Rawżat al-ṣafā fi sīrat al-anbiya' va-'l-muluk va-'l-hulafa' - The Rauzat-us-Safa (Rehatsek), Part 1, Volume 2

RECORD OF THE TRIAL OF DÂUD, U. W. B., ETC.

Allah the Most High has said: ‘Hath the story of the two adversaries come to thy knowledge when they ascended over the wall into the upper apartment, when they went in unto Dâud and he was afraid of them? They said, “Fear not.”’⁷⁶ Some historians inform us that once certain theologians were asserting in the presence of Dâud, that not a day passes among any of the children of Esrâil without their committing sin; but Dâud [boasted], and said to himself: ‘On the day of the altar [i.e., at the time of prayers] I endeavour not to commit any unworthy act,’ wherefore the Sempiternal Will decreed that his lordship should fall into an error. Several chroniclers narrate that the temptation originated as follows: One day Dâud prayed as follows: ‘O Lord, I have read in Thy Book that Thou hast before my time distinguished prophets by precious gifts, nor do I know by the performance of what acts they merited Thy favours, so that I might follow their steps and be rejoiced by Thy sublime presents.’ The allocution then came: ‘I have tried the former prophets with various temptations, during which they have taken hold of the roots of confidence, and have become worthy of numerous favours from Me.’ Dâud said: ‘My God! send me a trial that I may be patient under it, and that I may thereby become worthy of Thy favours.’ Then this revelation from the Lord arrived: ‘O Dâud, thou hast preferred affliction to safety; be therefore on thy guard, for in such and such a month, and on such and such a day, a misfortune will befall thee.’ Some have said that the promised day was Monday, the 17th of Rajab. On that day Dâud— u. w. b., etc.—was at the altar of his oratory, engaged in reading the Psalms, when suddenly a bird in the shape of a dove made its appearance. Its body was of gold, its wings of brocade encrusted with pearls; its beak was of red rubies, its eyes of emeralds, and its feet of turquoises. This bird entered the oratory by the window and took up a position near Dâud, who was astonished at its beauty and elegant form. He intended to take it and to present it to his youngest son, which would be a source of joy and pleasure; but when he stretched out his hand to catch it the bird receded a little, whereon his lordship, becoming oblivious of his duty to God, left off reading the Psalms and arose to pursue the dove, which, however, flew out by the window. Hereon Dâud ascended to the roof and looked in all directions to see where the bird had gone; after a while he perceived it soaring in the direction of the garden of Aoria’ [Uriah]. When Dâud approached the edge of the roof he cast a glance into the said garden, and his blessed eyes alighted on a handsome woman who was bathing on the brink of a tank.⁷⁷ When that modest woman perceived the reflection of the figure of a man in the water, she scattered her hair in such a manner that it covered her whole stature. When his lordship returned to the oratory, he felt an inclination [to know the woman]. He therefore sent two men of his confidants to make inquiries about the lady, and they brought him the information that she was the spouse of Aoria’, who happened at that time to be engaged in the retinue of Thoâb [Joab], the son of Dâud’s sister, in besieging a fortress in the direction of Balqâr. The Lord Dâud thereon sent a message to Thoâb to despatch Aoria’ with the ark of tranquillity to the gate of the fort, to combat the enemies of the religion, and to conquer the citadel. At that time it was customary that everyone who occupied the foremost rank in a battle with the ark of tranquillity either carried the day or was slain. When Thoâb communicated the contents of this injunction to Aoria’ he was one of the champions, and hastened to attack the garrison of the fort, which he succeeded in conquering. Thoâb despatched the news of the victory to Dâud, who again sent word to detach Aoria’ for beleaguering another place. Thoâb complied. Aoria’ took the fort again, but was killed on the next occasion.⁷⁸

According to some traditions Aoria’ had lost his life in the first battle, but other verifiers and commentators assert that Thoâb’s sending Aoria’ into war and bloodshed is an imputation attributed to Dâud by inventors [of falsehoods], because prophets are not liable to such follies and attempts [upon the lives of innocent men]. The sin of Dâud consisted, however, in harbouring in his mind the intention of marrying the wife of Aoria’, in case he should fall in battle. According to another opinion his lordship’s sin was that he had asked Aoria’ to divorce his spouse, which he, however, refused to do; but afterwards went of his own accord to attack the obstinate and rebellious, whereby he lost his life in battle. After this event his lordship the prophet waited for the time of the expiration of the mourning, and desired to marry the widow, who sent him the reply that she assented, on the condition that the first son to whom she might give birth should become the heir apparent and successor of Dâud. His lordship agreed, married the lady, and begat with her Sulimân, who became a prophet and king after Dâud, as will—if it pleaseth Allah—be narrated in these pages in detail.

When a considerable time had elapsed after this event, Dâud was not aware of having committed an error, until God the most High and Magnificent vouchsafed to admonish him for his sin as follows: One day his lordship was engaged in his oratory in devotions and reading the Psalms, whilst several thousand individuals were watching him. He had, however, on that day issued orders that, except his body-guard at the door of the oratory, no one should be admitted to his presence; a great crowd had, nevertheless, assembled, and he thought the people could not have entered without permission or on account of some unpropitious event, but [two men approached him and] ‘they said, Fear not, we are two adversaries [who have a controversy to be decided]. The one of us hath wronged the other; wherefore judge between us with truth, be not unjust, and direct us into the even way.’⁷⁹ Dâud asked about the quarrel, and one of them replied: ‘This is my brother; he has ninety-nine sheep, and I had only one ewe, and he said: “Give her to me to keep”; and he prevailed against me in the discourse which we had together.’ Dâud answered: ‘Verily he hath wronged thee in demanding thine ewe [as an addition] to his own sheep; and many who are concerned together [in business] wrong each other, except who believe, and do that which is right; but how few are they!’⁸⁰ When Dâud had finished these words, the two men looked at each other, smiled, and said, ‘The man has judged his own self,’ and immediately disappeared from his sight. Dâud now knew that they were angels, who had admonished him for his fault, of which he was now convinced; therefore he repented and implored God for pardon. It is said that during forty days and nights he was prostrated in adoration, without raising his head, except in prayer and to renew his sacred ablutions.⁸¹ He wept so much that grass grew around the place from the tears of his eyes. Whilst he was crying and supplicating he heard the words: ‘O Dâud,’ to which he replied: ‘I hear and obey, O Lord.’ Then the allocution came: ‘I have pardoned thy sin, and passed over thy transgression. “Wherefore we forgave him this [fault], and he shall be admitted to approach near unto us, and [shall have] an excellent place of abode [in paradise].”’⁸² Historians have related, and the responsibility rests with them, that after the lamentations and supplications of Dâud had been protracted beyond all bounds, Jabrâil arrived and brought him the glad tidings of his pardon. Dâud then raised his head from adoration and said: ‘O Lord, though Thou hast forgiven my sin, and drawn the line of pardon over the volume of my crime, I do not know how I shall be able to meet Aoria’ on the day of the resurrection. I have injured him by exposing him to danger, and by marrying his wife. Thou art a righteous judge, but what will be my condition if Aoria’ quarrels with me in Thy presence?’ Wuhub Bin Muniah narrates that when Dâud represented his case at the Palace of Self-existence the allocution came: ‘Go to the tomb of Aoria’ and crave his pardon, for I shall resuscitate him.’ Dâud obeyed, went to the sepulchre and exclaimed: ‘O Aoria’!’ The latter replied: ‘Who is awakening me from my sleep and interrupting my delight?’ His lordship said: ‘I am Dâud.’ Aoria’ then asked: ‘O prophet of Allah, what is the reason of thy coming to this place?’ Dâud said: ‘Pardon me for what I have done to thee.’ Aoria continued: ‘What is it?’ Dâud rejoined: ‘I have sent thee to the war, and therefore thou hast been killed.’ Aoria’ said: ‘I thank thee, because on that account I am now dwelling in the gardens of paradise.’ Dâud returned comforted and joyous from the grave of Aoria’, whereon the allocution reached him: ‘O Dâud, I am a righteous judge. To crave only pardon is not sufficient; thou oughtest to have explained to him the whole case.’ Therefore Dâud again went to the tomb of Aoria’, and after calling him, he asked: ‘Who is it again disturbing my sleep?’ His lordship replied: ‘I am Dâud!’ Aoria’ rejoined: ‘O prophet of Allah, why hast thou come again?’ He said: ‘I have come that thou mayest forgive me.’ Aoria’ replied: ‘I have forgiven thee before.’ Dâud continued: ‘I have sent thee to the war, to cause thee to drink the beverage of martyrdom, that I might take possession of thy wife.’ Aoria’ gave no reply, although Dâud repeated these words thrice; therefore he despaired and began near the tomb to throw dust on his own head, saying: ‘Woe to Dâud on the day when all the weights will be righteously adjusted! Woe to Dâud on the day when the oppressed will obtain justice against the oppressors! Woe to Dâud on the day when he will be dragged to hell in the company of sinners!’ Whilst thus lamenting and wailing, Dâud heard the words: ‘O Dâud, I have pardoned thee!’ Dâud said: ‘O Lord, Thou art a pardoner of crimes, but Aoria’ does not forgive me.’ Then the allocution came: ‘O Dâud! how can Aoria’ on the day of the resurrection quarrel with thee, after I bestow upon him the blessings of paradise, hûris and palaces, when he will be pleased with thee, and will place the ledger of enemity upon the balcony of oblivion?’ Dâud said: ‘Now I know that Thy pardon has reached me, and no apprehension remains in my mind concerning Aoria.’ Accredited historians have stated that after this event Dâud lived thirty years more, during the whole of which time his penetrating mind was in a state of perpetual melancholy and repentance.

It is the opinion of some that his lordship obtained the gift of the above-mentioned chain after the pardon of his fault, and that, having fixed it on a mountain near the Holy House, he decided by means of it judicial cases among the people with righteousness, and that the stratagem above alluded to likewise took place during the lifetime of Dâud. After the disappearance of the chain, Dâud besought the Lord God to grant him means to enable him to distinguish an oppressor from an oppressed individual, and a guilty from an innocent man; whereon the Absolute Sage sent him the revelation to decide the cases of His servants by means of witnesses and oaths.

RECORD OF SHALÛM [ABSALOM] THE SON OF DÂUD—
U. W. B., ETC.

Ancient chroniclers have related that whilst the lord Dâud was weeping and repenting, he did not lift up his head from adoration, so that the affairs of his kingdom and the circumstances of his subjects fell into disorder. Therefore some of the ignorant among the children of Esrâil deceived Shalûm, the son of Dâud, whom he had begotten with the daughter of Tâlut, and said to him: ‘Thy father is unable to attend to the affairs of the government; thou art the eldest son of the house of prophets; thou art the most worthy to rule, and therefore thou must take possession of the government, and we thy servants shall not fail to assist and obey thee with all our might. Should thy excellent father reprove thee in this matter, thou must say that thou hast taken this heavy responsibility upon thy shoulders lest the enemies of the monarchy should attempt to get possession of the treasury, and of the supreme power.’ They repeated these, and similar suggestions to him, till he complied with the wishes of those flagitious men, and assumed the reins of government. When Dâud—u. w. b., etc.—was informed of this event, he became highly displeased with the proceedings of his son; he departed from the children of Esrâil in the company of his sister’s son, Thoâb, and with his commander-in-chief, who was wise in council as well as brave to such a degree that no one was able to cope with him. When Shalûm heard of the flight of his father he made efforts to capture him. His lordship, however, despatched his sagacious commander-in-chief to Shalûm, enjoined him not to divulge that he had been sent, but to endeavour, according to his perfect shrewdness, to admonish Shalûm to return from his attitude of hostility to that of concord. The wise general then waited on Shalûm and induced him by fair speeches as well as judicious arguments to desist from rebelling against his father. After that his lordship the prophet returned honourably to his residence, but his rebellious son was awed, and deservedly fled from the sight of the Khalifah [i.e., Dâud]. His lordship ordered Thoâb [Joab] to induce his darling son to come back, and enjoined him to spare his life, under the penalty of atoning for it with his own. Thoâb [Joab] then pursued and overtook Shalûm, but disregarding the injunction of Dâud, deprived him of life, and informed the king on his return of what he had done. Dâud, being much grieved, menaced Thoâb with retaliation in the same way for the unrighteous deed he had perpetrated; he refrained, however, from political reasons to carry out his intention, because Thoâb was a victorious general who had greatly distinguished himself, and had become very celebrated; on his death-bed, however, Dâud ordered Sulimân not to spare him. Therefore, when Dâud had been interred, Sulimân executed his command, and avenged his brother’s death by relieving Thoâb of the encumbrance of his head.

It is said that in Dâud’s time the children of Esrâil had increased to such numbers as to astonish his lordship, whereon the allocution reached him: ‘O Dâud, when Ebrahim was about to sacrifice his son, I told him that I would multiply his posterity. After this promise I determined to afflict the children of Esrâil with a calamity, for the purpose of diminishing their numbers. Select, therefore, one of these three misfortunes⁸³: The first is famine, the second conquest by an enemy, and the third is the plague.’ Dâud assembled the people, and told them what was in store for them. The Jews replied: ‘Thou art our prophet and our king, we shall agree to whatever thou mayest choose.’ Dâud said: ‘Famine extinguishes mercy, and severs the ties of consanguinity; therefore I do not select it. To be conquered by an enemy is a dreadful calamity; no one who possesses any self-esteem would bear it; the high and the low are exterminated. Therefore I think it will be best for you to die in your own houses by the plague, and to abandon all your affairs to the care of God, the Most Wise; for He is the most merciful of the merciful.’ The Jews having agreed to the proposal of Dâud, he ordered them to put on their shrouds, and they assembled in one place. Dâud proceeded with the theologians and priests of the children of Esrâil to the plains around the Holy House [i.e., Jerusalem]; all of them bowed their heads in adoration, wailing, and lamentation, and the prayers of his lordship with those of the priests were responded to on the very same day; therefore Dâud raised his head, and informed the priests of the glad tidings.

