165a f217b 1467 The infatuated Amír of Balkh, and his affair with the wife of the self-sacrificing merchant of Baghdád.
f166a f218a 1468 A dealer in coarse cloth, a disciple of the Khwája Imám Abú Bakr Fadhlu’llah, a holy person of Bukhárá, earnestly appeals to his master for the release of his son, convicted of adultery, and secures it.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f166b f218a 1469 How Sa‘íd b. ‘Amr obtains the release of his old friend, Yazíd b. Muhallab, from ‘Umar II.
” f218b 1470 The victory of Khudádád, the grocer, over the Khárijites, resulting from the observance by Fadhl b. Sahl of his old friendship.
f167a ” 1471 Isḥáq ‘Uqaylí’s fidelity to the Caliph al-Manṣúr.
” ” 1472 Generous treatment of Khwája Abu’l-‘Abbás al-Isfará’ini, the Wazír of the Sultan Maḥmúd of Ghazna, towards his old acquaintance Abú Ṣaláḥ, the tailor from Bukhárá. (The story is related on the authority of Abú Aḥmad ‘Abdu’llah b. Aḥmad the Faqíh, one of the contemporary doctors in the School of Balkh, founded by the Wazír Abu’l-‘Abbás).
f168a f219a 1473 A contemporary of Hishám b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik relates the glorious deeds of Hishám against the Byzantines without any fear of the Caliph al-Manṣúr, the traditional enemy of the Umayyads.
” ” 1474 How Abú ‘Abdu’llah rose to be the minister of the Caliph al-Mahdí, and fulfilled his promise to his colleagues, Aḥmad Abú Ayyúb and Aḥmad b. Abí Khálid. (This story resembles the legend of the Niẓámu’l-Mulk and his promise to his friends).
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part II, Chapter XX = XLV: On the Excellence of Charity Towards Kith and Kin.
f168b f219b 1475 A discourse and exhortation on the above virtue. The appearance of the Imám Ja‘far b. Muḥammad ’aṣ-Ṣádiq before al-Manṣúr and the citation of the Holy Tradition bearing on the treatment of kinsfolk, and al-Manṣúr’s taking compassion on the ‘Alawí. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Khulafá-i-Bani’l-‘Abbás as the source, see above p. 47).
f169a ” 1476 Ibráhím b. al-Mahdí pleads guilty, appeals to al-Ma’mún, and obtains his pardon.
f169b f220a 1477 The Qádhí Ibnu’s-Sawwár of Baghdád restores the son of his old friend to prosperity. (See ‘Awfí’s transl. of T. F. S. [Ind. off. 1432] f5a).
f170a f220b 1478 An old Byzantine seeks the protection of a young soldier of the invading army of Maslama b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik who stands security for him because the old man chose him alone for that purpose; and in the end he proves to be the old man’s son, (See T. F. S. pt I, ch. V, p. 92—3).
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part II, Chapter XXI = XLVI: On the value of Secrecy and keeping Counsel.
f171a f220b 1479 Introduction: Ibnu’l-Muqaffa‘’s quotation of the maxim of Núshírwán about secrecy. The cause of Buzurjmihr’s assassination. Núshírwán punishes Buzurjmihr with death for divulging his secret about the adopted daughter.
f171b f221a 1480 Aḥmad Abú Ṭayyib Marwán, the secretary of the Caliph al-Mu‘tadhid, pays the penalty of life for an offence of a similar nature.
” ” 1481 Núshírwán sentences the Governor of Armenia to death for divulging the secrets of the state.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f171b f221a 1482 al-Mu‘taṣim orders the execution of ‘Ajíb, the confidant of al-Ma’mún, for disclosing the secrets of his patron even though it tended to promote his own interests.
f172a f221b 1483 ‘Abdu’l-Malik enjoins secrecy on his son Walíd and refuses to hear the secrets of Mu‘áwiya.
” ” 1484 The deliberation of al-Ma’mún with his advisers about ruining Fadhl b. Sahl, and how the secret leaked out through Ibráhím b. ‘Abbás.
f172b ” 1485 The secret agent of Kisrá, jealous of the Wazír Mahbúd, accuses him of poisoning the king’s food, and compasses his death; later Kisrá detects the mischief of the informer and kills him.
f173a f222a 1486 Enmity between Abú ‘Abdi’llah al-Barídí, the Wazír and Ibnu’r-Rá’iq, the general, of al-Muttaqí. Muḥammad b. Khalaf betrays the secret of the latter concerning the marriage of the Caliph’s son with the daughter of the Amír of Mawṣil, called Abu’l-Hayjá’, who consequently kills Ibnu’r-Rá’iq. The Ta’ríkh-i-Dawlat-i-‘Abbásiyan as the source, see above, p. 49. (Cf. also Eclipse, ed. by Margoliouth, vol. II, p. 27, Arabic text).
f173b ” 1487 Shápúr, the Persian king, tells a state secret to all his ministers though one of them advises the king to tell each of them separately.
” f222b 1488 The scruples of the Sultan Maḥmúd in marrying the sister of his favourite, Ayáz; and the arguments, advanced by Abú Naṣr Mushkání in favour of the marriage of the ruler with his subject, based on the historical accounts of the choices of Qubád and Bahrám Gúr.
      The chapter concludes with a panegyric on the Wazír, in which the Arabian descent of his patron is emphasised, and incidentally the form of the rhyme proves that his father’s Kunya was Abú Sa‘d and not Abú Sa‘íd.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part II, Chapter XXII = XLVII: On the Excellence of Honesty.
f174b f223a 1489 An introduction on the virtue of honesty in which the Kitáb-i-Khalq or Khulqi’l-Insán of the Shaykh Bayánu’l-Ḥaqq Maḥmúd of Níshápúr is quoted (see above, p. 66). An old wretch, with the idea of disappointing his nephew, gives his wealth in the form of a load of tin to be thrown into the sea; it is saved by an honest merchant of Baṣra, who restores it to the rightful claimant. (The above-mentioned book is the source.)
f175a ” 1490 The surprising honesty of a pick-pocket, who returned the purse of a rich merchant, which was given in to his keeping by mistake.
” ” 1491 The retort of Yazíd b. Mazyad, the governor of Ádharbáyján and Armenia, to Yazíd-i (?), and the Caliph Hárún’s preference for a mean but honest governor over an obliging but dishonest one.
” f223b 1492 The story of the merchant who lost the large ruby of the Amír of Khurásán, and the honesty of his agent who accidentally found the lost ruby and restored it to the merchant who had been reduced to poverty. (Cf. T. F. S. pt. II, pp. 11—13).
f175b ” 1493 Another story of the same kind. (Cf. Ibid. pt. II, pp. 13—14).
f176b f224a 1494 An honest women restores after one year a lost money-bag of Khálid b. Rabí‘.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f176b f224b 1495 The story of the three sons of Sa‘d b. Naṣr of Surra-man-Ra’á, and the appointment of Salama, one of them, in the household of the Amír Yúsuf Bughá, and later, as the trustee of the children of the Caliph al-Mutawakkil, on account of his honesty.
f177a ” 1496 Fudhayl b. ‘Iyádh, the leader of the bandits, acts as a trustee for one of his victims, and surprises him by his piety which was incompatible with robbery.
f177b ” 1497 The merchant of Damascus who came to grief on account of his dishonesty, and his son who refused to betray the trust of a dead warrior, and restored the money to his heirs, and was in the end rewarded with the office of the treasurer of ‘Abdu’l-Malik b. Marwán.
f178a f225a 1498 The story of a dethroned prince who purchases three wise sayings from a wisdom-dealer, and tries to act upon them; consequently he gets back his throne, is delivered from evil, and attains to glory.
f179a f225b 1499 A Qádhí of Baṣra trusts the owner of a gambling den more than he does himself, and advises a person to deposit wealth with him, giving an account of the honesty of that person.
      The chapter ends as usual with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part II, Chapter XXIII = XLVIII: On Beauty and Nobility of Character.
ff179 f225b-
f226a		 1500 Introduction dealing with the inherent qualities in man. A striking contrast of the natural tendencies of ‘Adí b. Ḥátim of Ṭayy and his brother; their mother’s experience while they were infants and later when they distributed charity from the Tower of Doles.
f179b f226a 1501 Ghunayya, daughter of ‘Afíf and wife of the famous Ḥátim of Ṭayy, could not resist the noble passion of generosity even though she possessed only a few camels which had been allotted to her after she had suffered much distress.
f180a ” 1502 The sad experience of an Arab who brought up a wolf-cub on the milk of a she-goat in the hope of changing the natural ferocity of the beast.
” ” 1503 The long-cherished hostility of ‘Abdu’llah b. Málik towards Yaḥyá b. Khálid the Barmecide, and the noble attitude of Yaḥyá towards a scribe who forged a letter of recommendation from Yaḥyá to his enemy.
f180b f226b 1504 The Caliph ‘Alí’s advice to an old man on conduct.
” ” 1505 The Prophet’s grief at the death of an ill-natured orphan, and his explanation to his wife ‘Á’isha.
” ” 1506 ‘Amr b. Sa‘d’s astonishment at al-Ma’mún’s wearing an old and worn-out silk robe, and the Caliph’s remark that the real dignity of the Caliphate does not consist in good clothes.
f181a ” 1507 After the victorious entry of al-Ma’mún into Baghdád, he gives a fair warning to the notables of the Quraysh and to the sons of ‘Abbás, who had raised the banner of revolt under Ibráhím b. Mahdí.
” ” 1508 Aḥmad-i-Mudabbir (?)’s statement about al-Mutawakkil’s secret order, concerning the execution of his proclamations and commands, to carry out immediately those that enhance the welfare of the public, and to submit the others to him again for his consideration.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f181a f227a 1509 Thumáma b. Ashras’s interpretation of the saying of the Prophet about the 72 sects in Islám, and the Caliph al-Ma’mún’s appreciation. (Anec. repeated I, i, 35).
” ” 1510 al-Ma’mún’s early attempts to suppress rumours afloat in Baghdád; the gossip of the mill-owner and the gentle admonition of the Caliph. (Ta’ríkh-i-Ṭabarí as the source.)
f181b ” 1511 The happy marriage of an accomplished couple, arising chiefly from the nobility of their characters; Rajá, the son of Málik b. Sa‘d, one of the ruined nobles of the court of al-Ma’mún, is married to the beautiful and virtuous daughter of Málik b. Ḥíra (?), the governor of Baṣra.
f182b f227b 1512 Muḥammad b. Zayd, the ‘Alawí ruler of Ṭabaristán, recounts the story of the clemency of Muḥammad b. Zayd b. Ḥasan b. ‘Alí towards Muḥammad b. Hishám b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik, their traditional enemy, in the affair of the ruby which al-Manṣúr wanted to extort from him, and prevents his people from hurting a descendant of Yazíd. (Cf. T. F. S., pt. II, ch. VII, pp. 2—3).
f183a f228a 1513 Sa‘íd b. Hishám’s anxiety to understand the connection between the Qur’án and the conduct of the Prophet; and ‘Á’isha’s explanation that the Qur’án was his code of life.
” ” 1514 The Caliph ‘Alí’s supreme testimony to the glorious character of the Prophet.
f183b ” 1515 Ṭáhir II presents to al-Mutawakkil a couple of verses, composed by his learned tutor Abú ‘Ubayd Muḥammad, in the form of a panegyric, embodying the ten prime qualities found in ‘Abdu’llah b. Ṭáhir, whereupon the Caliph reinstates him in place of his father, as the governor of Khurásán.