After the plague had ceased the heads were numbered, and one hundred and seventy thousand were found to have died from sunrise till sunset:

Distich:

Praised be the Creator whose wonderful properties Prostrate the wisdom of prophets on the soil of weakness.

When most of the people had been freed of the wrath of God, Dâud said to them: ‘Gratitude to the Lord God, whose benefits are universal, is incumbent upon you, nor can you offer any better thanks than by building a mosque in this pure region.’ The children of Esrâil girded the loins of obedience, Dâud prayed with reference to this subject, and after obtaining the Divine permission, his lordship set the people to lay the foundations of the farther mosque⁸⁴ with the greatest diligence and expedition. It is said that the ground belonged to several of the children of Esrâil, all of whom voluntarily surrendered their portions, except an indigent man, who refused to do so. The people then said angrily to him: ‘If thou wilt sell thy portion, we shall pay the price, or we will in spite of thee take possession of it for the mosque.’ Therefore the said individual went to Dâud to complain, and the latter said: ‘We shall buy thy portion with thy consent; tell us now for what price thou wilt sell it.’ The poor man replied: ‘For whatever your lordship’s prophetic mind decides upon.’ Dâud said: ‘If thou wilt, we shall fill thy plot of ground with sheep and camels, and give them to thee; but if thou askest more than this, we will make a bargain for it too.’ The owner said: ‘If you will build a wall as high as my stature around the ground belonging to me, and will fill it with dinârs to obtain my consent, I shall surrender it.’ Dâud —u. w. b., etc.—spoke with the children of Esrâil about making an arrangement with the man concerning the price of his land, but the poor man said: ‘O prophet of Allah, who knows what is hidden and what is patent, and is aware of the secrets of our minds, He knows that the pardon of one of my sins is more dear to me than all the treasures of the world. My object was only to try the people, and not to take any money. Now set about with good cheer and luck to build the mosque. I most willingly renounce accepting any price for my small plot of ground.’ After that Dâud began with the chiefs and nobles of the people to lay the foundations of the mosque, and raised it to the height of a man’s stature, whereon the revelation descended from the Lord of Lords: ‘Your work is accepted, and your gratitude likewise. Cease, however, now to continue to build, because this noble structure is to be finished by the efforts of one of the excellent sons of Dâud, that a memorial and a monument of him may remain among the people for a long time.’ Accordingly they left off working at the edifice, which was, after the demise of Dâud, in consequence of the mandate of the Benign Sovereign, completed by King Sulimân.

After one hundred, or according to the tradition of the author of the Ma’aruf, one hundred and twenty, years had elapsed of the life of Dâud, he surrendered his pure spirit in some of his private apartments, according to the orders of the Almighty who gives and takes away life, and departed to the gardens of paradise. To God belongs the power over the past and the future. Wuhub Bin Muniah states that his lordship’s coffin was taken to be buried on a very warm day. The people suffered so much from the heat that they complained to Sulimân, who thereon ordered birds so to entwine their wings that even the wind could not penetrate through them; but as this circumstance also distressed the funeral procession, Sulimân commanded the birds to shelter the crowd on the side of the sun only, and to open the other side so as to allow the wind to blow upon the people. It is recorded that on the said day forty thousand priests escorted the coffin of Dâud, and that no one knew the numbers of the other mourners, except the Creator of [all] beings.

RECORD OF SULIMÂN [SOLOMON], THE SON OF DÂUD—
BLESSINGS BE UPON BOTH OF THEM.

Chroniclers and historians inform us that the daughter of Hanana, and relict of Aoria’, gave birth to Sulimân after the repentance of Dâud had been accepted. Even in his infancy, and when he had begun to grow, the signs of prosperity and dominion radiated from his august forehead. The indications of a sincere and virtuous disposition, as well as of beauty and amenity of form, also manifested themselves. Even before Sulimân had attained the age of maturity, Dâud consulted him in all matters. At that time, also, several wonderful manifestations were revealed in the person of Sulimân, which convinced Dâud that he would soon be raised to the culminating point of prophetic and royal dignity, and his high degree of intelligence will appear also from the following narrative:

Dâud had appointed an individual to be chief judge and to regulate the affairs of his subjects. On a certain occasion a handsome woman, who had no equal in beauty and affability, waited upon the judge with the intention of obtaining some property which she claimed from a man. The judge was so charmed with her beauty that when she returned to her house, he sent a person after her to offer her a matrimonial alliance with himself; the modest woman, however, refused, saying she did not wish to marry. Thereon the unrighteous judge desired to commit adultery with her, but she intimated to the messenger that she was far from willing to consent to so base an act. After the said virtuous lady had thus been disappointed with the chief judge, she brought her case to the notice of the superintendent of the police; but the result was the same as with the judge. Thereupon she petitioned the commissioner of the public markets; but he also entertained lascivious designs, and at last she proffered her claims to the chamberlain of Dâud, but was equally disappointed, because he harboured the same intentions as the above-mentioned functionaries. Being unable to open the door [of attaining her wishes] by moving any of these rings [i.e., officials], she renounced her claim and took refuge in solitude. It happened that on a certain occasion the said judge and those three voluptuaries met to discuss all kinds of matters with each other, and at last their conversation having turned on the above woman, her continence and independence prompted them to concoct a plan for bringing about her ruin, which consisted in an agreement to accuse her of having had carnal intercourse with a dog. They accordingly waited upon Dâud and stated the [concocted] case with much eagerness. The king was, in conformity with the Mosaic Law, bound to issue orders for the stoning of that innocent woman; Sulimân, however, who had heard this decision, immediately left the hall of assembly, joined his playmates, and those whose duty it was to take care of him. He sat down and despatched a man in pursuit of the people who were to stone the woman, instructing them to delay the execution of the sentence. Then he ordered one of the children to sit down in the same way as that woman had been sitting in the presence of Dâud; he also instructed four children to bear testimony in the same manner as the four false witnesses had done against the said virtuous lady. After having received the evidence of the four children, he separated them from each other, and asked each of them separately what the colour of that dog was? The first witness said that it was black. He sent him to a corner, and addressed the same question to the second, who replied that it was red. He separately examined also the third and the fourth boy, and found them likewise to be of different opinions concerning the colour of the dog. Then he addressed them as follows: ‘O ye wicked and lascivious men! You wished to deceive me in order to get an innocent woman stoned.’ Then he said to the other children: ‘Kill those false witnesses!’ At that moment one of the attendants reported to Dâud everything that had just taken place. His lordship thereon summoned the false witnesses to his presence, and after separately examining them about the colour of the dog, and finding them to disagree, he ordered them to be punished according to their deserts.

On another occasion two women, each of whom had an infant, went to a washing-place in the desert, and neglected their children [whilst engaged in washing] so that one of them was devoured by a wolf. The women began to quarrel about the surviving infant, and each of them wanted to keep it for herself, asserting it to be her own child. At last they brought their case to the notice of Dâud, who adjudged—on account of the want of evidence, or witnesses—the child to belong to both women. When the two contending parties left the judgment-hall they perceived Sulimân, who looked at them and said: ‘How did the prophet of Allah decide your case?’ One of the women having mentioned the decision, Sulimân asked for a sword, and took hold also of the child. The women asked: ‘What wilt thou do with this infant?’ He replied: ‘I shall cut it in twain, and shall give one half to each of you.’ One of the two women agreed to the division; the other, however, began to lament, and said: ‘Give the child to the other woman, for I shall not agree to this proposal.’ Sulimân continued: ‘The child belongs to the woman who weeps, and does not like to see it halved.’⁸⁵ When this decision was reported to Dâud, he was astonished at the intelligence of his sagacious son.

Once Dâud and Sulimân were travelling, and happened to meet a community in which there was a child called ‘the son of blood.’ Dâud inquired about the original name of the child, but was told that he had no other name besides this; then Sulimân said to his father: ‘O prophet of Allah, I shall inquire about the circumstances of this boy.’ Dâud assented, and when they had returned among the people, Sulimân instituted inquiries among them, but elicited only the fact that the boy had been so named by the orders of his father. After still further inquiries, the people confessed that when the boy’s father was about to die of wounds which he had received, he had made his last will, and told his pregnant wife, in case she should give birth to a son, to name him ‘the son of blood,’ or if a female, ‘the daughter of blood.’ After Sulimân had informed Dâud of the evidence thus obtained, his lordship caused all the property of the killed man, which had been forcibly retained, to be restored to the boy, and the murderers to be punished as they deserved.

One of the decisions of Sulimân, according to which Dâud acted, was the command he issued with reference to Yohanna and Ailia. The case was, that two individuals lived in each other’s neighbourhood, one of whom was called Yohanna and the other Ailia. It happened that one night the sheep of Yohanna had suddenly entered the fields of Ailia, and had committed depredations therein. Allah —w. n. b. e.—has said: ‘And [remember] Dâud and Sulimân, when they pronounced judgment concerning a field, when the sheep [of certain people] had fed therein by night, having no shepherd.’⁸⁶ When it was daylight, Ailia summoned Yohanna to the presence of Dâud, and accused him of having permitted his sheep to cause damage in the above-named field by leaving them without a shepherd. After Yohanna had been found guilty, Dâud ordered the damage as well as the price of the sheep to be estimated, and decided that Yohanna should take possession of the entire harvest, in return for which and for the injury done he was to surrender the sheep to Ailia. When the two contending parties left the judgment-hall, Sulimân asked them how their dispute had ended. They informed him, and he said: ‘The prophet of God has awarded a just sentence; but if I had been judge between you, I would have given a decision satisfactory to both parties.’ These words having been reported to Dâud, he called for his beloved son, and questioned him about the matter. Sulimân, however, respectfully abstained from giving an opinion; but said, after being much pressed: ‘The sheep ought to be given to the possessor of the field that he may profit by them, and the field to the possessor of the sheep until he restores it to its former condition, whereon Ailia may again take possession of his field and Yohanna of his sheep.’ Dâud agreed to this decision, and said: ‘May God not deprive thee of wisdom, O my son, and may He augment thy understanding.’ The two disputants then returned pleased and thankful, acting in conformity with the decision of Sulimân to which Dâud had assented.

It is related that when the Lord Sulimân had received his mission, he besought the Possessor of Dominion to grant him a kingdom the like of which should fall to the lot of no other sovereign after him. When this prayer had been responded to, the Lord, who giveth power to whom He pleaseth, and who taketh it away from whom He listeth, subjected men and genii, animals and birds, to the command of Sulimân, and even the wind obeyed his behests. After Sulimân had been established on the throne of absolute dominion, he ordered the Satans to weave a carpet, equal in extent to the space whereon his army was encamped. When he desired to travel, he caused the throne with all the appurtenances of the royal household to be transferred to the said carpet, on which also the whole army was standing in battle-array. Then he ordered the wind to take up the carpet and to convey it to the desired place. Allah—w. n. b. e.—has said: ‘It ran at his command to the land whereon we had bestowed [our] blessing.’⁸⁷ The wind thereon passed over the sown fields [gently] and did not injure [the harvests upon] them. Some have related that, when the Lord Sulimân started in the morning from Syria, he ate his dinner at Estakhar in Persia, after which he travelled to Kâbul, where he arrived at supper-time.

There is a variety of opinions about the length and breadth of Sulimân’s kingdom. Some are of opinion that he possessed the whole earth, it being on record in histories that four kings governed the entire world, two of whom were believers and two infidels; the former having been Zulqarneen and Sulimân, and the latter Nimrud and Bakhtanasar. Some allege that Sulimân was in the beginning king of Syria, to which he afterwards added the realm of Persia.

RECORD OF THE BUILDING OF THE HOLY HOUSE AND OF THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE FARTHER MOSQUE.

After the decease of Dâud—u. w. b., etc.—the Lord Sulimân was determined to finish the Farther Mosque, and to build a city around it. He engaged men and genii to perform duties appropriate to them, ordered skilled architects first to lay out the foundations of the city of marble stones, and to divide it into twelve ramparts, between which the twelve tribes were to dwell. The Holy House was finished in a certain time.⁸⁸ He commanded genii to betake themselves to mines, and to bring rubies, sapphires, topazes, emeralds, gold, silver, and the like; he despatched them to the sea to bring pearls and corals, and appointed another company of them to transport stones. When all the materials and tools were ready, the stone-cutters had to cut tables and surfaces; the masons placed white, green, and yellow stones over each other until they had completed the walls of the mosque. They built its columns of pure transparent stone; they incrusted the ceiling and walls with a variety of precious gems, the splendour whereof made that place of worship as bright in dark nights as in plain daylight. After the edifice had been completed, Sulimân gave an opulent banquet, to which he invited all the nobles and grandees of the children of Esrâil, and said: ‘This house has been constructed solely and exclusively for the worship of God the Most High—w.n.b.e.—it must not remain empty for a single hour of the theologians of God, and of readers about the blessings of the next world.’ The Holy House and the Farther Mosque were for a long time building and being ornamented. When Bakhtanasar [Nebuchadnezzar] conquered Syria, he destroyed the city, and tearing off from the ceiling [of the temple] all the gems and pearls, carried them off to the metropolis of his own country.⁸⁹

It is related that when, by order of Sulimân—u.w.b. etc.—the Satans had constructed forts and citadels around [the city], they built also several very strong ones in the country of Yaman, and fashioned in them figures of angels, prophets, saints, heroes, birds, and wild animals, which they constructed of gold, silver, brass, agate, and crystal. It is recorded that they constructed two lions, upon whose backs the throne of Sulimân was placed. It is said that they made also a talisman, by means of which, every time his lordship desired to ascend the throne, the lions raised their forefeet and placed them near each other, whereon Sulimân placed his blessed feet upon them, and was lifted upon the throne. After the decease of Sulimân, a king had taken the notion to mount the throne in this manner and to sit in his place; but when he made the attempt, the said two lions struck the leg of the king with their forefeet so that it was broken. The place of great men cannot be occupied with impunity. After that, no one dared to approach the throne; the [true] knowledge, however, is with Allah!