” ” 1516 Courteousness of the youthful al-Ma’mún towards al-Aṣma‘í, his tutor, who had punished him severely, and his refusal to complain against him.
f184a f228b 1517 The Caliph Hárún’s practical demonstration before Zubayda of the contrast between the habits and tastes of his two sons al-Amín and al-Ma’mún; the former as a pleasure-loving prince, and the latter as a serious student of the problems of the state and ever ready for emergencies. (The Siyaru’l-Mulúk is mentioned as the book which al-Ma’mún used constantly to study, probably the work of ‘Abdu’llah ibnu’l-Muqaffa‘, called the Khudáy-Náma, see above, pp. 55—9).
f184b f229a 1518 Ja‘far b. Sulaymán al-Háshimí, the governor of Baṣra, unable to bear the sight of an old servant of his being flogged severely for having stolen a precious necklace of pearls from his treasury, excuses the man on the pretext of his forgetfulness. (Cf. T. F. S. pt. II, p. 25).
f185a ” 1519 The secretary Amír ‘Abbás [b.] ‘Amr-i-Ghanawí strikes three blows on the neck of one of the poor nobles of the Diyár-i-Rabí‘a, and atones for his misplaced joke by offering a patent to him in return, which the man presents to one of his governors, demands a high price for it, and is relieved from poverty. (T. F. S. as the source).
      The chapter ends with an encomium on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part II, Chapter XXIV = XLIX: On the Value of Firmness of Resolution and Determination.
f186a f229b 1520 A short introduction. The dirty habit of Hárún in his childhood of eating clay, and the admonitory remarks of his tutor, Khalíl b. Aḥmad, the famous grammarian, in consequence of which the Caliph determined to abandon this habit.
” ” 1521 The early profession of the Mufassir Qaffál-i Sháshí as a locksmith, his admiration for learning, and his firm determination to acquire knowledge, in spite of his age and discouragement. He takes an object lesson for himself from the falling drop which left its mark on the granite rock, and becomes a great theologian at last.
f186b ” 1522 An Israelite hermit, who lived in seclusion on the peak of a mountain and though the forms of devotion which he used were irregular, was nevertheless enabled by his faith in God to cure the sick on his annual appearance.
” f230a 1523 The story of an ascetic, who, in testing the truth of his teacher’s saying about persistence and the achievement of the ideal, takes up the seemingly impossible notion of marrying the daughter of the Caliph, surmounts all obstacles, and even goes to the length of draining the Euphrates and presenting to the Caliph the signet-ring which had dropped from his hand into the river.
f187b f230b 1524 The story of one of the Wazírs of the ruler of Samarqand, related on the authority of the grandfather of the author al-‘Awfí; and the story of the two slaves of Alexander the Great, Bashír and Nadhír. (Tá’ríkh-i-Iskandar-i-Rúmí as the source).
f188a ” 1525 The Sultan Radhiyyu’d-Din Ibráhím of Ghazna’s order to a stone-bearer to lay down his burden. The stone though an obstacle remained at the same place in Ghazna. (See above, pp. 30, 67—8).
” ” 1526 The above Sultan’s resentment at the unsatisfactory conduct of his successor (See above, p. 68).
” f231a 1527 A contemporary account of the forgery of coins by one of the generals, and Iltutmish’s examplary behaviour.
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part II, Chapter XXV = L: On the Merits of Consultation and the Defects of independent Judgment.
f188b f231a 1528 A short introduction. ‘Amr b. Ibráhím’s inquiry about the counsellors of the Caliph ‘Alí and his rival Mu‘áwiya. The former had none, while the latter was guided by the diplomat ‘Amr ibnu’l-‘Áṣ.
f189a f231b 1529 al-Aṣma‘í’s appreciation of the verses of Bashshár b. Burd, on the excellence of Consultation; and the author al-‘Awfí’s apt citations from the poet al-Mutanabbí on the same subject.
” ” 1530 The consultation of Núḥ b. Abí Maryam, the disciple of the Imám Abú Ḥanífa, with a Jewish sage concerning the marriage of the former’s daughter. Acting upon his advice, Núḥ, the Qádhí of Marw, chooses one of his Turkish slaves, named Mubárak, for the hand of his daughter, to whom is born ‘Abdu’llah b. Mubárak, the famous traditionist and divine of Khurásán. (Cf. Ṭabari II, pp. 1, 5, etc., also, Ibn-Khallikán, (Wüst.) Biog. No. 321: ‘Abdu’llah b. 118 A. H. = 736 A. D., d. 182 A. H. = 799 A. D.). (There are different versions about the marriage).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f189a f231b 1531 Bashshár b. Burd’s satire on Ya‘qúb b. Dá’úd, the Wazír of al-Mahdí, and the trap prepared for the poet by Ibráhím, one of the advisers of the Wazír, and his assassination.
f189b ” 1532 Ḥasan b. Sahl, the Wazír of al-Ma’mún, consults his advisers about the execution of Zayd b. Músá, the ‘Alawí, who was captured after his revolt in Ṭabaristán, and spares his life lest the Caliph should change his mind, as he ultimately did.
f190a f232a 1533 al-Manṣúr gives his uncle ‘Abdu’llah b. ‘Alí into the charge of ‘Ísá b. Músá and secretly orders his assassination; while ‘Ísá consults Yúnus Abú Farwa), who warns him of the the Caliph’s treacherous plan and prevents him from carrying it out.
” ” 1534 The cause of the weakness of the Sámánids being the dismissal of the experienced Wazír, Núḥ II favours the appointment of Abu’l-Ḥasan ‘Utbí Ja‘far, and overrides the opinion of the veteran general as-Símjúrí and sends Aḥmad-i-Fárs to disgrace him publicly. (Cf. The Chahár Maqála pp. 103—5 and note the differences).
f190b f232b 1535 Khálid the Barmecide’s opinion, first, in favour of the preservation of the Aywán-i Kisrá, and afterwards his explicit desire to see it demolished at any cost.
f191a ” 1536 The refusal of the Khwája Abu’l-‘Abbás al-Isfará’iní of the slave which the Sultan Maḥmúd wanted. (Anec. repeated Ta’ríkh-i-Yamíní as the source, see above p. 62).
f191b f233a 1537 Two obstinate litigants, who invited misery on themselves in the presence of the judge.
f192a f233b 1538 The fatal obstinacy of Mu’ayyidu’l-Mulk, the son of the great Wazír Niẓámu’l-Mulk, in dismissing Ja‘far Zawzaní, the secretary, in spite of the orders of Maliksháh the Saljúq.
f192b f234a 1539 The Ílak Khán of Máwará’u’n-Nahr unwisely attacks the country of Khurásán, and is reduced to sore straits by the invading Sultan Maḥmúd. (The Ta’rikh-i-Náṣirí as the source, see above p. 62).
f193a ” 1540 Fadhl b. Sahl takes vengeance on his opponents, in spite of the Caliph’s disapproval, and is ruined.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír, and with it Pt. II also.
 
A Complete Table of Contents of the Jawámi‘u’l-Ḥikáyát.
 
Part III, Chapters LI—LXXV. On the Despicability of Vices: Blamable qualities and Contemptible Traits in Human Nature.
 
Part III, Chapter I = LI. On the Diversity of Temperament in Mankind.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Introduction to the third part:
f193a f234b   Doxology, dedicatory note with a panegyric on his patron, Muḥammad b. Abí S‘ad al-Junaydí called Qiwámu’d-Dín, entitled the Niẓámu’l-Mulk, the Wazír of the Sultan Iltutmish of India, who ruled in Dehli A. H. 607—633 = A. D. 1211—1236.
” ”   An exordium to the first chapter, the old Greek conception of the influence of the Humours on the temperament of Man, and the causes of diversity in human nature.
” ” 1541 Drinking as the best test of the temperament of mankind, and the influence of wine on different people. (The Ṭabá’i‘u’l-Ḥayawán of al-Jáḥiẓ as the source, see above, pp. 96—7).
f194a f235a 1542 al-Jáḥiẓ’s surprise at the waxing eloquence of ‘Abdu’llah ‘Umayy (?) after he had taken excessive wine, at a banquet given by the sons of ‘Abdu’l-Malik Riyáshí (?). (See above, p. 97).
” ” 1543 An observation on the mentality of short-statured persons, taken from the Kitábu’l-Firása, and supported by the experience of Núshírwán about a dwarf which is related on the authority of the Ta’ríkh-i-Akásira. (See above, pp. 100; 56, 60).
” ” 1544 The temperament of Altún-Tásh, the Chamberlain of the Amír Ismá‘íl the Sámánid, exhibited in a striking contrast to that of ‘Umar II, on a similar occasion of grievance.
f194b f235b 1545 A philosopher, when questioned about the art of judging character from features, advises a person not to make himself doubly ugly, and quotes the retort of Plato to a stupid disciple of his, who had taunted him for his ugliness. (The Kitábu’l-Firása is mentioned in this connection).
” ” 1546 The perverted Ník-shinás meets his retribution by the command of Kay-Khusraw.
” ” 1547 Diogenes, the philosopher, praises an old stupid person for having dyed his beard, and when questioned by his disciples says that grey hair and foolishness are incompatible; the dyeing of his beard eliminated one incongruity, hence his praise.
” ” 1548 Alexander the Great cannot tolerate that his namesake should be an uncivilised boor.
” ” 1549 The story of the four travellers, and the mental test applied by an Indian princess to detect the one who stole a precious pearl from one of his fellow-travellers. (An instance of experimental psychology, as practised in ancient India, drawn from a work of Jáná, an Indian philosopher).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f195b f236b 1550 Argument about the heredity of Temperament in mankind.
” ” 1551 The offspring of a noble father, named Zakí (?), and a wicked mother, called Núsh (?), displays his mixed nature by turns.
f196a ” 1552 A striking contrast of the temperament of ‘Adí and ‘Abdu’llah, the two sons of Ḥátim of Ṭayy, and the experiences of their mother while they were sucklings. (Anecdote repeated, see above, II. xxiii. 1500).
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the above-mentioned Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter II = LII: On the Contemptibility of Rancour and Envy.
f196b f236b 1553 Introduction on the despicability of envy illustrated from the Verses of the Qur’án and Tradition. The Prophet predicts the arrival of one of the Helpers and designates him as one of the people of Paradise; ‘Abdu’llah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘Áṣ tests him regularly for three days, and finds him quite free from jealousy.
” f237a 1554 The retort of Abú Manṣúr-i-‘Azíz, the Sámánid Wazír, to one of his envious opponents.
” ” 1555 The preacher who repeated the same formula daily at the court of one of the Kisrá’s, and his slanderous enemy who falls a victim to his own prey.
f197b f237b 1556 The Jewess who wanted to poison a follower of the Prophet incidentally becomes the cause of poisoning her own sons.
” ” 1557 A malevolent neighbour implores his slave to kill him, and throw his corpse at the door of his virtuous neighbour in order to accuse him of murder. (Khalqu’l-Insán, as the source, see above, p. 66).
” ” 1558 The four old Wazírs of the ruler Álán) conspire against the new favourite of the king, called Abú Tammám, and send him away to ask the hand of the daughter of the Khán of Turkistán, which was considered to be a perilous undertaking; Abú Tammám succeeds in his mission and brings back the bride of the king; again the Wazírs contrive to bring him under the suspicion of the king, and succeed this time. The king kills him, but soon after discovers the plot and kills all the other Wazírs in turn. (Cf. Bakhtiyár-náma, Paris litho. pp. 107, 110—117).
f199a f238a 1559 The jealousy of Fadhl and Yaḥyá, the Barmecides, against ‘Abdu’llah b. Málik al-Khuzá‘í ending in their own downfall. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Ál-i-‘Abbás, as the source, see above, p. 47).
      The chapter ends as usual with an encomium on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter III = LIII: On the Contemptibility of Avarice and the Meanness of Greedy Persons.
f199b f238b 1560 Introduction illustrated with a few lines from the poet Saná’í on the evils of Avarice. Alexander the Great’s encounter with the Faghfúr of Chín, who surprises Alexander by his visit, in disguise, and by the numbers of his army.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f200a f239a 1561 Núshírwán pleased at the motive of an aged man, who was planting a nutmeg tree for the benefit of his successors. (Anec. repeated. Cf. above, I, xvi, 887). (Cf. also N. S. N. p. 118).
f200b ” 1562 A monk notices a very edifying inscription on a tablet in one of the Egyptian tombs. (A quatrain on predestination, “Qadhá’”, cited.)
” ” 1563 The invitation of Sulaymán b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik, the governor of Sind, sent to Khalíl b. Aḥmad and his reply in verse.
” ” 1564 The fable of the toiling ant and the greedy wasp. (The Laṭá’ifu’l-Ishárát as the source (?)).
” f239b 1565 The discontented guest of Sulaymán-i-Dárání.
f201a ” 1566 Ya‘qúb b. Layth’s tribute to Sahl b. ‘Abdu’llah at-Tustarí for healing him from an incurable disease, and the saint’s remark about worldly gains. (Cf. above, I, iii, 99).
” ” 1567 Hippocrates’s seclusion and refusal to treat the King.
” ” 1568 A beautiful and rich heiress requests Thábit-i-Bannání to offer her hand to Málik-i-Dínár, which the latter does not accept. (Cf. A. T. A. I, p. 42, ll. 6—11).
f201b ” 1569 The greedy cat of Muḥammad b. Aḥmad of Baghdád and the remark which he made on seeing her dead.
f202a ” 1570 The mania of a stupid person to become rich: his dream and the consequent disillusionment.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter IV = LIV: On the Contemptibility of Covetousness.
f202b f240a 1571 Introduction illustrated by Kháqání’s verses. The Prophet David was taught the art of making armour to earn his livelihood from his own handicraft.
f203a f240b 1572 Gushtásp, while in exile, works as a blacksmith and maintains himself in Constantinople, and when re-crowned makes a training in handicrafts compulsory as part of the education of the notables of Persia. (Ta’ríkh-i-Mulúk-i-‘Ajam, as the source, see above, p. 56).
” ” 1573 ‘Amr b. Ẓarib the Arab sage’s advice to his son, and his verses on the dangers that beset a covetous person.
” ” 1574 The Prophet abhors two kinds of greed, the one which is ingrained in a man’s nature and the other which leads to begging of an ungenerous person.
” ” 1575 A ruler of Khurásán rejects the composition of a poet on hearing that the poet had no desire for gain.
” ” 1576 The Caliph al-Manṣûr wants a story-teller. Rabí‘, the Chamberlain, chooses Ibnu’l-‘Abbás (?) on condition that he should not ask for anything from the Caliph, but the humourist cleverly suggests and gets his reward.
f203b ” 1577 The ardent desire of a prince of Kirmán to learn a craft. He selects mat-weaving through which he saves himself from the horrible dungeon of a Jew, and contrives to capture him.
f204b f241b 1578 How a tribesman of Ma‘add become notorious for covetousness, and the origin of the proverb “Muqallibu’s-Ṣakhra”.
 
A. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f204b f241b 1579 The story of the avaricious Abu’l-‘Alá’ Ash‘ab b. Jubayr (d. 154 A. H.), and the lads and the brazier. (Cf. Ibn Khallikán (Wüst.) Biog. No. 293).
f205a ” 1580 Ash‘ab the Greedy afraid of informing his mother suddenly of the gift of a slave, lest she might burst to death with joy.
” ” 1581 Ash‘ab the Greedy’s description of the depth of his covetousness at Sálim b. ‘Abdu’llah’s request.
” ” 1582 The monk who first acted on the precept of Jesus and offered his garment to a beggar, but on the importunate demands of the greedy person adopted the precept of Muḥammad the Prophet, and punished him. (Tha‘álibí’s Kitáb-i-Mulaḥu’n-Nawádir (?) as the source).
” ” 1583 The greedy Ash‘ab behaves shamelessly for the sake of victuals in presence of the family of Sálim b. ‘Abdu’llah b. ‘Umar. (Majma‘u’l-Amthál as the source).
      The chapter ends as usual with a panegyric.
A. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter V = LV: On Robbers and strange Anecdotes about them.
f206a f242a 1584 Introduction; different kinds of robbery and punishment. A notive, advised by the leader of a gang in Níshápúr to eat with his left hand, since the right one might be cut off at any moment.
” ” 1585 A villain robs the property of a merchant from a storehouse in an inn, and escapes feloniously through a tunnel.
” f242b 1586 Sulaymán, the chief of a gang, orders the restoration of the property of a person whose salutations were accepted. (Mulaḥu’n-Nawádir as the source).
” ” 1587 Strange scruples of a robber who came out of the treasury of Malik Mu’ayyad of Máwará’u’n-Nahr without stealing anything, simply because he happened to taste the salt of the Malik; consequently he is made a general of the army of Níshápúr.
f207a ” 1588 The story of a villager who first lived as a robber and, after being punished, felt penitent and lived honestly. (The Author heard it from the villager, while he was yet a child and travelling with his grandfather in one of the suburbs of Bukhárá).
f207b f243a 1589 ‘Abdu’llah aṣ-Ṣúrí relates the story of a ruined youth, and the circumstances which led to his prosperity. (T. F. S. as the source, and Anwarí cited at the end of the anecdote).
f208a f243b 1590 Abu’l-Qásim Ṣaffár, a native of Naṣíbín, goes to Diyár-i-Rabí‘a, to present an excellent sword to the Amír ‘Abbás b. ‘Amr al-Ghanawí, and while returning with his reward on his way home encounters an Arab brigand and accidentally succeeds in entrapping him to death. (Cf. T. F. S. pt. II, ch. viii, pp. 50—2).
f208b ” 1591 The three felons who robbed the peasant of a she-goat, his donkey, and his clothes.
f209a ” 1592 Muḥammad Badí‘ al-‘Uqaylí relates the story of a romantic youth of his tribe, who robbed a fine horse from the Banú Bakr to win the hand of his cousin. (See T. F. S., pt. II, ch. viii, pp. 55—6).
      The chapter ends with an encomium on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter VI = LVI: On the Interesting Anecdotes of Beggars.
f209b-f210a ff244 1593 Introduction describing the different methods of begging. Abú Zayd as-Sarújí’s earnest advice to his son about the choice of a profession, beggary being the best of all. (The Maqámát of al-Ḥarírí as the source.)
f210b f244b 1594 Narrative of the marvellous feats of the family of Shaykh ‘Abbás of Níshápúr, the prince of beggars.
f211b f245b 1595 Another artful beggar plays a hoax on the people of Níshápúr, and collects money under the pretence of showing his tail which (he said) was a relic of his ancestors, who had been turned into apes.
f212a ” 1596 The Qádhí of Úsh in Farghána plays a practical joke on the people of Sístán, makes himself dumb, adopts the profession of a water-bearer, and implores the chief Qádhí to pray for the recovery of the lost faculty. After a time he visits the Qádhí to thank him for the restoration of his speech, asks permission to show his gratitude in a public oration, collects a large amount of money, and on his way home sends a humorous piece of composition to the people of Sístán revealing his identity and their stupidity. (The Miftáḥu’n-Najáḥ (?) of the Qádhí of Úsh as the source.)
f212b ” 1597 Two beggars make a mutual contract: one of them establishes his reputation as a pious preacher in Rayy, while the other comes from outside and claims damages for manslaughter from the former; the people sympathise with their preacher and subscribe a large sum for him.
f213a f246a 1598 The mischievous pact of a mad person in the Bímáristán of Ghazna with a turban-mender in the town.
” ” 1599 Abú Duláma, the poet, cajoles the Caliph as-Saffáḥ, and obtains rewards from him. (The Mulaḥu’n-Nawádir as the source).
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter VII = LVII: On the Contemptibility of Falsehood and the Advantages of Truth.
f213b f246b 1600 Introduction. The Caliph Abú Bakr’s exhortations against falsehood.
” ” 1601 The Caliph ‘Alí’s single counsel to a newly converted Muslim prevents him from committing a multitude of sins.
f214a ” 1602 Two Khárijite victims save themselves from the machinations of al-Ḥajjáj by virtue of their veracity.
” ” 1603 Aḥnaf b. Qays’s deliberate refusal to speak of the Caliph ‘Alí in the presence of Mu‘áwiya.
” ” 1604 al-Mustarshid the Caliph’s dying words to his son, “Oh my son! if thou desirest to be feared, then do not tell lies, for verily the liar is never feared even though he may be surrounded by a thousand swords”.
” ” 1605 Naṣr b. al-Ḥárith affronts Thábit b. Sharwán in joke, in the presence of Fadhl b. Sahl; Thábit is annoyed, and Fadhl snubs him by saying that he lost his honour the day he told him that he went on his camel from Dámghán to Níshápúr in one night — a highly improbable thing.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f214b f246b 1606 Abú Muḥammad Kházin’s defence of poetic fiction in a literary discussion held in the Ṣáḥib Ismá‘íl b. ‘Abbád’s salon.
” ” 1607 Manṣúr, an emissary of the Caliph Hárún, pretends deafness in audience of the Byzantine King and succeeds in his mission, but incurs the grave displeasure of the Caliph for having told a lie.
f215a f247a 1608 Ḥasan of Baṣra, while persecuted by al-Ḥajjáj, takes refuge in the convent of Ḥabíb-i-‘Ajamí and is miraculously hidden from the sight of his pursuers.
f215b ” 1609 al-Faraj al-Rukhkhají, the governor of Ahwáz, averts the wrath of the Caliph Hárún by confessing what he did during the term of his office, and how little wealth he had amassed.
” f247b 1610 Yúsuf b. ‘Abdu’llah b. ‘Uthmán b. Abi’l-‘Áṣ, a refugee of Baṣra, stands firm before al-Ḥajjáj and gains his approbation.
f216a ” 1611 A trader, who was patronised at the court of the Khán of Chín, exports ten ostriches to prove the validity of his statement.
” ” 1612 Abú ‘Amr ibnu’l-‘Alá’, the famous reciter of the Qur’án, explains to his pupils the defects which disqualify a man from leadership.
f216b ” 1613 ‘Abdu’llah b. Ṭáhir rewards doubly a student of theology for his candour in confessing that his own view about the belief in God differed from that of ‘Abdu’llah and his own fellow-students.
” f248a 1614 Ṭáhir b. al-Ḥusayn liberates Zayd-i-Shujá‘, a spy of ‘Alí b. ‘Ísá b. Máhán, on account of his veracity.
f217a ” 1615 Fadhl b. Yaḥyá, the Barmecide, challenges the anticipation of Naṣr, the poet, about the divorce which Fadhl was planning, but afterwards admits he was right and rewards him.
” ” 1616 Khálid, the Barmecide, perjures himself in the hope of causing ‘Alí b. ‘Ísá b. Músá to withdraw his claim to the Caliphate in favour of al-Mahdí, upon which al-Múriyání, his rival, works upon al-Manṣúr and brings him to disgrace.
f217b f248b 1617 Abu’l-Ḥusayn b. Rabí‘a b. Aḥmad al-Jámí (?), the poet, is disgraced by Qábús b. Washmgír because he pretended to remember 5000 lines of al-Ma’mún’s poetry, but when challenged could not produce more than fourteen verses.
f218a ” 1618 Ḥasan b. al-Qaḥṭaba relates the story of the accusation of al-Mahdí against Isḥáq for his pretensions to the Caliphate, and how he wanted Ya‘qúb b. Dá’úd, the courtier, to corroborate his statement, which the latter denied, reminding the Caliph how the suspicion arose in his mind.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter VIII = LVIII: On Heresiarchs and Pseudo-Prophets.
f218b-
f219a		 f249a 1619 Introduction dealing with the excellence of the prophets, in general, and the super-excellence of Muḥammad. An account of the life and mission of Zoroaster and of his book Zend Avesta, and of Gushtásp’s acceptance of his faith, and in what relations the Magians stood to Islám. (As regards the last point, the author quotes on the authority of his great ancestor, ‘Abdu’r-Raḥmán b. al-‘Awf, from whom he draws his nisba, al-‘Awfí, what the Prophet had said with respect to the Zoroastrians: “Consider them as the People of the Book”). (Cf. above, I, iv, 141). (A part of this anecdote is quoted in Ouseley’s “The Collection of Essays etc.”, vol. ii, p. 363, see above, p. 31).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f219b f249a 1620 The Caliph ‘Alí gives the reason for the remission of the Jizya in the case of the Magians, and explains how they lost their Book.
” ” 1621 Zoroaster, being a great astrologer, comes to know the time of his death, and disappears in a forest, giving out that be has ascended to Heaven; but later his corpse is discovered, which leads to his posthumous ignominy.