It is said that the Satans made the cooking-pots and other vessels of his lordship’s kitchen so capacious and high that they could not be moved, and that, when the food was cooked, heavy steps were placed against them, for the purpose of reaching the food and taking it out. It is related that the Most High vouchsafed greatness to Sulimân, and admonished the family of Dâud to be grateful: ‘O family of Dâud be thankful, for but few of my servants are so!’ Sulimân was constantly engaged in thanksgivings for the Divine blessings he had received, and informed the people likewise thereof, saying: ‘O men, we have been taught the language of birds!’ The voices of birds informed Sulimân of their intentions, so that one day when his lordship heard the cooing of a dove in the assembly, and asked those present whether they knew what the pigeon was saying, the people replied: ‘God and His prophet know it.’ He then informed them that the dove had uttered the words: ‘You have been born for death, and you are building for ruin.’

It is related in several histories, and has come to the notice of the author of these pages, that Sulimân—u. w. b., etc.—had constructed in front of the hall in which he sat a terrace twelve farsakhs long, and twelve broad, concerning which he had received the following injunction in the language of the circumstances:

Distich:

For this palace which will remain after thee, Take a brick of silver, and a brick of gold.

To the vision of his aspirations, no difference appeared to exist between a brick of mud or of gold; he, nevertheless, ordered the pavement of that surface to be composed of alternate gold and silver bricks. He possessed a throne of pure gold inlaid with rubies and pearls, which was day by day conveyed from the hall to the just-mentioned plain, and, after the dispersion of the assembly, again carried back to its place; many chairs, all of which were of gold and of silver, stood around the throne. The Lord Asaf [i.e., wazier of Sulimân] was accustomed to sit on a chair placed near the throne, and thus engaged in administering the affairs of the state, or regulating the affairs of the subjects. There were other chairs, four thousand in number, whereon many learned men and priests of the children of Esrâil took their seats. In the rear of the royal throne four hundred courtiers, four thousand genii, and four thousand fairies were standing ready for service. For the protection of his peerless body from injury, birds formed over his head a canopy, by intertwining their wings, thus keeping off the heat of the sun. Sulimân sat daily in the judgment-seat from sunrise till sunset, and then returned to the hall. He spent some of his time in weaving baskets; but after gaining a competency to support life, he ceased to engage in this occupation. He had an appointed time for worship, but spent the greater portion of the night in reading the Psalms.

It is related that in his kitchen every day seven hundred loaves of flour-bread were baked, and other victuals cooked in proportion, although he himself consumed [only] oat-bread in the company of a poor man, and books are filled with similar information. When the power, dignity, and circumstance of Sulimân the prophet had attained their highest degree, he conceived the idea of once giving a repast to all the tribes of men, genii, birds, fishes, and to all the creatures of God, for the purpose of progressing one step in the plain of thanksgivings for the benefits he had received. He first obtained the permission of the Lord of Lords, then selected an extremely spacious prairie adjoining the sea, ordered genii to make two thousand seven hundred pots, the diameter of each whereof from border to border is said to have been one thousand cubits. It is related in the Benaqiti that for the said banquet, among other animals, twenty-two thousand kine were slaughtered, and the amount of the other victuals is to be calculated according to this datum. When all sorts of creatures had assembled from every region and country in the said plain, and the food had been got ready, the Divine Will determined to show to Sulimân His omnipotence and grandeur in the allotment of daily support to His creatures, and sent one of the maritime animals on land to speak to Sulimân as follows: ‘Thou art giving a banquet to all creatures, and my maintenance for this day devolves upon thy kitchen; order, therefore, my portion to be given me.’ Sulimân replied: ‘Go to the kitchen, and eat thy fill.’ The beast complied, but devoured everything that had been prepared for the meal, and, returning to Sulimân, exclaimed: ‘Feed me, O Sulimân!’ When his lordship perceived that all the eatables accumulated for some time by his laborious cooks had been consumed by one creature, which was still shouting, ‘Is there anything more?’ he felt overwhelmed with astonishment and apprehension how to satisfy the others. The animal then said: ‘O Sulimân, I have obtained one-third of my daily food; to whom wilt thou send me to get the remaining two portions?’ Sulimân replied: ‘What thou hast at once swallowed had been collected during a long time for the repast of the various tribes of beings, but by the blessing of thy advent in this plain all the eatables have vanished.’ The monster said: ‘It would not be fair to allow me to return hungry this day, on which Allah the magnificent and glorious has sent me to be thy guest. If thou art unable to satisfy one creature, why hast thou attempted to feed genii, men, animals, birds, and reptiles?’ Sulimân, having been warned by these words, took refuge with the Lord, repented, craved His pardon, and said: ‘I made my request on account of my ignorance. O Lord, have mercy upon my ignorance!’ After that he was forgiven by the Lord of Glory.

STORY OF THE ANT.

Allah—w. n. b. e.—said: ‘And his armies were gathered together unto Sulimân [consisting] of genii and men and birds, and they were led in distinct bands until they came unto the valley of ants. [And] an ant [seeing the hosts approaching] said: O ants, enter ye into your habitations, lest Sulimân and his army tread you under foot and perceive [it] not.’⁹⁰ Wuhub Bin Muniah relates a tradition of Ka’b-ullâkhbâr, that when Sulimân—u. w. b., etc.—rode on the wind, he carried with him all his attendants and servants with iron stoves and stone pots, every one of which could contain ten camels; and in front of the carpet there was a plain for the quadrupeds, all of which the wind took up and bore gently to the place of their destination. Once Sulimân was travelling in this manner from Estakhar in Persia towards the country of Yaman. When he arrived in the pleasant city of Madinah, he said: ‘This is the place to which the prophet of the last times will flee. Blessed is he who will believe in him, and blessed will be he who will follow him!’ Thence he went to Mekkah, where he did not alight, but passed on in haste, the house of the Ka’bah being at that time full of idols. After Sulimân had departed, the Ka’bah was distressed, and complained to Allah —w. n. b. e.—who asked it why it was lamenting, and the edifice replied: ‘O Lord, Sulimân is one of the prophets, all whose followers profess monotheism and Islâm; they have nevertheless passed me by, have not alighted, have not prayed, and have not purified me of idols.’ Then again the allocution of the Lord of lords descended: ‘Lament not, but be of good cheer; for I shall distinguish thee most of all localities. I shall cause the pious, who will come to worship here, and from whose countenances light is radiating —“who have marks on their faces from the effects of prayer”—to circumambulate thee. I shall raise up from thee a prophet, who will be the best of prophets in my sight. I shall give to My servants grace to rebuild thee, I shall grant strength to one of My intimate servants to purify thee of idols, I shall enjoin the poor and the rich in a religious ordinance to go on pilgrimage to thee, to circumambulate thee, and I shall make them so desirous to visit thee, that they will hasten to thee from every deep valley, like the eagle who soars over his nest.’

In fine, after Sulimân had passed by the regions of Mekkah, he arrived in the valley of the ant, which is, according to some traditions, a valley near Tâif, where the king of the ants ordered his army to enter their hiding-places, lest they should be injured by the descent of Sulimân’s host and carpet upon them. When his lordship had been informed of the ant’s apprehension, and his advice to his subjects, he smiled. ‘And [Solomon] smiled, laughing at the words, and said: O Lord, excite me, that I may be thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents.’⁹¹ He implored the Infinite Benefactor to cause the carpet to descend in the valley of ants; he also issued orders that no one should move after it had descended until the ants had retired into their nests. Then he called for their chief, placed him on the palm of his hand, and conversed with him very affably:

He asked: ‘Knowest thou that I am a prophet of Allah, and that I do not wish to injure even an ant under my foot?’ The king of the ants replied: ‘I was aware of it; but as it is incumbent upon superiors to admonish their inferiors, I did so. Another reason was because they followers might do harm, “and perceive it not,” as the blessed verse informs us.’ The Lord Sulimân approved of this reply, and further inquired: ‘Is my power and dominion greater than thine?’ The king of the ants said: ‘O prophet of Allah, thy throne is borne by the wind, and mine is now on the palm of thy hand.’ Sulimân continued: ‘Is my army more numerous than thy hosts?’ The king of the ants said: ‘Allow me a little time to show thee some of my army.’ His lordship having assented, the king of the ants shouted to his army to come forth into the presence of the prophet of Allah. It is related that thereon seventy thousand legions issued forth [from their nests], the numbers of each of which were known to no one except to Him who is aware of the mysteries of futurity. Sulimân then asked: ‘Hast thou other armies beside these?’ The ant replied: ‘O prophet of Allah, be it known unto thee that, if they were during seventy years to continue to appear every day in this manner, all of them could not present themselves.’ The Lord Sulimân was astonished, and wished to depart, but the king of the ants said: ‘Delay a while that I may bring thee an offering in conformity with my circumstances, since an old proverb says, “He who visits a living man and tastes nothing, is like one who pays a visit to a dead man.”’ His lordship complied with the request, and the king of the ants produced one-half of the leg of a locust:

Verses:

It is a fault, but it is a feat of an ant To bring the foot of a locust to Sulimân! One day an ant waited upon Sulimân With the foot of a locust in her mouth; She sang eloquently, and, excusing herself, said: ‘The donation is in conformity with the donor’s power.’

STORY OF BALQIS [QUEEN OF SHEBA] AND THE CITY OF
SABA [SHEBA].

It is said that Sulimân assigned to each bird an occupation. He appointed the lapwing to investigate the earth, and to report in what places water is most accessible, because it was able to see water in the earth as men see oil in transparent bottles. During a certain journey water was wanted, and his lordship looked for the lapwing, but found its place empty, and said: ‘What is the reason that I see not the lapwing?’⁹² But the more it was searched for, the less it could be found, because it had on that occasion departed to the kingdom of Saba. The details of this event are, however, as follows: When Sulimân was engaged in the conquest and occupation of countries, he marched toward Yaman [Arabia Felix], and arrived at the city of Sana’a. Perceiving the country to be pleasant and agreeable, he alighted in one of its prairies for the purpose of reciting his prayers and feeding his army. When the lapwing perceived Sulimân thus engaged, it made use of the opportunity, flew away, looked at the length and breadth of that country, and after it had enjoyed the aspect of the parks, rivers, the multitude of trees and buildings, it alighted from the air on the top of a tree, where it met a companion of its own species, entered with him into conversation, and his friend said to him: ‘This town is called the city of Saba, and the country is governed by a woman called Balqis. She has twelve generals, each of whom commands a hundred thousand warriors; all of them, however, worship the sun.’ After the lapwing of Sulimân had informed itself about all the external and internal affairs of that pleasant country, it returned. When Sulimân had perceived the absence of the lapwing, he called the chief of the birds, who was an eagle, into his presence, and inquired about the disappearance of the lapwing. The eagle replied: ‘I do not know where it went to, for I have not sent it anywhere.’ As the whole army stood in need of water, and the lapwing was not present to give the required information, the wrath of Sulimân became incensed, and he said: ‘Verily, I will chastise her with a severe chastisement, or I will put her to death, unless she bring me a just excuse.’⁹³ Then he despatched the eagle to search for the lapwing. The eagle soared about till he discovered it arriving from the road to Saba, and they returned together to Sulimân. His lordship stretched forth his hand, took hold of the lapwing’s head, and, drawing it towards him, said: ‘I shall chastise thee with a severe chastisement.’⁹⁴ The lapwing replied: ‘O prophet, think of the day of reckoning, on which thou wilt be brought before the righteous judge!’ At these words Sulimân let go its head, and asked where it had been. The lapwing said: ‘I have viewed [a country] which thou hast not viewed, and I come unto thee from Saba with a certain piece of news.’⁹⁵ Sulimân asked: ‘What hast thou seen there?’ The lapwing replied: ‘I have found a woman, who is the ruler of the country—namely, Balqis, the daughter of Sharahil, of the race of Ya’rob, the son of Qohtân, to whom Allah—w. n. b. e.—has granted the ornaments of this world, one of which is a large throne. Sharahil was a mighty king, and the surrounding potentates were all anxious to become his fathers-in-law. He was, however, reluctant, told them that they were not his peers, and refused to marry the daughter of every one of them; he, nevertheless, at last married Rihana, the daughter of Sakan, the king of the genii, who gave birth to Balqis. Sharahil had no other child except her, and after the death of her father she invited the people of Yaman to pay her allegiance. Some chiefs complied, whilst others did homage to a certain tyrant who oppressed his subjects greatly, and they desired to get rid of him. On this point Balqis also agreed with them; therefore, she concocted a stratagem, and sent an envoy to the oppressor with the following message: “I think proper that our two kingdoms become one, and that estrangement be changed into intimacy. This will take place if thou wilt marry me, and spread the shadow of thy compassion over me.” The king, being highly pleased, and feeling obliged by this proposal, the nuptials between the two took place by mutual consent, but at an hour which was propitious only to Balqis and fatal to the king. On the bridal night Balqis proceeded with all pomp and circumstance to the domicile of her consort, and having that same night caused him to quaff copious draughts of wine, she separated his conceited head with the scimitar of violence from his body; and after having also taken undisputed possession of her father’s kingdom, she established herself firmly on the throne of royalty. The Lord—whose magnificence be glorified—vouchsafed all the requisites of pomp to Balqis, and presented her with a couch made of pure gold, encrusted with rubies, pearls, and all sorts of precious stones. It is said that the legs of the throne were of rubies and emeralds; that it was thirty cubits long, and as many in height.’