” ” 1622 A detailed account of Manes: his first appearance in Shápúr’s court, — Manichaean doctrine — Dualism — his five books, the Injíl, Kitáb-i-Shápúriyyán, Kanzu’l-Iḥyá’, Sifru’l-Jabábira and Sifru’l-Asrár are enumerated (see above, pp. 41—2). The propagation of his faith and his miserable fate in the reign of Bahrám b. Hurmuz. (See above, I, iv, 162—3).
f220b f250a 1623 A very detailed account of Mazdak: his early appearance in the reign of Qubád, his contrivance to make the fire speak, — Qubád tries him and accepts his faith, Núshírwán’s protests against the communistic doctrines of Mazdak; — the feast and the massacre of the Mazdakites, and restoration of peace to the country (see above, I, iv, 182, 183). (Cf. N. S. N. pp. 166—81; the whole account agrees entirely).
f223a f251a 1624 The appearance of Máh-Áfaríd or Bih-Áfarídh in the days of Abú Muslim Marghazí, the propagandist of the ‘Abbásid dynasty, a sketch of his early career and voyage to Chín, his return and declaration of his doctrines, and his capture at the hands of ‘Abdu’llah b. Sha‘ba, and his assassination. (This account resembles minutely that in the B. A. B., pp. 210—11, cf. al-Fihrist, p. 344).
” f251b 1625 The rising of Háshim b. Ḥakam al-Muqanna‘ “the Veiled Prophet of Khurásán” in the reign of al-Mahdí; the moon which he raised from the well of Nakhshab, his suicide, and his followers “called the White-clad”. (See above, I, v, 292). (Again the details in this case also resemble al-Bíruní’s version closely, cf. B. A. B., p. 211; Ibn Khallikán (Wüst.) Biogr. No. 431).
f223b ” 1626 Maḥmúd, called ‘Alawí Ayláqí, revives the doctrines of al-Muqanna‘ and Bábak al-Khurramí, and claims prophetic attributes in Marw in the reign of Maliksháh Saljúqí, whereupon by the decree of the judges and the order of the king he is stoned to death.
” ” 1627 The mad son of Abu’l-Ḥasan al-Anbárí pretends to be a prophet, and is put to death.
      The chapter ends with a glorious panegyric on the mighty efforts of the Wazír in establishing the true religion.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter IX = LIX: On the Despicability of Miserliness.
ff224 f252a 1628 Introduction. Abú Ṣábir, the miser of Baṣra, and his assistant.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f225a f252b 1629 ‘Amr b. Layth is put to shame for having a miserly servant in his household on the occasion of a banquet.
” ” 1630 A maid-servant ruins a wealthy trader of Marw, called the son of Abú Ṣámit, in punishment for his extremely mean behaviour.
f226a f253a 1631 Abú ‘Ubayda relates an instance of ‘Abdu’llah b. Zubayr’s stinginess, as a parallel to the proverbial miserliness of Máriz. (Majma‘u’l-Amthál as the source).
” ” 1632 Ḥámid, the dealer in sal ammoniac, a wealthy miser of Marw, is cheated by Ismá‘íl, and is punished by Muḥammad-i-Sahl, the Amír of Marw, for his misbehaviour.
f227a f253b 1633 The story of a wealthy miser and his clever slave.
” ” 1634 An interesting visit of a Kúfí miser to another famous miser of Baṣra and his entertainment. (The Kitáb-i-Nathru’d-Durar of Abú Naṣr (?) Tha‘álibí as the source).
f227b ” 1635 A guest surprised at the economy of a host who would not let his children sleep soundly, lest they might digest the food and get up hungry in the morning.
” ” 1636 A Kúfí miser reproaches his son for still being in need of scent to make his bread eatable.
” f254a 1637 Another story of a Kúfí lad who wanted to sell his wholesome bread.
f228a ” 1638 A Kúfí host starves his guest the whole night with the lame excuse that late meals cause disease.
” ” 1639 A miserly Kúfí quarrels with his neighbour for having misappropriated the bones of a sheep’s head, which he had deposited at his own door, to exhibit his hospitality.
” ” 1640 A miser’s favourite habit of talking to a piece of coin, which unfortunately happened to fall into his hands. (The Kitáb-i-Khalqu’l-Insán as the source, see above p. 66).
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the generosity of the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter X = LX: On the Contemptibility of Perjury and bad Faith.
f228b ff254 1641 Introduction. The Prophet prefers to ignore the troubles of his daughter rather than break his promise of awarding a war-slave to Abu’l-Haytham.
” f254b 1642 The Prophet Ismá‘íl waits for two days at the same place in fulfilment of his promise.
” ” 1643 Afrásiyáb’s vow to succour the weak and oppressed and to subjugate the cruel and high-handed.
” ” 1644 Mu‘áwiya confers with ‘Amr ibnu’l-‘Áṣ on the eve of the Battle of Ṣiffín and explains how institutions soon fall into decay if promises are not kept.
f229a ” 1645 ‘Abdu’l-Malik b. Marwán breaks his promise to ‘Amr b. Sa‘íd ibnu’l-‘Áṣ, and orders his assassination, which in the end leads to his own ruin.
f229b f255a 1646 A court jester taunts a Wazír of the ruler of Khurásán who would promise people to do anything for them, but never kept his word.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f229b f255a 1647 The pact of Ghassán b. Jahm and his wife Umm-i-‘Uqba bint ‘Amr not to marry again after each other’s death; but after the death of Ghassán Umm-i-‘Uqba marries again, and sees the apparition of her former husband, and dies afflicted. (The Kitáb-i-Shajaratu’l-‘Aql as the source (?)).
f230a ” 1648 Báytúz attacks Ṭugháytigín (?), the ruler of Bust, who seeks protection from Náṣiru’d-Dín Sabuktigín. Sabuktigín after a hard fight restores Ṭugháytigín to the dependency of Bust, but the ungrateful chief turns traitor, breaks his promises, and conspires against Sabuktigín, who punishes the rebel and captures Bust. (Abú Naṣr al-‘Utbí’s Kitáb-i-Yamíní as the source, see above, pp. 62, 64—5).
f231a f255b 1649 The Khán of Chín, called the son of Sáwají, violates the contract with the Ṭamgháj Khán of Káshghar and invades Turkistán; the Ṭamgháj Khán with the help of Ḥaṣr (? Khidhr) Beg defeats him.
      The chapter ends with a short note on the faithlessness and perjury of Malik Násiru’d-Dín Qabácha, towards Shamsu’d-Dín Iltutmish, and the consequent overthrow of the former, which is fully dealt with in the Preface to the first part of this book.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XI = LXI: On the Contemptibility of Ignorance.
f232b f256b 1650 A short introduction which is illustrated by the two favourite couplets of Khwája ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd. The stupidity of Abú Sahl in calling every one who bore the name of Aḥmad a fool, while defending his son in the presence of the Wazír Khwája Aḥmad b. Ḥasan Maymandí.
” f257a 1651 Yaḥyá b. Khálid the Barmecide’s remark on the difference of the expressions of the Arabs and Persians concerning a person who lacked common sense. (Saná’í cited.)
f233a ” 1652 Aḥmad b. Ibráhím, an adherent of Ráfí‘ b. Harthama, adopts a foolish method of taking revenge upon Abú Sa‘íd Durghání (? Farghání), the governor of Khwárazm, who had killed his master, by poisoning the tanks which supplied Khwárazm with water. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Khurásán as the source, see above, p. 45).
” ” 1653 The reply of a wise man about an idiot.
” ” 1654 Ráfi‘ b. Harthama, on account of his foolish notion of patronage, refuses to change his old barber, in spite of the wounds which the barber inflicted on his head; whence he derived the nickname of “the possessor of the scars”. (See above p. 46).
f233b f257b 1655 Abú Shujá‘ Aḥmad b. ‘Abdu’llah al-Khujistání befools his master Ibráhím Sarkab (?), incites Ya‘qúb b. Layth against him, compasses his death and elevates himself. (The Akhbár-i-Ál-i-Layth, probably as-Sallámí’s Ta’ríkh, is meant, see above p. 46).
f234a ” 1656 ‘Umar II dismisses Qutayba b. Muslim from the governorship of Khurásán on the ground of ignorance of a simple verse from the Qur’án, about the period of creation.
” ” 1657 The Caliph al-Ma’mún asserts that all men who grow long beards lack common sense, and proves his statement to be correct on the fortuitous appearance of Abú Ḥamdawayh ‘Alawiyya. (An indefinite allusion to one of the works of al-Jáḥiẓ).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f234a f258a 1658 The foolish son of a wealthy trader of Bukhárá, in rivalry with the Amír Naṣr b. Aḥmad the Sámánid, lays out a polo field, and ruins himself in dissipation, and once in drunkenness goes so far as to order his slave to bring the head of the Amír to him.
f235a ” 1659 How Ibnu’l-‘Atíq, a foolish courtier of ‘Abdu’l-Malik b. Marwán, used to reckon the advent of the winter season. (On the authority of ash-Sha‘bí).
” ” 1660 How Yazíd b. Marwán, the simpleton, acquired the nickname of Dhu’l-Wada‘át. (Majma‘u’l-Amthál as the source).
” ” 1661 Mu‘áwiya describes the six traits of a fool.
f235b f258b 1662 A stupid dervish remained silent for ten years in the company of the Shaykh Muḥammad of Níshápúr, but, when he opened his mouth, revealed his folly in one impertinent question.
” ” 1663 Two stupid litigants from amongst the Háshimites before the chief judge.
” ” 1664 Shahíd al-Balkhí, the poet and philosopher, interrupted by an ignorant person while studying a book, retorts mercilessly. (See for his life, Chahár Maqála, Text, pp. 127—8).
” ” 1665 The Imám Abú Ḥanífa’s retort to an impudent fool, who appeared naked before him in the bathroom.
” ” 1666 Aristotle’s sarcastic remark in answer to the taunt of his pupils about learning to play upon a stringed musical instrument at the age of seventy.
      The chapter ends as usual with a Panegyric.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XII = LXII: On the Contemptibility of Tyranny and on the History of unjust Rulers.
ff236 f258b-
f259a		 1667 Introduction dealing with the evil effects of cruelty and the efficacy of the invocations of the oppressed. ‘Abdu’llah b. Ṭáhir orders his falconer to pull out the wings of a falcon that impudently attacked an eagle.
f236b f259a 1668 Ziyád, the adopted brother of Mu‘áwiya, murders 1,500 inhabitants of Baṣra in one night-patrol, and strikes terror into the hearts of the people.
” ” 1669 In justification of his high-handed policy al-Ḥajjáj gives a genuine gold coin to a learned man, who complained against his tyranny in Baṣra, in order that be might ascertain for himself what it was worth in the market, and recognise that the people of Baṣra were being treated according to their deserts.
f237a ” 1670 Socrates, when attacked by the furious mob, told his wife that it was preferable to die more sinned against than sinning.
” ” 1671 al-Ḥajjáj’s taunting proclamation to the people who were rejoicing on the eve of his death.
” ” 1672 A tyrant smitten by an earthquake at the invocation of an old woman whose house he had demolished in order to bnild a palace for himself.
” ” 1673 A general who billets himself on a Shaykh dies of colitis.
f237b ” 1674 al-Ḥajjáj dies of paralysis within 40 days of the assassination of one of the great Tábi‘ís, Sa‘íd b. Jubayr.
” f260a 1675 The Sultan Mas‘úd punishes a chieftain of Ghúr for his atrocity towards a dervish.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f238a f260a 1676 The threat of al-Ḥajjáj to the people of ‘Iráq after its conquest.
” ” 1677 A learned man in his talk with the Amír Ismá‘íl the Sámánid ascribes the decay of Khurásán after the Ṭáhirids to the tyranny of the Ṣaffárids who succeeded them.
f238b f260b 1678 Walíd b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik puts Ḥabíb b. ‘Abdu’llah b. Zubayr to death for describing him as the Pharaoh of the day, but Nemesis follows soon after.
f239a ” 1679 ‘Umar II’s opinion about the oath of a person who had made his divorce conditional on al-Ḥajjáj being in Hell.
” ” 1680 Muẓaffar the mad, a cruel governor of Maḥmúd’s, punished by Abú Ḥabíb as atrociously as he had treated the poor peasants.
f239b f261a 1681 A belated pilgrim admires an old woman who preferred to live on snakes and bitter water in her valley, rather than be a citizen of a town where tyranny was rampant.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XIII = LXIII: On the Contemptibility of Hard-Heartedness and bad Temper and on the Laudability of Politeness and Humaneness.
f240a ff261 1682 Introduction, illustrated by the story of the importunate beggar, and the occasion of the revelation of the Verse “And as for him who asks, do not chide (him).” The account of the doings of the two public prosecutors Amir-i-Jaras or Ḥaras, appointed by al-Ma’mún, offers a striking contrast of their temper and reputation. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Ál-i-‘Abbás as the source, see above, p. 48).
f241a f262a 1683 al-Ḥajjáj entrusts an ‘Ázádmard’, a freeman, to Aḥmad b. Mubashshir al-A‘raj, to whom he discharges his liabilities voluntarily, whereas Ma‘bad could not extort anything from him in spite of his brutal measures.
f241b ” 1684 Báwardí (?), an apparently harsh prefect of police in the days of the Sultan Maḥmúd of Ghazna, discloses the mystery of the successful management of the city under his régime. (The Dastúru’l-Wuzará’ of the Sultan Radhiyyu’d-Dín Ibráhím b. Mas‘úd b. Maḥmúd of Ghazna as the source, see above, p. 67).
f242a ” 1685 ‘Alqama b. Wá’il al-Anṣárí al-Ḥadhramí’s visit to the Prophet in Madína, and the insults which he heaped on Mu‘áwiya, while he was being escorted by him as a guest of honour to a residence far off on the outskirts of the city in the scorching heat of the desert; and Mu‘áwiya’s courtesy to him after he succeeded to the Caliphate.
” ” 1686 Abú Shujá‘ Aḥmad [b. ‘Abdu’llah al-Khujistání] treats brutally Muẓaffar, the son of Muḥtáj, who as usual in expectation of his reward was awaiting his return from the hunting-ground. (See above, p. 46).
f242b ” 1687 ‘Amr b. Layth, the Ṣaffárid, tells Ja‘far b. Muḥammad az-Zuburí (?), a favourite of his, the story of his penury in his early days in connection with his outrageous murder of Isḥáq, the gardener, who had once beaten him cruelly for robbing fruit, bread, and curds from the garden where he was camping; but he bitterly resents the suggestion that he should acknowledge his indebtedness to the butcher, who gave him sustenance and employed him as a shepherd. (See above, p. 46).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f243a f263a 1688 al-Ḥajjáj inhumanly orders the assassination of ‘Abdu’r-Raḥmán Awzá‘í, an old boon-companion of ‘Abdu’llah b. Zubayr, for showing grief when reminded of his early friendship with him.
      The chapter ends as usual with a panegyric.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XIV = LXIV: On the Contemptibility of Meanness and Vileness and stories of Ignoble Persons.
f243b-
f244a		 f263b 1689 Introduction dealing with the contrast of high and low-minded persons, illustrated with verses. Al-Ma’mún, shocked at the meanness of his eldest son, ‘Abbás, in ordering his agent to buy for him a beet for half a dirham, repudiates him and appoints his brother al-Mu‘taṣim as his successor in the Caliphate.
f244a ” 1690 al-Ma’mún chooses Isḥáq al-Mawṣilí as tutor to ‘Alí b. Hishám b. Ṣáliḥ, but is disappointed in the end at the mean conduct of ‘Alí towards his venerable preceptor.
f245a f264a 1691 At the request of a disciple, the Shaykh Báyazíd of Bisṭám sends a dervish to bless a wedding-feast, but the dervish returns annoyed, because the host meanly estimated his blessing in terms of money. (The Maqámát-i-Shaykh Báyazíd Bisṭámí as the source.)
” ” 1692 Di‘bil-i-Khuzá‘í’s personal account of Sahl’s (?) meanness, and Sahl’s insistence on eating the cock’s head, which was missing in the dish. (related by al-Jáḥiẓ).
f245b f264b 1693 Bahrám Gúr disqualifies a very wise and capable man of his day from holding the office of minister, since he showed greediness at table.
” ” 1694 ‘Abdu’llah b. Muḥammad (?) of Baṣra complains of the meanness of Sahl b. Nu‘aym, the governor of the town, before Yaḥyá the Barmecide, who dismisses and disgraces him. (The Akhbár-i-Barámika as the source, see above, p. 39).
f246a f264b 1695 Fadhl b. Mu‘adh (?), the ruler of Khurásán, laughs at the misery of the famine-stricken people of Níshápúr when they ask him to supply them with corn from his granary, but expires the same night through the sticking of a morsel in his throat.
f246b f265a 1696 Abú Sahl Zawzaní, the Wazír of the Sultan Mas‘úd of Ghazna, enforces confiscation against the weighty opposition of Abú Naṣr Mushkání and Khwája Aḥmad b. Ḥasan Maymandí, his colleagues, and causes serious troubles in the state. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Náṣirí as the source, see above, pp. 62, 63—4).
      The chapter ends with a note concerning the mild policy adopted by the Wazír after the surrender of the fort of Bhakkar and the defeat of Malik Náṣiru’d-Dín Qabácha.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XV = LXV: On the Contemptibility of Extravagance and Prodigality.
f247b-f248a f265b 1697 Introduction. The via media advocated by the Prophet. A story related before the Caliph al-Ma’mún of the advice of a dying father to his prodigal son to commit suicide rather than disgrace himself after having squandered all his inheritance, and how the rope which he had suspended for this purpose led him to a hidden treasure.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f248a f266a 1698 ‘Abqasí, the poet, relates the story of the calamitous condition of the son of a rich merchant through vice, and of the recovery of his former prosperity through good luck. (T. F. S. as the source).
f249a f266b 1699 Ḥujjat b. al-Ajlaḥ), reduced to extreme poverty, regains his position through a rich inheritance.
f249b ” 1700 The story of a prodigal prince, who wasted all his wealth on false friends; they deserted him in the hour of need, and once falsely accused him of stealing a piece of flesh, and refused to acknowledge his plea of innocence, but, when he regained prosperity, believed in him blindly about a highly improbable thing, namely, that ants bore holes in a stone.
f250a f267a 1701 Awḥadu’d-Dín, the son of the ruler of Mihna or Mayhana, prosecutes his early studies in Níshápúr, but after his father’s death returns to Mihna, squanders his inheritance and becomes poor.
” ” 1702 Mu‘áwiya sends a purse of gold to ‘Urwa b. Udhayna, the poet, lest he might write a lampoon on him, upon which ‘Urwa reminds him of his verse about the destined daily bread.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XVI = LXVI: On the Contemptibility of Dishonesty and Misappropriation.
f250b-
f251a		 f267b 1703 Introduction. The shepherd who implored his master to sell pure milk, and his witty reply when the flock was swept away by a flood.
f251a ” 1704 When Rást-rawish, the Wazír, is ruining the state by his extortions, Gushtásp, warned by the example of a shepherd who hanged his treacherous dog, takes the administration into his own hands and kills the Wazír. (Cf. N. S. N., pp. 19—22).
f251b ” 1705 The Imám Abú Ḥanífa’s clever device to recover the money of a poor pilgrim from a dishonest trustee.
f252a f268a 1706 The Shaykh Abu’l-Mu’ayyad’s (?) intercession on behalf of Muḥammad Múydúz, who was accused of embezzling the money of his master Sunbul, the late treasurer of the Sultan Mas‘úd; and the Sultan Bahrámsháh’s story of Núshírwán’s visit in disguise to the garden of a person who was famed for honesty, hospitality and piety, resulting in his repentance and in the real beginning of the era of his justice.
      The chapter ends with a glorious panegyric on the illustrious monarch and his Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XVII = LXVII: On the Contemptibility of Licentiousness and Misconduct.
f253a f268b 1707 Introduction dealing with the evils of sexual licence. Aḥmad b. ‘Abdu’llah [al-Khujistání] abducts the wife of Shírzád, one of his retinue, while ‘Ayyásh [or ‘Abbás] al-Qaṭṭán plunders Níshápúr and carries off his mother; at last his criminal career is brought to an end through the invocation of the holy Shaykh Abú ‘Uthmán al-Ḥírí. The Ta’ríkh-i-Khurásán as the source, see above, p. 45).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f254a f269b 1708 Abu’l-Fadhl, the famous secretary of Níshápúr, relates the story of the misconduct of Abu’l-Qásim Bídár aṭ-Ṭabarí with the wife of Muḥammad b. Zayd ‘Alawí of Ṭabaristán, and of the swift retribution which fell on them.
f254b ” 1709 ‘Abdu’l-Karím Fáryábí relates the story of the misconduct of Abu’l-Bashar with the wife of an Indian fellow-traveller, called Sankú (?), and the dire fate of the wicked pair.
f255a f270a 1710 The illegal connection of Salm with Rabáb, and the dreadful vengeance of Khidásh on the lewd pair. (The Kitáb-i-Majma‘i’l-Amthál as the source).
f255b ” 1711 The Devil’s temptation of Barṣíṣá, the hermit, and his making him an infidel, is cited in connection with the explanation of the Verse (Qur’án, LIX, 16). (See above, p. 26, ll. 22—6).
      The chapter ends with a few lines on the manifestation of the glory of the Creator in making his patron the champion of the Faith.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XVIII = LXVIII: On the Contemptibility of Ingratitude and stories of Persons who were punished for it.
f256b f270b-
f271a		 1712 Introduction on ingratitude, illustrated a quatrain from the author himself. The famous Abú Bakr [Muḥammad b. ‘Abbás] al-Khwárazmí ungratefully leaves the court of the Ṣáḥib Ismá‘íl b. ‘Abbád.
f257a ” 1713 How Ṭáhir-i-Dhu’l-Yamínayn contrived to get the governorship of Khurásán, and how he betrayed al-Ma’mún and died a mysterious death.
f257b f271b 1714 The ungrateful ‘Awán, who enjoyed the protection of a money-broker of Kúfa in the days of the suppression of the Khárijites by Muṣ‘ab b. Zubayr, brings a false charge against him in the time of al-Ḥajjáj, which leads to his own ruin.
f258a ” 1715 Maslama b. ‘Awf raises the standard of revolt against his benefactor, ‘Amr b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik, and is killed in the encounter.
” ” 1716 ‘Amr b. Layth is sent in a cage to Baghdád by the Sámánid ruler, Ismá‘íl, at the order of the Caliph, al-Mu‘tadhid.
” ” 1717 Bahrám Chúbín’s ingratitude, and his miserable life and the old woman’s poor entertainment.
f258b f272a 1718 The revolt of Afshín in the reign of the Caliph al-Mu‘taṣim, his capture along with his Sámánid ally, Aḥmad b. Naṣr, the historic trial and his execution.
f259a f272b 1719 The fate of Ṭughril, the usurper, and the coronation of Farrukhzád. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Yamíní as the source, see above, pp. 60—2).
f260a ” 1720 [Malik Ikhtiyáru’d-Dín] Dawlatsháh [Balká b. Ḥusámu’d-Dín ‘Awadh Khalají]’s revolt against Iltutmish. (A contemporary event that happened in 628 A. H. It marks the latest limit of the compilation, see above, p. 20).
      The conclusion of this chapter is of contemporary interest, and ends with an encomium on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XIX = LXIX: On the Contemptibility of Tale-bearing and Spying.
f261a f273b 1721 Introduction illustrated by verses of the Qur’án. A citizen invites a military chief and entertains him with a royal dish, forbidden to the public; the chief reports the matter to the Kisrá, whereupon the Persian king severely chastises him for his ingratitude and tale-bearing. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Mulúk-i-‘Ajam as the source, see above, pp. 55—6).