After the lapwing had finished its tale about Balqis, Sulimân asked what religion she and her subjects professed. The lapwing replied: ‘I found her and her people worshipping the sun (till the end of the verse).’⁹⁶ Sulimân said: ‘Why do you not worship God, who reveals things secret and hidden in heaven and on earth? They say the rain is concealed in heaven and the plants in the earth. Why do you not adore that Omnipotent One who sends rain from heaven and causes grass to grow from the earth?’ Then Sulimân again addressed the lapwing, saying: ‘I shall see whether thou hast spoken the truth in what thou hast reported, or whether thou art one of the tribe of liars.’ Then he ordered Asaf, the son of Barahia, to write a letter to Balqis and to her subjects, to invite them to accept Islâm and to follow the truth. Asaf accordingly composed an epistle, as Allah—whose name be exalted and blessed— says: ‘It is from Sulimân, and this is [the tenor thereof]: In the name of the most merciful God, rise not up against me; but come and surrender yourselves unto me.’⁹⁷ Sulimân then sealed the letter, and despatched it by the lapwing to Saba:

It is said that from the locality where Sulimân dwelt there was a distance of seventy farsakhs to the residence of Balqis. When Sulimân despatched the lapwing, he said: ‘Carry this letter, and drop it upon their heads; observe what they say, and return to me’: ‘Go with this my letter, and cast it down unto them; then turn aside from them, and wait [to know] what answer they will return.’⁹⁸ When the lapwing arrived in Saba, it found seven doors of the pavilion of Balqis locked; then it soared about the palace, entered her private apartment by the window, and deposited the epistle upon the bosom of Balqis. When the queen awoke from sleep she found the letter upon her breast, but the doors being fastened, and no one with her, she was astonished, meditated who could have brought this writing, and looked puzzled to her left and right; but when she caught sight of the lapwing, she knew that it had been the bearer of the missive. Then she looked at the seal of Sulimân’s ring, began to tremble for fear, opened the letter, read it, ordered the ministers of the kingdom and the councillors into her presence, explained what had taken place, and communicated to them the contents of the epistle, asking them their opinion in this matter. They replied with strength of mind and boldness, saying: ‘The reins of command and prohibition are in thy hands. We shall gird our loins in obedience to whatever thou mayest command.’ Love, however, had taken possession of the queen’s heart, and she asked: ‘Have you heard what kind of man Sulimân is?’ They replied: ‘He is a king, the son of a king, who invites men to profess the religion of Mûsa; men, fairies, birds, beasts, and demons obey him.’ Balqis continued: ‘Verily, kings, when they enter a city, waste the same, and abase the most powerful of the inhabitants thereof.⁹⁹ Now, I will send a gift unto them.¹⁰⁰ If Sulimân be the administrator of royalty, he will accept my presents; but if he be invested with the prophetic dignity, he will reject my offerings, and will not be satisfied unless we adopt Islâm; nor can we offer resistance to him if he be a prophet.’ The councillors having approved of this opinion, Balqis selected one hundred boys and girls from among her servants, the former resembling the latter on account of their comeliness, long hair, and absence of beards. She placed an unbored ruby in a casket, and locked it with a golden padlock. She took four ingots encrusted with sapphires and other precious stones—two of them were of silver and two of gold; then she sent these things as presents, after having appointed Mundhir Bin A’mru, who was distinguished among his contemporaries by his great intelligence and knowledge, to be her ambassador and the bearer of her letter. She also attached to him seven wise men, and, before dismissing him, said: ‘When thou arrivest near that heavenlike palace, request Sulimân to separate the females from the males; because, if he be a prophet, this will not be difficult to him. Ask him what is in this casket, and how it may be perforated. If he speaks and acts righteously, leave these gifts with him; but if not, bring them back to me. Ask him what water it is that comes neither from heaven nor from the earth, but quenches the thirst of anyone who drinks it?’ She also said to Mundhir: ‘If Sulimân looks at thee with haughtiness and pride, know that he is a king and not a prophet; therefore thou needest not fear his bravery and power, and mayest boldly enter into conversation with him. But if he meets you with affability and kindness, be sure that he is a prophet; then consider well the words of his lordship, replying humbly and respectfully.’ After the queen had finished her injunctions, the ambassadors departed to the palace of Sulimân.

Jebrâil having been sent down by the Lord of lords, informed his lordship the refuge of prophecy [i.e., Sulimân] of all matters and of the solution of difficulties. The Lord Sulimân then ordered the demons to pave the long and wide plain alternately with bricks of gold and silver, and to leave four spaces for bricks empty on the part on which the ambassadors were to arrive. Innumerable multitudes of people assembled on the plain; the children of men being on one side, and the Satans drawn up in distinct lines separately from them. In the vicinity and around that assembly, animals and wild beasts were kept in check. The throne of Sulimân, occupied by his lordship, was situated in the centre of the said plain, on each side of which four thousand chairs were placed, destined for the nobles of the children of Esrâil and for the grandees of the realm, over all of whom the various tribes of birds intertwined their wings and formed a canopy. When the ambassadors of Balqis arrived, and beheld the perfect magnificence of Sulimân. they were confused and astounded; when they looked at the floor made of gold and of silver, they were ashamed of the poverty of their own gifts, and deposited their four ingots in the place purposely left empty for them by the demons. When they approached the ranks of the Satans, they perceived their strange and terrible shapes, were startled, and, being dismayed, had not the courage to progress further; but the Satans exclaimed: ‘Hasten on, and be of good cheer; for the government and justice of Sulimân are such that not only you, but no one else, can come to harm.’ Accordingly the ambassadors passed through the legions of genii and of men, through the various species of animals and wild beasts, at last reaching the presence of Sulimân. His lordship received them with kindness and mercy, whereon Mundhir stepped forward and presented the letter of Balqis, which she had humbly and respectfully written. Sulimân inquired about the ingots, and Mundhir bashfully confessed having thrown them down. After he had condescended to comply with the requests of the ambassadors, he discerned the males from the females by the light of prophecy, and by the abundance of his wisdom; he also told them that the casket enshrined an unbored ruby, and that they desired to learn how to perforate it; he therefore, in compliance with their wishes, ordered a demon to bore it through with a diamond. He also explained that the water which neither descends from heaven nor issues from the earth, but quenches thirst, is the perspiration of a horse The ambassadors acknowledged the truth [of these replies], but his lordship refused to accept the gifts of Balqis, saying: ‘You cannot augment my possessions; for what God the magnificent and glorious has bestowed upon me is better than anything you are able to offer.’ Then he said to Mundhir: ‘Return and tell them to profess the Faith, or else I shall come with an army, to which they will be unable to offer any resistance; I shall then expel them from the country, and take possession of Yaman with the kingdom of Saba.’ After Mundhir had returned, he reported at the court of Balqis what had taken place, whereon the queen swore that Sulimân was not only a sovereign, but also an inspired messenger, whose prophetic dignity had been decorated with the ornament of royalty, and the diploma of whose ambassadorship had been sealed with the signet of sovereignty, and that she had not the power to resist or to oppose him. Therefore she despatched, by the advice of intelligent men, again a smooth-tongued and very learned ambassador to Sulimân, to whom she sent the message that she would come and wait on him with the chief men of her kingdom, for the purpose of paying allegiance and homage to him.

After making all the preparations necessary for the journey, the queen ordered the throne to be placed into the seventh [innermost] house, to be locked up, and the keys of the doors to be given to herself. She also left a company of guards and confidential servants to watch the throne. Then she marched with a pomp and magnificence, the aspect of which confused the vision of the heavens, to the camp of Sulimân, near which she arrived after duly performing the journey, and alighted at the distance of one farsakh therefrom. Sulimân, who had in the morning received the news of the arrival of Balqis, assembled his men and genii, and said to them: ‘Which of you will, before the arrival of Balqis and her retinue, bring her throne to me?’ An I’frit of the genii said: ‘I shall bring the throne of Balqis ere thou arisest from thy place.’ Sulimân remained sitting from morn till eve in his assembly of judgment, as has been mentioned above. ‘A terrible genius answered: I will bring it unto thee before thou arise from thy place, for I am able [to perform it] and may be trusted.’¹⁰¹ Sulimân replied: ‘I want it sooner than that.’ ‘And one with whom was the knowledge of the Scriptures said: I will bring it unto thee in the twinkling of an eye.’¹⁰² There are, however, also other explanations about the words, ‘in the twinkling of an eye,’ which pertain to the province of commentaries [of the Qurân], but the principal historians agree that these words were spoken by Asaf, the son of Barahia, and that he promised to produce the throne of Balqis. It is related that he knew the ineffable name of Allah, and that whenever he implored the Lord and Granter of requests by this name, his prayers were accepted and responded to. When Sulimân—u. w. b., etc.—perceived the throne [of Balqis] by his side, he exclaimed: ‘This favour is one of the bounties of the Omnipotent Nourisher, by which He tries me whether I am grateful for His benefits, or am unthankful to Him; and whoever is grateful, the advantages of his disposition redound upon himself.’

It is related that on the day of the arrival of Balqis Sulimân ordered a place of meeting to be arranged, in comparison to which the age-stricken firmament appeared as nothing [in brilliancy]. He commanded the throne of Balqis to be adorned in another manner, and to be placed opposite to his own. When Balqis reached the foot of the exalted presence, Sulimân took her dignity into consideration, and seated her near himself upon the throne of prophecy. After Balqis had thus taken her place, she looked now and then towards her own throne, and Sulimân, or Asaf—according to different traditions—asked whether this throne was her own. She replied: ‘As though it were the same,’¹⁰³ and neither positively denied nor affirmed it. When Sulimân became aware of the intelligence of Balqis, he sent her to live with his sister, who apprised him, after the expiration of forty days, of the noble virtues, exquisite qualities, and exalted disposition of her guest. His lordship thereon determined to string this royal pearl of the diadem of sovereignty upon the thread of matrimony; at these news, however, the ladies of Sulimân became distressed, and, for the purpose of causing the noble prophetic mind to get disgusted with Balqis, they enviously spread the rumour that her legs were extremely hairy. Sulimân, being desirous to convince himself with his own eyes of the truth of this report, ordered the demons to build a palace on the surface of the water, which should appear to the beholder as if it were likewise of water. His lordship then took up his position at a spot near which anyone wishing to approach him was obliged to pass. On this occasion he called Balqis to himself, who obeyed, but on reaching the edge of the palace [or rather pavement], imagined it to be water, and bared her legs for the purpose of stepping into it in order to reach Sulimân; his lordship, however, said: ‘It is not water, but glass; place thy foot on it and come.’ Balqis was embarrassed, and commenced to excuse herself, as Allah—w. n. b. e.—says in the glorious Qurân: ‘O Lord, I have dealt unjustly with my own soul, and I resign myself together with Sulimân unto Allah, the Lord of all creatures.’¹⁰⁴ After Balqis had made her profession of Islâm, he entered with her into a matrimonial alliance, and considered how the hairs of her blessed legs might be removed. The demons thereon invented the bath and the use of mortar, the comfort ensuing from the former, and the cleanliness from the latter, having before that time been lost among the children of men.

According to some historians, Sulimân ordered a throne of gold to be constructed for Balqis, around which were four lions, invented by the acuteness of those who excelled in talismanic arts. The lions were near the supports of the throne, but inside, and vomited fire from their throats. On the back of each lion two vultures were perched, whose eyes were of rubies and teeth of pearls. Whenever Sulimân ascended this throne, and sat on it with Balqis, two eagles poured rosewater upon them moderately, and according to their requirements. On the two upper extremities of this couch, a pair of birds were stationed, which so spread their wings around the throne, that whenever Sulimân desired with Balqis to be seen by no one, they were completely screened. At the sides of the throne four peacocks were erected, whose beaks constantly exhaled a perfume of ambergris. It is said that near the chair whereon Asaf, the son of Barahia, used to sit, a lion was stationed, who attacked any person bearing false testimony. The author of these pages observes, that whoever thinks similar events and figures to be remote from [being brought into existence by] Divine predestination, belongs to the number of those who have not dived into the ocean of the power of God as they ought to have done.

RECORD OF THE TRIAL OF SULIMÂN, U. W. B., ETC.

He, whose magnificence be exhalted, has said: ‘We also tried Sulimân, and placed on his throne a [counterfeit] body.’¹⁰⁵ Concerning the trial of Sulimân, and the ‘body thrown on the chair,’ there are various opinions, and the musk-dropping reed will narrate some of them worth recording, as follows: Some say that the ‘body thrown’ refers to his son’s body, on account of whom Sulimân fell into the trial; as Abu Harira relates that Sulimân had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines, and had said: ‘It is my intention to have connection with all of them, so that each may bear me a son, to fight in religious wars for the cause of Allah.’ He, however, had not added to this declaration the words ‘if it pleaseth Allah,’ and, therefore, after he had intercourse with them, none of them became pregnant except one. When the confinement of this lady took place, she gave birth to a child who had only one eye, one ear, one hand, and one foot. The prophet—u. w. b., etc.—has said: ‘[I swear] By Him in whose hands the soul of Muhammad is, that if he [i.e., Sulimân] had praised [God], he would have obtained what he coveted [namely], champions to fight in religious wars for the cause of Allah.’ When Sulimân beheld what had taken place, he became melancholy, and was overwhelmed with grief. It is said that one day when his lordship was sitting with Asaf, the mother, and the infant, he uttered lamentations; but Asaf said: ‘Every one of us must reveal that which is in his mind, and of which no one is aware except He who knows the future. We must pray for the cure of this infant; perhaps the inscrutable Omnipotent One will grant our request.’ All approved of this suggestion; whereon Sulimân said: ‘O God, Thou knowest that despite of all my power and magnificence, if a man comes to me with an apple as a present, and another with empty hands, I shall be more pleased with the former than with the latter individual.’ Then he turned his face to the Qiblah of prayers, and continued: ‘My God, if Thou knowest that these words of mine are true, do not withhold the cure from this infant!’ After he had terminated his devotions, the Lord and Granter of benefits presented the child with the other eye and ear. Then Asaf said: ‘O Lord, Thou knowest how often I have besought Sulimân to relieve me of the office of being his prime-minister, and that in this request my heart agreed not with my tongue. If I have spoken the truth, deprive not this child of a glance of Thy mercy. After Asaf had uttered these words, the Almighty bestowed the other hand upon the child. Then the mother of the infant prayed, saying: ‘O Lord, Thou knowest that although Sulimân, with all his pomp and grandeur, is my spouse, I, nevertheless, wished any man whom I beheld to have become my husband. If I am veracious in this confession, bestow health upon my son.’ Then Allah—w. n. b. e. —granted the child the other foot, and made his supports correct. After the boy had thus obtained the perfection of all his limbs, Sulimân loved him greatly, and his penetrating mind was engaged in trying to discover an affable and kind man to whom he might entrust this fruit of the garden of paradise. It is related in some traditions that the genii came to Sulimân and requested him to surrender the boy to them that they might take care of him; whereon his lordship granted their request, and entrusted him with the apple of his eye. This proceeding, however, was not approved of at the palace of Unity, wherefore the angel of death was ordered to snatch away the soul of that first-fruit, and to throw his body on the chair of Sulimân. Hence the words of the Most High, ‘And placed on the throne a [counterfeit] body,’¹⁰⁶ which was the body of the dead son.