” ” 1722 A malicious slave creates a disaster by setting his master and his master’s wife against each other by devilish reports.
f261b f274a 1723 The Caliph al-Mu‘tadhid warns a tale-bearer of the consequences, if his report proved to be false, and chastises him for neglecting his obligations to his neighbour.
f262a ” 1724 ‘Abdu’l-Malik b. Marwán’s counsel to his favourite Qabíṣa: never to tell lies, never to flatter him, and never to impeach others in his presence.
” ” 1725 al-Mu‘taṣim curses a secret reporter for bringing to his notice the legacy left by a chief of the army.
” ” 1726 A spy returns disappointed from the court of ‘Abdu’l-Malik, after hearing his warning to the tale-bearers.
f262b ” 1727 al-‘Attábí, the poet, is accused of heresy (I‘tizál), and is brought before the Caliph Hárún; Yaḥyá, the Barmecide, intercedes and restores him to the favour of the Caliph, and punishes the false reporter. (See Ibn Khallikán (Wüst.), Biog. No. 538, for the verses cited).
” f274b 1728 Túmán (?), the son of a slave, gets into the favour of the Amír ‘Abdu’r-Rashíd of Ghazna, and terrorises the people by espionage; Khwája Abú Ṭáhir Ḥusayn is sent to India for investigation, and on his report to the Ṣáḥib-i-Díwán Abu’l-Fadhl Bayhaqí, Túmán is dismissed, but later on again comes into power and ruins the whole state, which ultimately leads to the murder of the Amír and rebellion in the country. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Náṣirí as the source, see above, pp. 62—3).
f263b f275a 1729 Jamál, the Pársá, (or pious) persuades the Qádhí Muḥammad Gardízí to impeach Ḥusámu’d-Dín Aghlabak for extortion, upon which Abú Sa‘d al-Junaydí Niẓámu’l-Mulk, the Wazír of Iltutmish, appoints Abú Bakr ‘Imádu’l-Mulk Sharafu’d-Dín, the general, to investigate the affairs of the people of Miyána, and when the charges were proved false, the mischievous Qádhí and the slanderous Jamál were publicly disgraced.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the illustrious Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XX = LXX: On the Contemptibility of Hastiness and the Advantages of Slowness.
f264a ff275 1730 Introduction. The life-story of Rúzbih and Bihrúz, the sons of the hasty Jewel-merchant. (Cf. Bakhtiyár-náma, pp. 93—107; also above, pp. 74—6).
f265b f276a 1731 The hasty prince of Aleppo, and his anxiety to marry the daughter of the king of Egypt; his precipitate action results in a calamity just before the marriage. (Cf. Bakhtiyár-náma, pp. 33—45; also above, pp. 74—6).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f266b f276b 1732 The tale of the Ráy of India and the four brothers that guarded the throne, one of whom was suspected of misbehaviour, while he was trying to save the sleeping queen from a snake.
f267a ” 1733 The tale of another brother, in connection with the previous story, about the king who unwisely killed the hawk that prevented him from drinking a poisoned cup.
f267b f277a 1734 Another tale, in the same connection, about the king who killed the weasel that saved the life of his son from the fangs of the serpent. (Tales of Indian origin).
f268a ” 1735 ‘Abdu’r-Raḥmán Khál from personal motives falsely accuses a sage of Herát of idolatry; the Sultan Maḥmúd of Ghazna warns him of the dreadful consequences, upon which the accuser confesses his guilt. (Cf. N. S. N., p. 120; also above, p. 82).
      The chapter ends with a panegyric as usual.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XXI = LXXI: On Irreligious and Unprincipled persons.
f268b f277b 1736 Introduction. Why Sayyid Ḥusayn b. Músá (?) refused to accept invitations and refrained from attending funeral processions. The narrative of his ill-luck. (The Kitábu’l-Faraj ba‘da ’sh-Shidda of at-Tanúkhí as the source, see above, pp. 90—94).
f269b f278a 1737 ‘Abdu’l-Qays(?) (in Faraj Abú’l-Qásim ‘Abdu’llah b. Muḥammad ibnu’l-Ḥusayn al-‘Abqasí), the poet, relates his encounter with Muqbil, his father’s slave, and the gang of robbers from whose clutches he was accidentally saved through the protection of the leader of the gang. (Cf. T. F. S. II, viii, p. 57—60).
f270a f278b 1738 The advice of Nu‘mán b. at-Turáb al-‘Abdí to his three sons; Sa‘íd, one of them, tests his father’s experience in regard to false friends, and is convinced of its truth.
f271a f279a 1739 The story of the homicide-hermit, and the lucky escape of a victim, a man of the army, from the dungeon of the wicked hermit. (Cf. T. F. S. II, viii, pp. 56—7).
f271b ” 1740 The perilous adventure of a servant of Muḥammad b. Sulayman Háshimí, who accidentally saves a woman from the dark designs of a villain. (Cf. T. F. S. II, viii, pp. 60—1).
f272a f279b 1741 A personal anecdote of the author of the Faraj ba‘da’sh-Shidda, the Qádhí Abú ‘Alí Muḥassin at-Tanúkhí, about the loss which he suffered at the hands of an ungrateful wretch, named Abú ‘Alí aṣ-Ṣúlí for a very trifling grievance.
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XXII = LXXII: On Ingenious and Intelligent women.
ff273 f280a 1742 Introduction, showing the superiority of some women to men. Ásiya, the virtuous wife of Pharaoh, demands the fulfilment of the contract which her proud husband after the loss of his wager desired to break wantonly; and insists on his walking round his palace naked, so that the white spot of leprosy on his back is discovered.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
ff273 f280b 1743 An estimation of Dhu’n-Nún of Egypt by a Byzantine girl, and her three piquant remarks.
f274a ” 1744 Ziyád b. Abíhi, while passing by the mansion of Nu‘mán b. Mundhir, the famous king of Ḥíra, visits his daughter and asks the definition of ”World”; at which she wisely sums up the phenomena of the world by comparing the by-gone days of the glory of her family with their present pitiable condition.
” ” 1745 The bold answer whereby Sayyida, the mother of Majdu’d-Dawla, succeeded in preventing Sultan Maḥmúd from attacking her capital, Rayy. (Cf. Qábús-náma, pp. 128—9, see above, pp. 95—6).
” ” 1746 Búrán divines the secret of al-Ma’mún about the advice of the famous court-physician, Bukht-Yishú‘, concerning abstinence from women.
f274b f281a 1747 Lubába or Lubána, a favourite slave-girl of al-Amín, advises him to make a compromise with his brother al-Ma’mún.
f275a ” 1748 Muhannada, a slave-girl, and her clever suggestion to the Caliph al-Manṣúr by which she seduced him.
” ” 1749 Masrúra, the slave-girl, and her seductive conversation with the Caliph Hárún.
” ” 1750 Dalla, the cunning woman, outwitted by the wife of a cloth-merchant.
f275b ” 1751 The witty replies of an Abyssinian girl to the Caliph Hárún.
” f281b 1752 The jests which passed between Muhallab b. Abí Ṣufra and a singing-girl, Badá’i‘a.
” ” 1753 al-Aṣma‘í and a beautiful woman in a fruit shop interchange witty remarks by citing Verses from the Qur’án.
” ” 1754 an-Náṭifí’s favourite girl recites a touching Verse (Qur’án, XXXVIII, 22) in her melodious voice about the brother who possessed 99 cows, and the other who had only one; upon which the Caliph Hárún is moved and restores her to her lamenting owner.
” ” 1755 The witty remark of an old woman to one of the retainers of the Caliph al-Ma’mún, when he had presented her request to the Caliph.
f276a ” 1756 The tactful congratulatory address of Zubayda, the mother of al-Amín, after al-Ma’mún’s succession to the Caliphate.
” ” 1757 The mystery of the casket and its precious contents, which the mother of Ja‘far, the Barmecide, so carefully guarded.
f276b f282a 1758 A pointed reply of a woman of the tribe of Ṭayy about the uniqueness of Ḥátim in her tribe, in allusion to the Caliph al-Mahdí.
      The chapter ends as usual with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XXIII = LXXIII: On Chaste and Virtuous Women.
f276b f282a 1759 Introduction. The three kinds of women described, in reply to a man who had already consulted ninety-nine persons on the choice of a wife, by one of the Imám Abú Ḥanífa’s colleagues who was feigning madness.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f277a f282b 1760 David, the prophet, explains the enigmatic advice of his young son about the choice of a wife.
” ” 1761 The story of the divorce of a virtuous wife who was very obedient to her husband, even though she did not like him at all.
f277b ” 1762 The pathetic contentment of a beautiful woman, and her submissiveness towards her ugly and cruel husband.
” ” 1763 al-Aṣma‘í’s surprise at the incongruous union of a beautiful and eloquent woman with an ugly Bedouin.
f278a f283a 1764 The wife of a follower of the Prophet is promised the divine reward on account of her having acquiesced in the second marriage of her husband.
” ” 1765 The saintly woman Rábi‘a warns indirectly a cruel governor, appointed by al-Ḥajjáj in Baṣra, of the inevitable retribution.
” ” 1766 The ordeals which Marḥúma, the virtuous and the fair, had to suffer on account of her fatal beauty and extreme purity.
f279a f283b 1767 A noble of Baṣra cowed by the bold remark of the pious wife of his gardener.
” ” 1768 The chaste daughter of an ‘Alawí contrives her own death at the hands of Burqu‘í(?), the chief of the invading band of the Zangís, rather than face ignominy.
f279b ” 1769 An account of a virtuous woman in the days of the mother of Khwája ‘Abdu’l-Malik(?).
” ” 1770 A chaste woman rebukes an ‘Alawí who wanted to commit sin.
” f284a 1771 A pious woman vindicates her honour by offering her eyeballs to ‘Utba b. Ghulám, which leads to his penitence.
” ” 1772 The conviction of a tailor about the chastity of wives.
f280a ” 1773 The unshaken constancy of Ná’ila to the Caliph ‘Uthmán.
      The chapter ends with a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XXIV = LXXIV: On Unchaste and Impious Women.
f280b-
f281a		 f284b 1774 Introduction, illustrated by a few couplets on the unreliability of women. Shaqíq of Balkh’s bad opinion of the women of his city proves to be too true.
f281a f285a 1775 The Prophet relates the story of a woman’s faithlessness to her devoted husband and the miraculous intervention of Christ.
f281b ” 1776 A person rashly marries the daughter of a lewd woman, but divorces her when she tells her observation on a camel’s habit of closely following its dam.
f282a f285b 1777 Bal‘am-i-Bá‘úr is persuaded by his wife to use the power of the “Great Name” against Moses, which leads to his damnation.
f282b f286a 1778 The story of the enmity of the daughter of a Persian king towards the Wazír, and the conspiracy of the murderous wives against their husbands, and the wholesale extirpation of those women.
f283a ” 1779 The callous woman who inhumanly suggested to her new husband to replace the stolen corpse of a thief, publicly exhibited on the gallows, with the body of her dead husband; and his plea to her, on his death-bed, to spare his beard after his death.
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f283b f286b 1780 An Israelite sage wastes three chances of effective prayer on his faithless wife. Story related in connection with the revelation of the Verse of the Qu’rán (vii, 174).
” ” 1781 Isḥáq al-Mawṣilí delivers a distressed youth from the clutches of an ill-natured woman through the generosity of Ja‘far b. Yaḥyá, the Barmecide.
f284b f287a 1782 The story of the criminal career of the daughter of a Judge and teacher of Isfará’in; and how she atoned for her past sins by making pilgrimages on foot.
      The chapter ends with a few words invoking the help of God.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part III, Chapter XXV = LXXV: On the Cunning of Women and the Stories of their Wiles.
f285b-
f286a		 f287b-
f288a		 1783 Introduction dealing with the craftiness of women; reference is made to the Sindbád-náma, and Bakhtiyár-náma. How the artful sister of Qúbád contrived the release of her brother from the prison in which he was put by the people.
f286a ” 1784 The wife of a trader of Ahwáz plays a trick upon her husband, and compels him to divorce his other wife in Baṣra.
f286b ” 1785 The wife of an Indian athlete, and her illicit connection with a Brahmin.
f287b f288b 1786 The cunning of the wife of a goldsmith’s son, and a similar story of the faithlessness of the wife of the Ráy of India, and her intercourse with the elephant-keeper.
f288b f289b 1787 How a person who used to study books on the cunning of women is astounded at the mischievous activities of a woman who convinces him that there is no limit to the wiles of her sex. (The Ḥiyalu’n-Nisá’ (?) is referred to).
f289a ” 1788 A crafty woman makes a tool of her husband who jealously guarded her.
f289b f290a 1789 A clever woman shows her husband the futility of keeping women in strict privacy, as the safeguarding of chastity depends on women alone.