It is said that after the death of his son Sulimân deplored his loss. On that occasion, the Absolute Sovereign despatched two angels to him in human shape, one of whom accused the other as follows: ‘I have sown something on the road, and when the harvest had become green and flourishing, this individual passed, and by sheer violence destroyed my crop.’ Sulimân asked the accused: ‘Why hast thou done this?’ He replied: ‘O prophet of Allah, I was one day walking, when I suddenly arrived at a field near the road, and though I looked to the left and the right, I could find no passage by which to cross it, therefore I necessarily stepped into the field and went through it.’ Sulimân now turned to the complainant, and said: ‘Thou oughtest not to have sown the seed on the way where the people pass, to avoid the harvest being spoiled.’ The man retorted: ‘This world is the road to death; neither oughtest thou to have sown thy child on the road, then thou wouldst have avoided this sorrow and grief.’ Sulimân perceived the truth of his words, arose from the assembly of lamentation, and blotted out of his mind the melancholy and grief for the loss of his son.

There is a tradition of Wuhub Bin Muniah—u. w. b., etc. —that by the ‘trial’ of Sulimân his kingdom is meant which he lost, and that the ‘body’ means a demon, who was by divine predestination allowed to sit forty days on the throne of his lordship the prophet, which event took place in the following manner: Sulimân—u. w. b., etc.— had heard that in a certain island there was an idolatrous king, Sidûn by name, and being accustomed to spend the whole of his previous time in combating the enemies of the religion, he commanded the wind to take up his carpet and to transport it to the said isle, the king whereof he soon killed, and made a prisoner of his daughter, who was distinguished by elegance and beauty. Love for this princess was soon kindled in the heart of Sulimân. Satan, however, considered this to be a good opportunity for bringing a great trial upon the world by his machinations. He therefore assumed the shape of one of the nurses of the princess, made his appearance at the gate of the castle, and asked for admission. The fairy-like damsel obtained the permission of Sulimân, and allowed Satan, disguised as a nurse, to enter, whereon he immediately began to deplore the fall of her father’s kingdom, and said to her: ‘How canst thou live in peace and friendship with Sulimân, who has killed thy father, made thee a prisoner, and has turned the realm upside down?’ The princess then began to weep, and Satan asked how she spent her time after having been separated from her father? She replied:

Eblis said: ‘There is a remedy for this! When Sulimân visits thee, thou must not cease to weep and to speak. If he asks thee for the cause of thy crying, tell him how anxious thou art to behold thy father. Request him to order the demons to construct a figure of stone to represent thy father, by looking at which in the morning and evening thy sorrowful mind might be comforted.’ The unsuspecting daughter acted according to the instigation of Satan, and Sulimân commanded some demons to make a statue resembling her father. They obeyed, and delivered the figure to the princess, who had followed idolatry before she associated with Sulimân; and she considered this statue to be a great blessing, and began to worship it like an idol in the company of her maid-servants. Sulimân knew nothing of this till after the expiration of forty days, when the rumour spread among the people that the princess was worshipping an idol; some veracious informers accordingly reported the case to Asaf, and felt greatly distressed. The prime-minister replied: ‘Be at ease, for I shall bring this event to the notice of Sulimân in a proper manner.’ He thereon immediately waited on Sulimân, saying: ‘O prophet of Allah, the weakness of old age has overtaken me, and before the expiration of the time of my life, I desire in a select assembly to explain the virtues and illustrious acts of the prophets, for the purpose of augmenting the religious sentiments of the people.’ In consequence of this request of Asaf, Sulimân immediately ordered the various tribes of genii and men to make their appearance; who, having presented themselves, Asaf narrated in an eloquent manner the correct history of the virtues and noble acts of every prophet of past times. When the turn came to speak about Sulimân, Asaf limited his remarks to the acts which he had performed in his youth, and before the decease of his father. Sulimân was highly displeased and chagrined by this brevity, and when the people had dispersed he asked Asaf: ‘What was thy reason for restricting the narrative of my deeds to past times, and not mentioning any of them vouchsafed to me by Allah—w. n. b. e.—after the time of my father?’ Asaf replied: ‘I cannot laud or praise a man in whose house idolatry is practised since forty days!’ Sulimân queried: ‘In my house?’ Asaf replied affirmatively, and narrated what was taking place. Sulimân then uttered the words: ‘We belong to Allah and unto Him we shall return.’¹⁰⁷ He then left the assembly, went to his domicile, broke the idol, and punished the daughter of Sidûn. After that he dressed himself in clean clothes, woven by the hands of virgins, ordered ashes to be strewed in his private apartment, in which he sat down, engaged in lamentations and craved pardon. When night set in he issued from his oratory, and entrusted, according to his usual custom, his signet-ring to a girl of the harem, whose name was Jarâda, but whilst he was going to answer a call of nature an E’frit [demon], Sakhar by name, assumed the form of Sulimân, appeared to Jarâda, took the ring from her, and placing it on his own finger, took his seat on the throne of Sulimân, whereon genii and men girded their loins in obedience to him. When Sulimân returned, he asked Jarâda for the ring, but she replied that she had given it to its owner, asked him who he was, and told him that she knew him not. Jarâda had not recognised Sulimân because his countenance was somewhat changed. Whilst he was expostulating with her about the ring, he threw a glance at his throne, and perceived an individual sitting thereon. Then he became convinced that on account of those shameless persons, who had in his house attempted to adore another god besides the Creator, the Absolute Sovereign had wrested the reins of dominion from the grasp of his power. Therefore he no longer asked for the ring, but went away.

It is related that when Sulimân lost his kingdom, he used to wander about as a mendicant. When people asked who he was, he replied: ‘I am Sulimân!’ The people accused him of folly, threw dust at his blessed head and face, and said: ‘Thou madman art Sulimân? Behold him sitting on his throne in pomp and glory!’ It is the opinion of some that the individual who assumed the form of Sulimân was a demon.

Hasan Bosri states that his lordship the prophet [Solomon] arrived one day hungry at the house of an Esrâilite, the ring of the door whereof he shook, and a woman, stepping out, queried: ‘What is thy business?’ Sulimân replied: ‘I desire to be hospitably entertained by thee one hour.’ The female said: ‘Thou art a stranger, and my husband is absent. Go into the garden adjoining our house; there thou wilt find water and fruits also. Tarry awhile there till my husband arrives, who will fulfil the duties of hospitality towards thee.’ Sulimân then entered the garden, drank a little water, ate some fruit, and fell asleep. On that occasion a black serpent passed near him, and, recognising the Lord Sulimân by a Divine revelation, it took a fragrant sprig from the garden into his mouth, and began to drive away the flies from his blessed face. Just then the owner of the garden arrived, whose wife informed him of the advent of a guest. Accordingly he went into the garden, where he saw that happiness is in sleep, and that a snake was attending upon Sulimân. Being amazed at the spectacle, he called his wife and showed it to her. When he approached Sulimân, the reptile withdrew to a corner. He awakened the prophet, accosted him with civility, and said: ‘We have become aware of thy high station, and how precious thou art in the sight of Allah the magnificent and glorious! Consider this place as thy own. I have a handsome daughter, and wish to give her in marriage to thee. Grant this request, and live in comfort in the house of thy servant.’ Sulimân was pleased with this proposal, married the girl, and remained three days and nights in the house. On the fourth day Sulimân informed the people of the house that he could not bear the trouble of supporting him to devolve upon them. He then departed from the house, proceeded to the seashore, and dwelt with fishermen until the time of his deliverance from misery and affliction arrived, which took place in the following manner: When the genius Sakhar had taken possession of the throne of Sulimân, he mixed with mankind only reluctantly, and spent most of his time in the society of his own species. During those forty days he issued orders contrary to wisdom and to religion, so that the people were displeased with his illegal acts, and complained to Asaf, who informed them that he suspected this individual not to be Sulimân, but another person. For the purpose of instituting closer inquiries, Asaf paid visits to the spouses and concubines of his lordship the refuge of prophecy, and asked about him, but received the answer that Sulimân had not come among them for some time. Asaf then said to the people: ‘This malefactor is not Sulimân, but a demon who has taken his place.’ Whilst Sakhar enjoyed the supreme power, he composed writings on magic and sorcery, sealed them with the ring of Sulimân, and concealed them under his throne. After the demise of his lordship the prophet, the Satans took possession of those superstitious compositions, attributed them to him, and thus they obtained currency with the human race. The words of the Most High are: ‘They followed [the device] which the devils devised against the kingdom of Sulimân; and Sulimân was not an unbeliever, but the devils believed not; they taught men sorcery.’¹⁰⁸ When the people and the grandees of the children of Esrâil were disputing about Sakhar, they began, for the purpose of deciding that important matter, to read the Mosaic Law in his presence. That flagitious individual was, however, unable to listen to it, disappeared from the throne, and cast the ring of Sulimân into the sea. A fish swallowed the ring by the command of God, and was afterwards caught in the net of a fisherman whose assistant Sulimân was. The fisherman gave the fish to Sulimân as payment for his wages, and in the evening when he went home Sulimân handed the fish to his wife to roast it. When the woman had slit open the abdomen of the fish, she caught sight of the ring, the brilliancy whereof illuminated the whole house. Sulimân then put the ring on his finger, and at that very moment the various tribes of men, genii, beasts, and birds assembled near the palace of the refuge of dominion, and although such a [miraculous] ring had fallen into the possession of the demon, he had not been able to enjoy it or to take advantage of it:

Distich:

If there be not the finger of Sulimân, What property does the signet-ring impart?

It is related after Ebn A’bbâs, that when Sulimân took his position on the throne of magnificence, he ordered the demons to produce Sakhar, and to bring him to his presence. They obeyed, whereon he fettered and shackled the demon with his adherents and cast them all into the sea. The most magnificent of speakers has said: ‘And others [we delivered to him] bound in chains.’¹⁰⁹ And the prophet [Muhammad]—u. w. b., etc.—has said: ‘In the last times Satans will come forth, whom Sulimân, the son of Dâud— u. w. b., etc.—has cast into the sea. They will associate with you, and [attempt to] teach you the decrees of your religion, but receive them not from them.’

It will not be hidden to the minds of discerning readers that, although the narrative of the trial of Sulimân has been protracted to this length, many words have remained unsaid and many pearls unstrung with reference to this subject:

Distich:

I made many words, but untold remains The story of the enticing, and the enticed lover.

It is related in several histories that the building of the Holy House, the invitation issued by Sulimân to all creatures, and the consumption of all the eatables by the sea-monster, narrated above in these pages, took place after the second instalment of Sulimân on the throne; but Allah knows best the true state of the case.

STORY OF THE RETROGRADATION OF THE SUN FOR THE SAKE OF THE LORD SULIMÂN, BY ORDER OF THE LORD OF LORDS.

This event took place in the following manner: On a certain occasion costly horses were presented to Sulimân— u. w. b., etc.—the sun was setting, and he unwittingly neglected to recite his evening orisons. Sulimân—as is well known among the people—was so affected by this omission, that he drew his sword and separated the legs and necks of the horses from their bodies. He, whose glory is to be magnified, has said: ‘When those [horses] standing on three feet, and touching the ground with the edge of the fourth foot, [and] swift in the course, were set in parade before him in the evening, he said, Verily, I have loved the love of [the earthly] good above the remembrance of my Lord: [and have spent the time in viewing these horses] until [the sun] is hidden by the veil of [night]; bring the [horses] back unto me. [And when they were brought back] he began to cut off [their] legs and [their] necks.’¹¹⁰ In this verse the words sâfinat va jiâd mean horses that stand on three legs and on the edge of the hoof of the fourth foot. The word ‘good’ alludes to the horses, and in the Hadith [tradition] the phrase ‘good’ in connection with their foreheads is added. In this blessed verse ‘the remembrance of the Lord’ means ‘prayers.’ It is related that A’li the elect—u. w. b., etc.—said: ‘How is it possible to conceive that a prophet could do an act which a tyrant would scarcely attempt to commit?’ [i.e., of killing horses by mutilating them]; and the words fatafiqa mashan bissuqi walla’nâqi mean only that Sulimân rubbed their legs and necks with his hands, and presented them all to valiant men who went to religious wars; and God Almighty, for the purpose of pacifying his conscience, caused the sun to rise in the west, so that Sulimân recited his prayers at the appointed time. ‘This is a favour of Allah; He giveth it to whom He pleaseth.’

RECORD OF THE DECEASE OF SULIMÂN, U. W. B., ETC.

Historians inform us that Sulimân had an altar at which he performed his devotions to God—w. n. b. e.—and in that oratory a tree made every day its appearance from the invisible world. When it arrived one day as usual, Sulimân asked: ‘What is thy name?’ The tree replied: ‘Kharrûb.’ He continued: ‘What is thy quality?’ It answered: ‘The destruction of royalty and power.’ Sulimân rejoined: ‘I have understood.’ After that the Creator of life and death sent him a revelation, that as his departure was at hand he ought to prepare for the journey to the next world. Sulimân then made his last will, and committed everything important to writing; then he besought the Lord Most Glorious and Most High to keep his death concealed from the genii and from the Satans, that they might finish the tasks he had imposed upon them. After that he put on the clothes for the inevitable journey, and entered the oratory which had been prepared for him of glass, and supported his body with the staff on which he was accustomed to lean when fatigued. The grasper of souls thereon took hold of his pure spirit, and conveyed him to the garden of paradise. The inconstant world occasionally thus addressed the following words of advice to his fellow-beings:

and sometimes it uttered these words:

It is said that after Sulimân had entered his oratory he spent most of his time in prayer, during which his ministers governed the kingdom, and the Satans, in their state of obedience, were from awe abstaining to look at his blessed face. At last, however, when he had entered the oratory, and taken leave of life, their glances unwillingly alighted on his countenance from the outside of the glass house, but they imagined him to be engaged in his devotions.

After the stay of Sulimân in that place had become protracted beyond all reasonable expectations, one of the Efrits entered the oratory by one window and left it by another, but, contrary to his previous experience, failed to hear the voice of Sulimân reading. He therefore said to the other Satans: ‘It is my opinion that Sulimân has departed from this world.’ In order to gain certainty on the subject, he then procured a beetle, whose nourishment is water and earth, to make it gnaw the staff on which Sulimân was leaning. Others say that the beetle gnawed the staff of his lordship of its own accord without the co-operation of the Satans, and that the staff broke one year after the decease of Sulimân, so that he fell down. Thus they were convinced of his death, and spread the information in the world.

It has been said that the wisdom of Sulimân in thus desiring to conceal his death, was to undeceive those men who believed in the pretensions of the Satans, by which they asserted that they were cognizant of hidden matters and of the secrets of futurity; but when Sulimân departed to the eternal mansion, and this great event remained unknown to them for a whole year, people became convinced of the falsehood of their pretensions. He whose name be glorified has said: ‘And when [his body] fell down, the genii plainly perceived that if they had known that which is secret they had not continued in a vile punishment.’¹¹² Several historians have alleged that the object of Sulimân’s wishing to keep his death a secret was, to get the demons [not to cease their labours, but] to complete the Holy House. God, however, knows best the true state of all matters.

RECORD OF THE AFFAIRS OF LOQMÂN THE PHILOSOPHER.¹¹³

We learn from the majority of historical works that Loqmân was not a prophet, but as he was constantly in the company of Dâud—u. w. b., etc.—and performed wonderful things, his qualities were considered to partake of prophecy and of philosophy. The principal historians have narrated his biography, along with those of the great prophets; wherefore the author of these pages will also relate some of his acts in this volume containing the eulogies of prophets, as he has obtained permission to do so, from the exalted assembly which is the cause of the composition of this work. But He vouchsafes innocence and grace who says: ‘We heretofore bestowed wisdom on Loqmân.’¹¹⁴

Muhammad Bin Mahmûd Shaharruzi—u. w. b., etc.—has related in the Târikh-i-Hukmâ, that Loqmân was a black from Nubia, which belongs to the realm of Abyssinia; that he was a slave of some ancient Arabs dwelling in Syria, where he studied the sciences and improvement of morals, and lastly departed thence to the mansion of the next world. He was buried in the town of Ramla, in the province of Filisteen. The just-named author—upon whom be the mercy of Allah—informs us that according to another tradition Loqmân was a negro slave, with thick lips and large feet, occupied in pasturing sheep. After the expiration of a long period of time, an individual who had been the companion of Loqmân when he was a shepherd, observed that numerous persons frequented the company of Loqmân, profited thereby, and listened to philosophical discussions. This companion asked him, ‘Art thou not the same man who was my partner in grazing sheep?’ He gave an affirmative reply, and the friend continued, ‘By what means hast thou attained such high dignity?’ He replied, ‘By speaking the truth, by returning what was confided to me, and by abstaining from words which could not profit me.’

According to another tradition, a man of the children of Esrâil had purchased Loqmân for thirty misqâls of gold, and he gathered wood for his master. The latter was one day playing chess¹¹⁵ with an improper companion, on the bank of a river, on condition that the loser in the game was either to drink out all the water of the river, or to forfeit one half of his property to the victor. The owner of Loqmân happened to be the loser, whereon his antagonist challenged him to drink out the river; but as he was unable to do that, he agreed to pay the property stipulated for. He asked, however, to be respited awhile, and his antagonist even offered to renounce his claim, in case he could bring a proper answer and a suitable excuse. The unlucky wight returned home and spent the whole night meditating how to get out of the scrape. In the morning the lord Loqmân brought a load of wood to the house, according to his usual custom, and made haste to pay his respects to his master, whom he found sad and melancholy. He asked for the reason of his grief, but the master turned his face the other way, and would give no reply. Loqmân reiterated his query, and said: ‘In such a circumstance there is no use in shirking the matter, it being possible that I may succeed in solving the difficulty.’ The master then explained his case to Loqmân, whereon his lordship, the receptacle of wisdom, said: ‘This is an easy matter; let us go to the river-bank and conquer the antagonist.’ They went there, and when the victor asked about the property. Loqmân said: ‘We must go to the spot of the contest, that my master may drink the water.’ Accordingly, all three betook themselves to the place, and arriving there, Loqmân said: ‘If thou wantest my master to drink the water which flowed yesterday, when you were playing chess, then produce it, that the condition may be literally fulfilled; but if thou desirest him to consume the water at present flowing between the two banks, then cause it to stop, that he may obey thy behest. If, however, it be thy will that he should drink the water above this place, then separate it, that it may not be commingled with this water, to enable my master to swallow it, because he has certainly not made a bargain with thee to consume all the water that flowed here from the beginning to the end of the world; therefore thou must first comply with one of the demands just stated.’ The conqueror was confused by these words, and, unable to answer, was glad to escape. As a mark of gratitude for this service, the owner presented Loqmân with his liberty, but the first manifestation of his intellect and wisdom which obtained currency among men was the above event.

Some assert that the manumission of Loqmân took place in the following manner: One day his master commanded him to slaughter a sheep, and to bring the best portion thereof to him. Loqmân obeyed, bringing the heart and the tongue to the master. After some days he again ordered him to slay a sheep, but to bring the worst parts of it; Loqmân, however, produced the heart and the tongue as on the first occasion. The master then questioned him on this subject, and received the following answer: ‘Although the tongue, as long as it abstains from improper words, is accounted by sages to be the best member, it becomes the worst in the contrary case.’ Others allege that the cause of Loqmân’s emancipation was that one year his master had ordered him to sow sesame, but on going into the field discovered that he had sown oats. He therefore reproved Loqmân, and said: ‘Have I not told thee to sow sesame in this field?’ Loqmân replied: ‘Yes, thou hast commanded it.’ He continued: ‘Then why hast thou sown oats?’ Loqmân answered: ‘I was under the impression that the oats might be transmuted into sesame.’ The gentleman queried: ‘How did this impression originate?’ Loqmân continued: ‘When I perceived that, despite of thy evil acts, thou imaginest that the Almighty—w. n. b. e. —will have mercy on thee, and will convey thee to paradise, I thought that if sinful deeds be a cause for pardon, and for the attainment of eternal salvation, it is also possible that oats will be turned into sesame.’ The owner having been admonished by these words, granted him his freedom.

It is a universally received opinion that the omnipotent and absolute Lord gave to Loqmân the option between prophecy and wisdom, but that he selected the latter. Several chroniclers have related that he had been offered the mission to invite [the people] to [accept] the religion of Mûsa, or wisdom, and that he accepted the latter. Other learned men, on the contrary, believe him to have been a prophet, and consider him as an inspired messenger. It is related that Loqmân was in constant attendance upon Dâud— u. w. b., etc.—and that one day, when he made his appearance at the court of the latter, he perceived that his lordship was softening iron like wax without the aid of fire, and making rings of it for coats of mail. Loqmân was astonished at this feat, but refrained from asking any questions. When Dâud had finished a cuirass he rose, put it on his body, uttering in Syriac the words Zardalha bilqarâia, which mean, ‘It is a good coat of mail for a day of battle.’ When Loqmân perceived that he had been informed of the matter without the trouble of questioning, he said: ‘Silence is the greatest wisdom, but few know how to use it.’

Tradition informs us that one day a company of angels paid a visit to Loqmân at the time of his meridian nap. They saluted him, but he saw not their faces, and after returning their salutations, queried: ‘Who are you?’ They replied: ‘We are the envoys of the Omnipotent Nourisher, and we make thee a Khalifah upon earth, that thou mayest judge righteously among men.’ Loqmân replied: ‘If the Almighty—w. n. b. pr.—orders me by way of command to take upon myself the office of the Khalifate, I have no choice but to comply and to obey; but if He leaves it to my option, I would prefer to remain free of it.’ The angels asked: ‘Why dislikest thou the dignity of a judge?’ He rejoined: ‘It is difficult to walk in the way of government, and a judge is exposed to trials. If he deals unrighteously he will be disappointed in the next world, and if he adheres to truth, he is deceived in this world. Whoever is slighted and despised in the present world will, on the day of the resurrection, be accounted higher than the noble and exalted judge; and who prefers [the happiness of] this world to [that of] the next will be disappointed in both, since the blessings of the former perish soon, and the consequences of the sins committed therein entail chastisement in the latter.’ The angels were astonished at the beauty and eloquence of his arguments, which were highly approved of in the palace of self-existence likewise, so that Loqmân was spared the installation to the dignity of governing, and the trials awaiting the judicial office. When the night set in, the portals of wisdom were, by divine favour, thrown open to his enlightened mind, and the fountains of supernatural knowledge gushed forth from his penetrating spirit, so that in the morning, when he rose from his couch, he was the wisest man among his contemporaries. After Loqmân had been excused from the judicial dignity, and the Khalifate had been transferred to Dâud, his excellency the repository of wisdom frequently visited his lordship the prophet, who often said to him: ‘Blessed art thou, O Loqmân, for thou hast approached wisdom, and hast removed temptation from thyself.’

It is said that by the kindness of the owner, who had given freedom to Loqmân, the latter came into the possession of some property with which he traded, and a portion of which he lent to the people without demanding securities or pledges, but appointed one of his sons to collect the sums due to him. It is said that he once despatched this son on the just-mentioned business to another country, and spoke to him as follows: ‘In this journey thou wilt arrive near a green and flourishing tree, under which there is a spring; but thou must neither sit down under the former nor drink of the latter. On this occasion thou wilt also pass through a town the governor of which will offer thee his daughter in marriage; beware, however, of accepting her. When thou arrivest in the country of our debtor, who possesses a castle near the seashore, take care not to accept his invitation to spend the night therein.’ He also added: ‘If thou meetest in this journey a man older than thyself, and he commands thee to do something, disobey him not.’ Then Loqmân took leave of his son, saying: ‘May Allah cause safety to accompany thee.’ The son departed, and after he had travelled for a short time, he met an old man, and asked him for permission to accompany him. He granted it, whereon they travelled together, and reached a green and flourishing tree, at the foot of which there was a fountain of water. The old man said to the youth: ‘Alight in this spot, and when the air gets cool we will continue our journey together.’ The son of Loqmân replied: ‘My father has prohibited me to halt at this place.’ The old man continued: ‘But he has also ordered thee to mind the words of thy aged companion.’ The son of Loqmân being satisfied with this explanation, they halted, and he fell asleep. The old man watched him, and soon perceived a serpent crawling down from the tree towards the son of Loqmân; then he struck the serpent with his cane and slew it. When the youth awoke, his companion asked him: ‘Knowest thou why thy father had prohibited thee from stopping in this place?’ He replied: ‘I know not.’ The old man continued: ‘Because everyone who had alighted in this locality, and reposed, was stung and killed by the serpent which thou seest. By the power of God I have now put a stop to its evil deeds.’ Then he cut off the head of the snake, wrapped it in a cloth which he placed in a bag, and they departed from that place. Afterwards they arrived in the town, and took up their lodgings in the house of the governor, who showed them much hospitality, and offered his daughter, with a great deal of property, to the son of Loqmân, who, however, refused to marry her. The old man asked: ‘Why refusest thou to take possession of the maiden and of the riches?’ He replied: ‘My father has prohibited me.’ His aged companion said: ‘I admit that; but he has also enjoined thee not to disobey him who is older than thyself.’ The youth said, Yes,’ and the old man continued: ‘It is my opinion that you should consent to this marriage.’ Acting on this advice, he asked for the hand of the lady, whereon the old man handed to him the head of the serpent he had killed, and said: ‘Before having connexion with thy bride, thou must place this on fire, and order her to spread her skirts over it, so that the smoke may permeate the lower parts of her body.’ The son of Loqmân acted according to the advice of his companion; but when the smoke had reached the said parts of her body, she uttered a fearful shriek and fainted, whereon a big dead worm was seen to issue in front of her. After a short time the lady recovered her senses, and spent that night joyfully in the arms of the son of Loqmân. In the morning the old companion met his young friend, and questioned him concerning the events of the night, which the latter duly narrated to him. The old man then said: ‘Thy father has warned thee not to marry this lady, because whoever did so, and had connexion with her, was bitten by this worm and died.’ After they had remained several days in the house of the governor, the young man took leave, and travelled, in the company of his aged friend, to the place to which his father had sent him. They arrived on the seashore, at the castle of the governor, who was their debtor. He received the son of Loqmân with affability, invited him to alight and to rest that night from the fatigues of the journey, promising to pay the debt the next day. The youth remembered the injunction of his father, and refused, but afterwards complied at the suasion of his companion. Their host entertained them hospitably, brought forth the sum which he owed, and again requested the son of Loqmân to stay for the night, and to take the money the next morning whenever he pleased. The habit, however, of that wretch was that, when anyone who had a claim on him consented to remain during the night, a bed was prepared close to the sea, so that when the guest fell asleep that blackhearted malefactor approached him, and with the assistance of a confidant precipitated him into the sea. The son of Loqmân stopped during the night, and, according to the usual custom, a couch was brought close to the edge of the sea for him, and another for the son of the governor. When the two just-mentioned youths had fallen asleep, the acute old companion awoke the son of Loqmân, removed his bed from the place where it was, and placed that of the governor’s son in its stead. During the night the malefactor arrived with his confidant, and, taking up his own son under the impression that he was Loqman’s, he threw him into the water and returned joyfully to the house. In the morning, however, when the son of Loqmân entered the castle to take his money, the governor was astounded and confused, but paid his debt with shame and regret. Thereon the son of Loqmân returned sound and safe with the daughter of the first governor, and much property, to his father, whom he was happy to meet after having successfully performed the journey. Several historians have narrated that towards the end of his life Loqmân retired from intercourse with mankind, and dwelt between Ramla and Jerusalem, until he was conveyed to the propinquity of the mercy of the Lord of both worlds.