      (Again at the end of this chapter the Sindbád-náma and Kalíla wa-Dimna are mentioned as the popular books on this topic).
      The chapter ends with a short panegyric on the Wazír, and with it Part III also.
 
A Complete Table of Contents of the Jawámi‘u’l-Ḥikáyát.
 
Part IV (Comprising 25 chapters, LXXVI—C):

On the Description of Strange Occurrences, the Wonders of Seas and Lands, the temperament of Animals and the Facetiousness of Eminent Persons.

 
Part IV, Chapter I = LXXVI: On the Advantages of the Service of Kings.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
* *   Introduction to the Fourth Part: doxology, a short note on his patron under whose auspices the Fourth Part is also completed, plan of the compilation and a list of the headings of the 25 chapters in the Fourth Part.
      A short introduction to the first chapter. (Missing from all the old Mss., but supplied from H. f219b = G. f325b = L. f448b).
* * 1790 Núshírwán patronizes a baseborn man, and when questioned replies that culture is the excellence of man.
* * 1791 Two couplets in Arabic illustrating the advantages of the service of kings.
f4b f290b 1792 The Shaykh Majdu’d-Dín (Sharaf b. al-Mu’ayyad) al-Baghdádí’s advice to Shihábu’d-Dín (Abú Sa‘d b. ‘Umar) al-Khaywaqí about the service of kings in general (but in this case it applies to the service of ‘Alá’ud-Dín Muḥammad Khwárazmsháh), with reference to the advice of Abu’l-Ḥasan Kharaqání to Abú Sa‘íd b. Abi’l-Khayr on a similar occasion.
” ” 1793 The intercession of Aḥmad b. Abí Dá’úd on behalf of his friend, Abú Dulaf al-‘Ijlí, in the presence of al-Mu‘taṣim, who had handed over Abú Dulaf to Afshín, his deadly enemy. (Translated from at-Tanúkhí’s Faraj, see pt. II, ch. viii, pp. 67—9).
f5b f291b 1794 The great consideration of the Caliph Hárún for, and his patronage of, the Imám Abú Yúsuf, and the preparation of a special daily dish for him. (Ta’ríkh-i-Bádí or Tází or Báwí as the source (?)).
f6a ” 1795 Khálid-i-Naṣr, one of the governors appointed by al-Mu‘taṣim in Egypt, is accused of peculation; Aḥmad b. Abí Dá’úd again intercedes on his behalf and releases him.
” ” 1796 Ibn Harma, the poet, relates an instance of the generosity of ‘Abdu’l-Wáḥid b. Sulaymán b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik b. Marwán in justification of his ode in praise of him.
f6b f292a 1797 How a capable secretary, who was out of work, sought the patronage and won the favour of ‘Adhudu’d-Dawla.
f7a ” 1798 The reflections of ‘Abbád, the secretary, after his dismissal, and his regret for the loss of patronage.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter II = LXXVII: On the Disadvantages of the Service of Kings.
f7a f292b 1799 Introduction on the instability of the favour of rulers and the risks that one has to confront in their service. How the Caliph Hárún ignored his pledges to the Barmecides and disgraced them publicly; and an account of one of the pledges which Yaḥyá, the Barmecide, wore on his neck as an amulet.
f7b ” 1800 The Caliph al-Hádí wants to avoid the company of his old friend, ‘Alí Muqátil, after he rose to the Caliphate.
” f293a 1801 Parwíz’s reproach to Bahrám Chúbín for punishing a servant; and his ironical suggestion to sheathe two swords in one case. (Cf. N. S. N., p. 76; see above, p. 81).
f8a ” 1802 The admonishment of Sultan Maḥmúd to his brother, Amír Naṣr, on an occasion of similar disregard of the royal authority: Maḥmúd orders the royal drums to be beaten at the palace of his brother. (Anec. repeated, I, ix, 494). (The Ta’ríkh-i-Dawlat-i-Yamíní mentioned as the source, see above, pp. 61, 63).
” ” 1803 Intrigues at the court of Walíd II against Ṭurayḥ b. Ismá‘íl ath-Thaqafí, the poet-laureate of the Caliph.
” ” 1804 Núshírwán punishes his impertinent courtiers when he assumes the royal dignity. (The Ta’ríkh-i-Mulúk-i-‘Ajam as the source, see above, p. 56).
f8b f293b 1805 Núshírwán punishes a courtier for the crimes of his protégé, a fugitive governor. (Cf. I, ix, 503).
” ” 1806 ‘Abdu’llah b. Málik al-Khuzá‘í, once suspected of treason, could hardly commend himself to the favour of the Caliph Hárún.
f9a ” 1807 ar-Rabí‘, the Chamberlain, is reproached by the Caliph al-Manṣúr for presenting a request at an inauspicious hour.
” f294a 1808 The treachery of the Caliph al-Manṣúr towards, and his assassination of, his benefactor and the founder of the ‘Abbásid Caliphate, Abú Muslim al-Khurásání. (Cf. I, ix, 485).
      The chapter concludes with a remark on the merits and defects of the service of kings and a panegyric on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter III = LXXVIII: On Fear and Hope.
f9b-
f10a		 ff294 1809 Introduction on Hope and Fear, and Trust in God. The merits and defects of Wealth, Wisdom and Hope are represented in an allegory of the three suitors.
f10a f294b 1810 al-Amín’s efforts to secure the help of ‘Abdu’llah b. Ṭáhir, the Ambidexter, and his grave warning to beware of the fate of the past benefactors of the ‘Abbásids.
” ” 1811 (?), the poet, writes a corrosive satire on Fadhl b. Yaḥyá, the Barmecide, but confident of his forgiveness and generosity applies for his mercy and help, while in want.
f10b f295a 1812 Núshírwán’s person immune from attack, on account of his protection and safeguarding of his people. (The Akhbár-i-Mulúk-i-‘Ajam is referred to, see above, p. 60).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f10b f295a 1813 Muḥammad b. Dá’úd b. al-Jarráḥ and the Qádhís Abu’l-Muthanná Aḥmad b. Ya‘qúb, and Abú ‘Umar Muḥammad b. Yúsúf Abú Isḥáq are arrested in connection with the conspiracy of Ibnu’l-Mu‘tazz; the first two are executed for treason, while the last-named is spared through the intercession of the Wazír Ibnu’l-Furát, fined and released; and during the crisis Abú ‘Umar’s hair turns grey from fear of death. (See T. F. S. pt. I, ch. v, pp. 120—2, also above, p. 93, para. 2, and n. 5).
f11a f295b 1814 A similar change in the colour of the hair of a cleaner of the palace of the Caliph al-Muqtadir, who by accident lingered in the ḥaram and was overtaken by the terror of death. (See T. F. S. pt. I, ch. v, pp. 122—4).
f11b ” 1815 Abú ‘Alí-i-Náqid, the officer in charge of the food of the prisoners in the time of al-Muqtadir, relates the story of a prisoner, who was condemned for life without having committed any crime, and was expecting deliverance from God; and how the Chief of the Baghdád Police, Názúk, was murdered, and how the mob released all the prisoners. (See T. F. S. pt. I, ch. v, pp. 124—5; cf. also, the Eclipse, vol. I, p. 192).
f12a f296a 1816 al-Faraj ar-Rukhkhají, imprisoned by order of the Caliph al-Ma’mún, falls into despair; but trusts in God, dreams of release, and is restored the next day to his official position as the governor of Fárs and Ahwáz.
      The chapter concludes with a short note about the deliverance which is sure to follow after sufferings; and an encomium on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter IV = LXXIX: On the Efficacy of Prayer and on Persons who obtained Deliverance through the Blessings of their Devotion.
f12b f296b 1817 Introduction on the efficacy of invocation. Abú Ḥimyar saves a cobra, but when the cobra turns against him invokes the protection of the Almighty and at last succeeds in killing it. (T. F. S. as the source).
f13a f297a 1818 Yaḥyá b. Khálid-i-Azraq (?) prays for the prosperity of Murúr-i-Asálí (?), after which he is restored to happiness.
” ” 1819 The Sultan ‘Alá’u’d-Dawla Mas‘úd’s supplication to the Almighty to stop the incessánt rainfall in Ghazna.
f13b ” 1820 A petitioner, disappointed by Fadhl b. Rabí‘, appeals to God for redress, upon which the Caliph Hárún orders the Wazír to attend to the wants of the supplicant personally.
” ” 1821 Khidhr, the mysterious saint, informs al-Manṣúr of the granting of his prayer, and his accession to the Caliphate.
f14a f297b 1822 A theologian’s opinion about the acceptance of prayers offered under propitious circumstances and with due observance of the zodiacal constellations. (The philosopher al-Kindí’s treatise on prayer is referred to).
f14b f298a 1823 Ḥasan b. Zayd al-‘Alawí of Ṭabaristán incurs the displeasure of Heaven by praying at an inauspicious hour, and consequently is afflicted with a hurricane.
” ” 1824 An extraordinary instance of the efficacy of sincere invocation in cases of utter despair. The miraculous appearance of a luminous star, witnessed by seafarers, when their boat was overtaken by a severe storm and all hopes of safety were given up. (Related by the author himself).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f14b f298a 1825 The Caliph ‘Umar and ‘Abbás, the uncle of the Prophet, offer their humble prayers for rain in the year of the great drought and famine in Arabia. (The Gharíbu’l-Ḥadíth as the source (?)).
f15a f298b 1826 Junayd, the great saint of Baghdád, prays to God for the return of the son of an old woman.
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter V = LXXX: On Memorable, Efficacious and Traditional Prayers.
f15b f298b-
f299a		 1827 Introduction on the real meaning of prayer. al-Ḥajjáj, being reproached by Ḥasan of Baṣra for erecting stately palaces and for tyranny, convicts him and resolves on his execution; but when Ḥasan of Baṣra utters a few words in the form of an appeal to the Almighty, al-Ḥajjáj’s wrath is turned into complete submission. (Cf. T. F. S. I, iii, p. 46).
f16a ” 1828 Ismá‘íl b. Umayya, when arrested by order of the Caliph al-Manṣúr, repeats a formula of prayer written on a wall, and is rescued. (Cf. T. F. S. I, iii, p. 46).
” ” 1829 ‘Alí b. Ḥusayn b. ‘Alí [b. Abí Ṭálib] advises his cousin to repeat a prayer, whilst he was going to face the governor of Madína, in consequence of a summons sent to him by Walíd b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik; he does so and is set free. (Cf. T. F. S. I, iii, p. 47).
” ” 1830 ‘Abdu’llah b. Aḥmad of Baṣra cured of a chronic disease through the formula of prayer adopted by Abú Muḥammad Tustarí.
” f299b 1831 Músá b. Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣádiq’s claims to the Caliphate as the nearest descendant of the Prophet against those of Hárún, and his curse which ended in the death of al-Hádí, who had repudiated him for the sake of Hárún.
f16b ” 1832 The Caliph ‘Alí teaches a Bedouin the correct method of commemorating God.
f17a f300a 1833 The Angel of Death teaches the Prophet Ya‘qúb a formula of prayer.
” ” 1834 The ordeals and trials of the Prophet Ya‘qúb, and his patience and submission to the will of God.
f17b ” 1835 Yúsuf the Prophet’s prayer in the Well in Kan‘án. (The Jámi‘u’l-Kabír fi’t-Tafsír of the Imám Náṣir Ghazálí (?) and The Taysír fi’t-Tafsír of Najmud-Dín ‘Umar an-Nasafí as the source), see above, p. 65.