RECORDS OF THE MORAL MAXIMS OF THE LORD LOQMÂN.

Loqmân said to his son Thârân: ‘Be always patient and truthful; subject thy passions to thy principles, and never commit forbidden acts. Be abstemious in this world, despise misfortunes, and love nothing more than the bliss of eternal salvation. Be content with little and satisfied with thy daily nourishment predestined for thee, and covet not riches, that thou mayest remain free from sensuality. Be hungry of victuals, but filled with wisdom; speak not uncivilly to anyone, but meditate a great deal, and consider silence to be thy duty, that thou mayest remain free from the evil consequences of loquacity. When people praise thee for something which exists not in thy nature, do not suffer thyself to be deceived, because by foolish words a potsherd will never be transmuted into a pearl. Quarrel not with superiors, despise not inferiors, and ask not help from fools. Do not work for the loss of thy own, and the gain of the property of others. Thy property is that which thou accumulatest for the next world, and not that which thou leavest to others for an inheritance. Oh, my son! take refuge with God—w. n. b. e.—from bad and wicked women; and be on thy guard from good women, because all their ways tend to evil. If thou desirest to tie the knot of brotherhood with anyone, that he may be of use to thee in hardship and distress, select him for a friend and brother whom thou findest equitable, even under the provocation of anger, or else be on thy guard. Do not allow thyself to be influenced by suspicions, because then no one will be thy friend. Be affable, open, sincere, easy in transactions, and not morose, because thus thou wilt cement amity. It is more easy for princes to die than to govern flagitious men. When kings are misers, they leave a bad name behind; it is, nevertheless, better to spend little judiciously than to expend much with prodigality.’

RECORD OF THE COMPANION OF THE FISH YÛNAS [JONAH],
THE SON OF MATTI—U. W. B., ETC.

Although after Sulimân his children inherited the kingdom from generation to generation, the author of this work was unable to ascertain their correct names, and as also their histories cannot be obtained in detail from the books that have come under his notice, the reed of explanation abstains from giving accounts of them, but proceeds to describe the affairs of Yûnas:

Allah—w. n. b. pr. a. s.—has said: ‘Yûnas [was also one] of those who were sent [by us] when he fled into the loaded ship,’¹¹⁶ and the most magnificent of sayers has also said: ‘When he departed in wrath’ (till the end of the verse).¹¹⁷ Yûnas was a celebrated prophet, but as his people accused him of falsehood, and he was unable to bear their insults, he left them without the permission of God. Those who have speculated about the expression Uvlu-l-a’zm, consider him to have been one to whom this epithet was applied.¹¹⁸ The Lord Almighty, addressing the seal of prophets in the glorious Qurân, said: ‘Therefore be patient as the Uvlu-l-a’zm of the messengers [apostles] were patient.’¹¹⁹ He also said: ‘Be patient under the command of thy Lord, and be not like the companion of the fish.’ Commentators have in various manners explained the expression, ‘when he departed in wrath,’ one of which will be mentioned, and for the others the reader is referred to the works of commentators.

All the chief historians have related that when, after the death of Sulimân, his descendants inherited the kingdom, they began, in course of time, to quarrel with each other, wherefore the adjoining kings coveted the dominions of Sulimân, and one of them, namely, the King of Ninva [Niniveh], which is in Arabian Mesopotamia, marched with his army against the Jews, and conquered them. He made a portion of the tribes prisoners, whereon God—w. n. b. e.—sent a revelation to one of the prophets of the children of Esrâil to tell the king to send a strong-minded prophet, one very steadfast in the execution of divine commands, to the inhabitants of Ninva, to preach to them, to invite them [to profess the Faith], and to rescue the children of Esrâil from their captivity. The king consulted intelligent men on this subject, and the choice fell on Yûnas, whom the king and the grandees then requested to undertake this mission. Yûnas asked: ‘Has God —w. n. b. e.—appointed me by name to this undertaking?’ They said: ‘No; but He has commanded a prophet who is very strong in the religion to proceed to Ninva.’ Yûnas continued: ‘There are several prophets among the children of Esrâil more determined and stronger than I am. My opinion is that you ought to select another individual.’ The king, however, made so many efforts, and used so much persuasion, that Yûnas was forced to comply, and to proceed to Ninva, where he arrived after duly performing the journey, and invited the inhabitants to accept the religion of Mûsa, promising them the favour and pardon of God, and threatening them with the wrath of the [Omnipotent] Sovereign. He sojourned for a long time in Ninva, sermonizing about promises and threats, and about the judge and the judged, but was unable to produce any effect whatever, nor did anyone gird up the loins of obedience towards him. The inhabitants of Ninva would not release the captive Esrâilites, but insulted the prophet by speech and deed, and expelled him from their midst. Yûnas, however, returned to the city, and again engaged in guiding and directing the people, but the inhabitants of Ninva persisted in their obduracy and infidelity as before, and accused him of falsehood. Yûnas then said to the people: ‘If you will not believe, the chastisement of God will probably soon overtake you.’ They replied: ‘These words are of thy own invention.’ Then Yûnas raised his hands in prayer, and said: ‘O Lord, the people accuse me of falsehood; send down Thy vengeance upon them.’ When Yûnas had become aware that his prayers had met with response, he determined to emigrate with his family from the community, and at his departure said to the people of Ninva: ‘Verily the chastisement will come upon you after three days.’ Then he turned the reins of his intention towards one of the mountains, with the determination to remain there till the arrival of the punishment, and to return to the city in case the inhabitants should repent, obey, and implore him to remove the affliction by his prayers. On this occasion the Lord Almighty—w. n. b. e, —despatched Jebrail to the owner of hell, with orders to convey some of the Simûms of the infernal regions to Ninva. The owner obeyed, and Jebrâil conveyed the burning wind to that city, which was thereon immediately surrounded by flames. The inhabitants of Ninva became frightened, and repented of their deeds; but in spite of their efforts to discover Yûnas, that they might profess their belief in his words, they were unable to find him. In the height of their distress they unanimously assembled without the city on the top of a hill, which was from that time called by the name of ‘the hill of lamentations’ and ‘the hill of repentance.’ There they separated the children from their mothers and the young from the old, threw ashes on their own heads, put shackles of thorns on their feet, beginning to weep, to mourn, and to lament. After forty days and nights had elapsed in this manner, the Lord and Bounteous Granter commanded Jebrâil—at the intercession of the chief angels—to remove the punishment. Allah—the most magnificent and glorious—has said: ‘And if it [were] not [so], some city [among the many which have been destroyed] would have believed, and the faith of its [inhabitants] would have been of advantage to them; [but none of them believed before the execution of their sentence] except the people of Yûnas.’¹²⁰

It is related that after the release of the people of Ninva from the affliction, Yûnas left his refuge and went to the city to see what had become of the people. On the road he met an individual, inquired about this matter, and learnt what had passed, as has just been related. Therefore Yûnas returned sad and angry, thinking that if he were to go among the people they would again accuse him of falsehood. Some state that the source of evil, namely, Eblis, assumed the human form, and said to Yûnas: ‘Go not to the city, because the people will accuse thee of falsehood.’ Therefore he departed in wrath. Ebn A’bbâs—u. w. b., etc. —relates that everyone who imagines that his wrath originated from his thinking that the people would accuse him of falsehood, will be set right by the following verse which Allah uttered: ‘And thought that We could not exercise power over him,’¹²¹ namely, that the affliction and chastisement [of God] could not reach him.

Tradition informs us that after the cessation of the punishment of God, Yûnas joined his family on the seashore, where he found a ship full of men who were just starting on a voyage, whereon he requested them to be likewise allowed to embark with his followers, and they replied: ‘Our ship is heavily laden; if it be convenient to thee, some of thy people may come on board, and the others may take passage in another vessel, which will follow us.’ Yûnas agreed to this proposal, placed some persons on board, and waited with his two sons on the shore for the other vessel. After awhile he perceived a ship, and, desirous to obtain a passage therein, went on board. On this occasion the foot of one of his sons slipped, he fell into the water, and was drowned; meanwhile, a wolf arrived and robbed him of his other son. After Yûnas had thus been struck by a double misfortune, he knew that a calamity sent from above was impending over him. In consequence of this accident he entered the vessel on board of which the rest of his family had embarked before, and joined it; but when the ship had begun the voyage and was well in the sea, it stood in the midst of it, as it were, on a high and dry spot, by the command of the Omnipotent Inscrutable One, whilst other vessels passed on the right and left of it, asking the crew why they were stationary, and they replied: ‘We know it not!’ Yûnas, however, said: ‘If you know not the reason, I know it.’ They pressed him, and he continued: ‘A servant has fled from his master, and has embarked on board this ship, which will not move from its place unless you throw him into the sea.’¹²² They asked: ‘Who is that servant?’ He replied: ‘I.’ But as they knew him to be a prophet of God, they said: ‘The Lord forbid that we should throw thee into the sea; on the contrary, we consider our escape out of this vortex of perdition to depend upon thy noble existence.’ Yûnas continued: ‘Let us cast lots, and let us throw him into the water whose name comes up.’ This having been done, the name of Yûnas appeared, whereon his lordship again requested the crew to throw him overboard; but they refused, and said: ‘The lot sometimes hits wrong and sometimes right.’ Another trial was then made, but his name again came forth. Yûnas repeated his request again, and the people again demurred to eject him. The Creator therefore ordered a fish to pass round the ship with open jaws, and the people beholding the yawning throat of the monster wherever they looked, ultimately threw Yûnas into the sea.

Some assert that his lordship leapt of his own accord into the water, and that on the said occasion the fish received the following command: ‘Swallow Yûnas without in the least injuring any of his limbs; We have not made our prophet to be thy food, but have assigned thy abdomen to be his prison.’ According to some opinions, Yûnas dwelt forty days and nights in the stomach of the sea-monster. After he had suffered affliction, the Absolute Sovereign removed the veil from the vision of his intelligence, and displayed to him the strange and wonderful things of the sea, so that Yûnas occupied himself by praising the Creator. Allah—w. n. b. e.—has said: ‘And he cried out in the darkness [saying], There is no God beside Thee, praise be unto Thee! Verily, I have been one of the unjust.’¹²³ Some have said that by ‘darkness’ the obscurity of the night of the sea and of the abdomen of the fish are meant. It is related that the angels heard the voice of Yûnas, recognised it, and said, weeping: ‘O God, we hear a feeble voice from a strange place.’ The allocution then arrived: ‘It is the voice of my servant Yûnas, who has sinned, and been imprisoned in the stomach of the fish. Draw ye from the way in which I punish my servants a conclusion how I shall chastise my foes!’ After the angels had interceded for Yûnas, the Lord ordered Jebrâil to inform the fish that God was now satisfied with Yûnas, who was to be spewed out in the same locality where he had embarked on board the ship. Therefore the fish approached the shore by divine command, where it ejected Yûnas like an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. The Lord most High and Magnificent immediately caused a gourd-tree to grow, under which Yûnas reposed, and a fawn of those prairies was inspired to feed him with milk. When Yûnas had recovered his former strength, the Lord Almighty—whose glory be magnified—ordered the sun to burn the said tree, so that it withered. The loss of that tree and the solar heat so distressed Yûnas that he wept; but the Lord—w. g. b. m.—sent him the following message by Jebrâil: ‘O Yûnas, this tree was not cherished by thy power to cause thee to deplore its disappearance with so much grief. Secondly, thou weepest more for a tree of no value than for the destruction of several thousand persons, for whom thou hast not cared in the least, and upon whose heads thou hast called down My chastisement by thy prayers.’ Hereupon Yûnas implored pardon, and took refuge with the favour of the Lord of glory.