” ” 1836 Jibrá’íl, the Messenger of God, teaches Yúsuf the Prophet the method of self-composure and self-consolation.
” f300b 1837 The pious supplications of Abú Sa‘íd Baqqál and Ibráhím (?) during their imprisonment by al-Ḥajjáj, and their deliverance.
f18a ” 1838 Abu’s-Saráyá’s (?) mysterious encounter with his enemy, and how the latter was found dead after the utterance of a homily.
      The chapter concludes with a reference to the Ṣúfí saint Báyazíd of Bisṭám and with the usual panegyric.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter VI = LXXXI: On propitious Omens and strange Occurences.
f18b f301a 1839 A prelude to the chapter, discussing the validity of omens, and their interpretation according to Islám. al-Mu‘tadhid finds solace in the recitation of the Qur’án, while imprisoned by his father.
f19a f301b 1840 Abú ‘Alí b. Muqla takes a good omen from a few verses during his imprisonment in Fárs by order of al-Qáhir, and is rewarded soon after by the Caliph with the governorship of Fárs. (Cf. T. F. S. I, iii, p. 55).
f19b f302a 1841 Aḥmad b. Abí Khálid takes an omen from the Qur’án about the punishment of a slave-girl accused by his trusted servants of misconduct, and makes inquiries until he is convinced of her innocence and the wickedness of his servants. (Cf. T. F. S. I, iii, p. 57). (Ibráhím [b.] ‘Abbás Ṣúlí relates this anecdote).
f20a f302b 1842 How Aḥmad-i-Muríd (?) was appointed to the governorship of Syria by the Caliph al-Mutawakkil.
f20b ” 1843 The fruitless attempts of al-Hádí to deprive Hárún of his right to the succession, and his threats to Yaḥyá b. Khálid, the Barmecide, on which occasion the poet Bashshár consoles him, and puts a happy interpretation on the breaking of a ring. (Cf. T. F. S. I, iii, p. 61).
f21a f303a 1844 The fate of al-Mutawakkil’s murderers; and the ominous portent of the horoscopic globe, which indicated the very sign that led to the nemesis that overtook the parricide Shírúya.
” ” 1845 Ṭáhir-i-Dhu’l-Yamínayn takes a good omen from his torn sleeve, and defeats his foe ‘Alí b. ‘Ísá b. Máhán. (Cf. T. F. S. I, iii, p. 60).
” ” 1846 A Wazír takes an augury from a couplet.
f21b ” 1847 ‘Abdu’llah b. Mu‘tazz recites a few lines in prison and takes an augury, and is released by al-Muktafí. (Cf. T. F. S. I, v, p. 89).
      The chapter ends with the praise of the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter VII = LXXXII: On the Stories of Persons who fell into the Whirlpool of Persecution and escaped through good Luck.
f21b f303b-
f304a		   Introduction discussing the subject of deliverance after trials, and the fruits of patience, with an important note on the interesting work of the Qádhí Abú ‘Alí al-Muḥassin at-Tanúkhí, mentioning the Persian Translation of the above work by the author Muḥammad al-‘Awfí himself, and also an account of the incorporation of the anecdotes from that translation into the present collection. (See above, pp. 14—18, 90—4).
f22a ” 1848 A short account of the ordeals and sufferings of the ancient prophets, their admirable behaviour and the Divine rewards. (This is chiefly based on the first two chapters of T. F. S.).
” ” 1849 Armiyá (Jeremiah), the Prophet, is directed by God to relieve Dániyál from the horrible dungeon of Nebuchadnezzar. (Cf. T. F. S., I, i, pp. 17—18).
” ” 1850 The story of the hundred belts of Ibnu’l-Jaṣṣáṣ, the jeweller, as related to the Caliph al-Muqtadir. (Cf. Index to the Eclipse, p. 69, also T. F. S., I, vi, pp. 113—4).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f22b f304a 1851 Qays b. Qaysabát (Qaysaba) b. Kulthúm as-Sakúní, a chieftain of Yaman, is captured by the tribe of Banú-‘Uqayl. Abú Ṭamaḥán, the poet, carries the news to the Sakún; Qays b. Ma‘díkarib of Kinda and Jawn b. Málik of Sakún make common cause and attack the Banú-‘Uqayl, wreak vengeance and release their chief. (Cf. T. F. S. I, v, p. 130)).
f23a f305a 1852 ‘Abdu’llah b. Ṭáhir arrests Muḥammad b. Qásim b. ‘Umar b. ‘Ali b. al-Ḥusayn, the ‘Alawí pretender and sends him to the Caliph al-Mu‘taṣim, who confines him in a torture-cell, but the ‘Alawí contrives to escape. (Cf. T. F. S. I, v, pp. 132—5).
f23b f305b 1853 Returning from Pilgrimage in 233 A. H., Muḥammad b. ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd al- (?) meets a very eloquent and beautiful girl called Muhannáh (?), the daughter (?) of Haytham ash-Shaybání, a contemporary of the Prophet, who was reduced to poverty; and commends her virtues to Málik b. Ṭawq, who marries her and rewards him amply for the information about her. (Cf. T. F. S. II, vii, pp. 8—9).
f24b f306a 1854 How Muḥammad b. ‘Abdu’l-Malik az-Zayyát, the Wazír of al-Mu‘taṣim, rewards Mu‘ammar-i-Baghdádí. (Cf. T. F. S. II, vii, p. 26—7).
f25a ” 1855 The story of Abú Ja‘far Hamadhání and the pearl necklace.
* f306b 1856 How Abú Ghálib, a secretary of Isḥáq b. Ibráhím b. (Muṣ‘ab) at-Ṭáhirí, goes into hiding and luckily finds a hidden treasure. (Cf. T. F. S. II, xii, pp. 147—8).
* ” 1857 Aḥmad b. Masrúq, the governor of Ahwáz, relates a personal anecdote, as to how he obtained a ruby from an old woman, repaired his condition, and appeared before Fatḥ b. Kháqán.
* f307a 1858 ‘Abdu’llah of Tustar, the Amír of Baṣra, relates the story of his early misfortunes. (Told on the authority of Abú ‘Alí Muḥassin at-Tanúkhi, the author of the Faraj).
f25a ” 1859 Quṭrabbulí’s prodigal neighbour relieved of distress through an unexpected inheritance. (Cf. T. F. S. II, vii, pp. 29—31).
      The chapter concludes with a note on the Faraj, and as usual ends with a eulogy.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter VIII = LXXXIII: On Persons who escaped from the clutches of Brigands.
f25b f307b 1860 Introduction. Di‘bil of Khuzá‘a, the poet, is rewarded by al-Ma’mún on reciting the famous ode which he had composed in honour of ‘Alí b. Músá ar-Ridhá, and is released by the robbers who had waylaid him on the same ground. (Cf. T. F. S. II, xi, pp. 104—6).
f26a f308a 1861 The story of a veteran traveller who had a very narrow escape from the clutches of the murderous owner of an inn in the forest of Ka‘b.
f26b ” 1862 How Ṣáfí or Darí, the servant of Abu’l-Ḥasan ‘Alí b. Muḥammad b. Muqla, the Wazír of the Caliph al-Muttaqí, cheated the leader of the bandits, by foisting on him a ring with a false gem as the signet of the Caliphs. (Cf. T. F. S. II, xi, pp. 109—110).
f27a f308b 1863 Ṣárikh’s encounter with a murderous villain. (Cf. T. F. S., II, xi, pp. 111—2).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f27a f308b 1864 The servant of Ibnu’d-Danánírí at-Tammár al-Wásiṭí relates the story of the theft of his purse while he was crossing the Tigris for Ubulla, and the strange experience of Abú Bakr al-Bughásh, the organiser of the secret band of thieves, through whose favour he recovered his lost purse. (Cf. T. F. S. II, xi, pp. 112—3).
f28a f309a 1865 How Abú ‘Alí Zaydí or Kurdí used to plunder the pilgrims, and his encounter with a bold youth from Shásh, who routed his gang single-handed. After witnessing this feat Abú ‘Alí deserted his band and renounced his calling. (Cf. T. F. S. II, xi, pp. 117—8).
      The chapter ends with a eulogy on the Wazír.
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
      Part IV, Chapter IX = LXXXIV: On Persons who escaped from the clutches of Wild Beasts.
f28b f309b-
f310a		 1866 Introduction. The Ṣúfí saint Ibráhím al-Khawwáṣ thrown on a desolate shore takes a solemn oath not to eat the flesh of elephants in any case; consequently he is spared by the elephant that killed all his companions who had eaten its young. (Cf. T. F. S. II, ix, p. 73; also D. H. H. II, p. 269, where a similar story is ascribed to Abú Abdu’llah al-Qalánisí).
f29a ” 1867 A morsel, doled out daily by an old woman, protects her son from harm and saves his life from a tiger. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 74).
f29b ” 1868 Presage of being killed by a wild beast, and the wonderful rescue of a person from a tiger. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 75).
” f310b 1869 The account of the adventure of a revenue inspector of Abu’l-Ḥasan ‘Alí b. Khalaf, the governor of Shíráz appointed by the Wazír Abú Muḥammad al-Muhallabí, and the story of his mutilated hand, and the thrilling tiger-ride. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 75).
f30b f311a 1870 The strange story of a monkey that was committing an unnatural act with a woman, and wanted to bribe a person who had detected the outrage. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., pp. 78—9).
” ” 1871 Another miraculous rescue of a fugitive slave called Ayyúb from the clutches of a tiger. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 79).
” ” 1872 Another clever rescue from a boar and a tiger.
f31a f311b 1873 A champion “strong man” strangles an elephant by seizing upon the trunk of the animal. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., pp. 79—80).
” ” 1874 Another thrilling encounter with tigers. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 80).
f31b ” 1875 A tiger rescues a debtor, who was kind to her cubs, from the cruel exaction of his creditor. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 81).
” ” 1876 The story of a dangerous snake in a garden in Dayr, and the family of wonderful snake-charmers. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., pp. 81—2).
f32a f312a 1877 A paralysed person cured naturally by the stings of a scorpion. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 83).
” ” 1878 ‘Ubaydu’llah b. Muḥammad aṣ-Ṣúrí’s escape from a cave near Sinjár. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., pp. 83—5).
f32b f312b 1879 Daysam b. Ibráhím, an ally of Sayfu’d-Dawla, relates an account of a wonderful rescue of a child that was accidentally thrown into water and picked up by an eagle. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 85).
 
D. G. Serial. TITLES OF THE ANECDOTES.
f32b f312b 1880 The life-story of an Egyptian who was called Ibnu’t-Timsáḥ or the son of the crocodile. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 86).
f33a ” 1881 The miraculous rescue of Abu’l Qásim b. A‘lam al-‘Alawí al-Faylasúf from a tiger. The truth of the saying of the Prophet, “the flesh of the children of Fáṭima (may God be pleased with her) is immune from the devouring of beasts, and the one who is devoured by a beast is an impostor (not of the line of Fáṭima)” is also illustrated from the ordeal of the Imám ‘Alí b. Músá ar-Ridhá and the false Zaynab. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 86).
” f313a 1882 How ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz b. al-Ḥasan al-Azdí, a merchant of Baṣra, was wondrously saved by weasels from a serpent. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 89).
” ” 1883 Another thrilling rescue of a person, who was surrounded by a tiger and a snake on either side. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 91).
” ” 1884 Another mysterious rescue of the Qádhí Abú Sá’ib from a wild beast while returning from a visit to the tomb of the Imám Ḥusayn b. ‘Alí. (Cf. T. F. S. ibid., p. 92).
      The chapter ends as usual with a eulogy on the Wazír.
      N. B. This chapter is entirely translated from at-Tanúkhí’s al-Faraj ba‘da’sh-Shidda.

The correct reading is Ibn Farwa (Ṭabarí III, 329).

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In Alfu Layla

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The person meant is probably Uḥayḥa ibnu’l-Julaḥ (Kámil, ed. Wright, p. 466, l. 5).

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In Aghání, XI, 130—1, the name of the prisoner is Qaysaba b. Kulthúm.

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