It is related that, after Yûnas had recovered his health, the Almighty—w. n. b. e. and magnified—ordered him to return to the people, but Yûnas replied: ‘O Lord, sendest Thou me to a nation which desireth Thy Book, but [nevertheless] accuseth Thy messenger of falsehood?’ Then again the divine revelation came: ‘O Yûnas, are perchance the treasuries of My mercy in thy hands that thou wouldst withhold it from My servants? Knowest thou not that I soften obdurate hearts whenever I please, and that I open the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind?’ Yûnas accordingly returned towards Ninva, and met a shepherd in the desert, whom he asked who he was. The man replied: ‘I am of the people of Yûnas, the son of Matti.’¹²⁴ His lordship the prophet continued: ‘What news hast thou about Yûnas? What has he done with this people?’ He replied: ‘Yûnas was the best of men; but when the people accused him of falsehood, he threatened them with chastisement, and disappeared. The punishment overtook the people as he had promised. After they had despaired of finding him, they repented of their sins, turned to the Lord, and God—who is the most merciful of the merciful—washed the volumes of their transgressions with the limpid streams of pardon, and granted them deliverance from the affliction of fire.’ Then Yûnas asked the shepherd for a little milk, who, however, replied that he had none; and, swearing by the pure essence of God, said: ‘Since Yûnas left us, neither rain has fallen nor grass grown, so that the sheep must be fed on briars and thorns.’ His lordship the refuge of prophecy said: ‘I believe thou hast sworn by the God of Yûnas.’ The shepherd replied: ‘Whoever swears in our city by another than the God of the inhabitants of this world, his tongue is extracted from his throat.’ Yûnas queried: ‘Since what time has this religion originated among you?’ He replied: ‘Since the time when the affliction was removed from our people.’ Then Yûnas asked for a sheep, and, after he had touched her nipples, milk commenced to flow from them in abundance. The shepherd said: ‘If Yûnas were alive, I would say that thou art he.’ His lordship continued: ‘Go and inform the people of my arrival.’ The shepherd replied: ‘The king has declared that he would abdicate royalty in any man’s favour who may bring the news of the safety and the coming of Yûnas, and that he would gird the loins of service to his lordship. Now, if I bring this information without any guarantee [for its truth], the people will say that a shepherd covets the royal dignity, and they will kill me.’ Yûnas said: ‘In case of necessity, the sheep which I have milked and this rock whereon I am sitting will bear testimony to the truth of thy words.’ Then the shepherd went to the city to report his meeting and conversation with Yûnas; the people, however, accused him of falsehood, and determined to kill the unhappy shepherd. He replied: ‘O people, come with me to the desert, for I have an evident argument in favour of my assertion.’ He accordingly led the people to the spot where he had seen Yûnas, and produced the sheep, the rock being also a witness in his favour; but the sheep even spoke, saying: ‘Yûnas drank of my milk.’ The stone likewise confirmed the assertion of the shepherd [but it is not stated in what manner]. Therefore the people were astonished, and joyfully went in search of Yûnas, whom they discovered near the foot of a tree engaged in prayer. When the people met that exalted individual, they kissed his hands and feet, conducted him respectfully and honourably to the city whereon, by his propitious advent, comfort and prosperity originated in that country. He taught the people the ordinances of the religion and the regulations of the Law, and besought the Lord of Magnificence to allow him to travel. After obtaining permission, he departed. The king likewise abdicated his royal dignity in favour of the above-mentioned shepherd, and went away with Yûnas.

Ka’b-ullâkhbâr relates that Yûnas—u. w. b., etc.—commingled, towards the end of his life, with the inhabitants of the world, but also became the companion of hermits and monks. Before he departed this life he sent the prophet Sha’ia [Isaiah] who was his disciple, to the children of Esrâil. In the Ma’arif, however, the account of Sha’ia precedes that of Yûnas; but God knows best.

RECORD OF THE ENEMIES ATTACKING THE CHILDREN OF ESRÂIL, AND THE LATTER OVERCOMING THE FORMER. ACCOUNT OF THEIR COMMITTING SIN AFTER THEIR VICTORY, AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE HOLY HOUSE.

Allah—w. n. b. e.—has said: ‘And we expressly declared unto the children of Esrâil in the book [of the Law, saying], Ye will surely commit evil in the earth twice, and ye will be elated with great insolence. And when the [punishment] threatened for the first of those [transgressions] came [to be executed] we sent against you our servants endued with exceeding strength [in war]’ (to the end of the verse).¹²⁵ When the kingdom of Sulimân lapsed to one of his descendants of the name of Sadiqa [Hezekiah], who had an infirmity in his foot, the adjoining kings coveted his realm on account of this infirmity. The first who attacked him was the King of Jazirah [Mesopotamia], Lankan by name, who adored Venus, and therefore made a vow to offer her his own son as a sacrifice in case he should become Master of the Holy House. According to another tradition, Bakhtanassar was the secretary of this king, and when Lankan had encamped in the vicinity of the Holy House [Jerusalem] with an army numerous as locusts, the Lord and Ruler of winds sent a hurricane which destroyed the whole army, so that no one escaped but Lankan and Bakhtanassar, who returned to the country of Jazirah disappointed and sad. The son of the king having heard of his father’s vow, made use of the opportunity and killed him; Bakhtanassar, however, in his turn deprived the prince of life, and took possession of the kingdom without opposition. After this event the King of Mousul and the Governor of Adharbaijân [Media] marched with their armies to the Holy House without each other’s knowledge. There, however, they met, a sanguinary battle ensued, and the True Sovereign conveyed the pretenders and the foes of the religion, without any efforts of His friends, to the regions of annihilation, whereon the children of Esrâil took possession of all their baggage and property.

After the Jews had committed sin and had become rebellious by slaying the prophets, Sanjârib [Sennacherib], the King of Babel, marched with a numerous army to the Holy House, occupied that pleasant country, and committed great depredations therein.¹²⁶ When Sanjârib returned to his country, the children of Esrâil assembled, but again pursued their criminal and wicked inclinations; consequently the Lord of Magnificence exalted Armia [Jeremiah] to the prophetic dignity, and appointed him to direct and to guide them;¹²⁷ that flagitious nation, however, insulted, beat and imprisoned the prophet of God;¹²⁸ therefore the Lord and Mighty Avenger subjected the children of Esrâil to Bakhtanassar,¹²⁹ who put them to the merciless sword, burnt the Holy House, took the wazirs of the Jews captive, and sent them to Babel [Babylon]. Such is the tradition of Qotaiba, and of other historians, but what follows after the above events will— if it pleaseth Allah—be narrated in the proper place.

Khodaifa narrates a tradition of the prophet—u. w. b., etc.—which is as follows: ‘When the children of Esrâil sinned, and killed the prophets, God—w. n. b. e.—sent Bakhtanassar against them, who besieged and took the Holy House. He slew seventy thousand individuals [to atone] for the blood of Zakria the prophet, and carried off seventy thousand donkey-loads of ornaments and decorations from the Holy House; but some assert that he had taken one hundred thousand such loads to Babel.’ Khodaifa says: ‘I asked, Was the decoration of the Holy House considerable?’ He replied: ‘Yes; Sulimân had built that city of gold and rubies, ingots of which he demanded from the Satans, who produced them instantly by his orders. Bakhtanassar carried off the children of Esrâil, who remained prisoners during one hundred years. After that a king of the name of Korush sent the children of Esrâil back with their ornaments;¹³⁰ the city was again populated, and the children of Esrâil returned to obedience [to God] for one hundred years. Then, however, they again commenced to sin, and God—w. n. b. e.—appointed the King of Rûm to reign over them, who carried away the ornaments of the Holy House to his country.’ It is also related of that prince—i.e, Muhammad—that he said: ‘When the Mahdi¹³¹ arrives at the end of all time, he will send back the ornaments of the Holy House to their original place.’ But Allah is most wise!

The tradition of Muhammad Bin Esahâq, the author of the Maghâzi is, that God—w. n. b. e.—had sent a revelation to Musâ, the son of E’mrân, that the children of Esrâil will rebel twice on earth. After the expiration of a long period of time, the Jews sinned against the laws of their religion; and in that age there was an ordinance of God, in consequence whereof He sent a prophet during the reign of every king, for the purpose of teaching and directing him, and of holding up to him his good and evil deeds. When the royal dignity devolved upon Sadiqa [Hezekiah], who was a pious, devout, and righteous prince, Sha’ia Bin Mûsa [Isaiah] was sent, who prophesied the advent of I’sa [Jesus] and of Muhammad—u. w. b., etc.— it being related that he had prophesied: ‘Be of good cheer! The rider on an ass, namely, I’sa, and the rider on a camel, namely, the apostle of Allah—u. w. b., etc.— will come to thee.’¹³²

In short, during the reign of Sadiqa [Hezekiah] the rebellion and disobedience of the children of Esrâil transgressed all bounds, and though the prophet and the king admonished the people, it was of no use. Meanwhile Sanjârib [Sennacherib], the King of Babel, marched with six hundred thousand warriors to attack the Holy House, and arrived in the vicinity thereof after performing the journey. On that occasion Sadiqa was suffering from a bad foot, and was overwhelmed by fear when Sha’ia informed him of the approach of the enemy, but asked: ‘O prophet of God, has no information from heaven been communicated to thee on this subject?’ Sha’ia replied: ‘No!’ Afterwards, however, the divine inspiration reached Sha’ia to tell Sadiqa to make his last will and testament,¹³³ and to appoint one of his family to succeed him as king Therefore Sadiqa immediately prepared himself to obey, engaged in prayer, supplication, and weeping, and besought the Lord of lords to save the children of Esrâil from the grasp of their enemies. His prayer was answered, and Sha’ia obtained the revelation to inform him to that effect, as well as that God had not only granted him victory over his enemies, but had also increased the duration of his life by fifteen years,¹³⁴ and that by applying a certain remedy¹³⁵ he would also be relieved of his malady. Sha’ia reported this information to the king, for which he felt very grateful; he then offered his thanksgivings, laid the prescribed remedy on the affected spot, and was delivered of his complaint. When Sadiqa and his people rose the next morning from their beds, and looked for the enemies, they found that all had died, except Sanjârib and five other individuals of his followers.

Muhammad Bin Esahaq relates that, according to some traditions, Sadiqa fought with Sanjârib, put his army to flight, and made him prisoner, with five other men, one of whom was Bakhtanassar. Then Sadiqa ordered the King of Babel to be yoked together with these five men, and to be driven daily round the city, everyone being fed with two loaves of oat-bread day by day. After seventy days had thus elapsed, the King of Babel sent the following message to Sadiqa: ‘It would be better to kill us, than to make us live in this manner.’ Therefore Sadiqa issued orders for their execution, but was checked by the command of the Lord, communicated to him by Sha’ia, that he ought not to kill Sanjârib, but rather to show him kindness and civility, and to send him back to the country of Babel for the purpose of informing others of God’s wrath and anger. Sadiqa obeyed, treated Sanjârib honourably and respectfully, allowing him to return to his country, which he did; but being prostrated on the couch of weakness after the expiration of seven years, he appointed Bakhtanassar to be his successor. After the [above-mentioned] promised fifteen years had elapsed, Sadiqa took leave of this perishable world, and departed to the abode of eternity. After his decease the children of Esrâil began to quarrel with each other, fought, and reduced the country to a state of anarchy; they not only disregarded the admonitions of Sha’ia, but intended to slay him, therefore he fled, and perceived on his way a tree split lengthwise, which exclaimed to him: ‘O prophet of God, come to me.’ Sha’ia complied, and took shelter within its cavity. Satan, however, pulled him by the skirt of his garment, so that it remained outside, whereon the rebellious people arrived and sawed him into two parts with the tree; the current opinion, however, is that the prophet thus cut in twain was Zakria, as will—if it pleaseth Allah—be explained by-and-by.

RECORD OF BAKHTANASSAR’S ARRIVAL AT THE HOLY HOUSE, WHICH HE DESTROYS, KILLING AND PLUNDERING THE CHILDREN OF ESRÂIL.

The principal historians are at variance as regards the second rebellion of the children of Esrâil. Some allege that they perpetrated this transgression by accusing Armia [Jeremiah] of falsehood, whilst others affirm that they became subject thereto by killing Yahia, the son of Zakria. By divine grace we shall rehearse both these opinions.

The first is, that among the children of Esrâil there was an individual, strengthened and supported by the power of God, whose name was Dâniâl the Greater. When this man was reading the Mosaic Law, he happened to discover a verse intimating that after a short while a person would come and overthrow the Holy House. Dâniâl then became melancholy, and prayed as follows: ‘O Lord! who is the man that will ruin the Holy House, and disperse the children of Esrâil?’ He was afterwards informed in a dream, that the destroyer of the Holy House is a single pearl in the sea of Babel, Bakhtanassar by name. When Dâniâl awoke, he collected his baggage and travelled to Babel, where he arrived after traversing the distance. Sanjârib, who governed and reigned in the country, asked Dâniâl for the reason of his coming to it. He replied: ‘I wish to distribute my property among the widows and orphans of this land.’ This the king permitted, and Dâniâl occupied himself for a long time in looking for fatherless children, neither hearing nor seeing anything of Bakhtanassar. One day the slave of Dâniâl went on an errand, and happened to discover a boy lying on a dunghill. He accosted him, and obtained the following reply: ‘I am an orphan, and have ere this collected wood for my own and my mother’s support, but now I have fallen into the state in which thou beholdest me.’ He then asked for the boy’s name, who replied: ‘Bakhtanassar!’ The slave immediately returned and gave this information to his master, who then himself went to see the boy. Dâniâl ordered the servant to wash him and to bring him to the house; he afterwards became also the possessor of the boy’s mother, and took care of them both. After Bakhtanassar had recovered his health, Dâniâl said one day to him: ‘What wilt thou give me in return for the care which I have bestowed upon thee?’ Bakhtanassar replied: ‘How could one who possesses nothing requite thee?’ Dâniâl continued: ‘I think thou wilt in course of time attain royal dignity, and wilt march with an army against the children of Esrâil. I request thee now to write a letter of protection for me and for the inhabitants of my house.’ Bakhtanassar rejoined: ‘Thou art pleased to joke with me.’ Dâniâl exclaimed: ‘No, by God!’ After many expostulations Dâniâl at last said: ‘If thou wilt comply with my request, I shall give thee twenty thousand dirhems.’ Bakhtanassar, however, always considered this proposal to be merely jocular, but finally consented, by the advice of his mother, to write a letter of protection, for which he actually received the just-mentioned large sum of money.

It is related that before Bakhtanassar had been attacked by his malady, he went with other children to the plain to gather wood; they appointed him to be their Amir, or leader, and obeyed his behests. When he received the said twenty thousand dirhems from Dâniâl, he distributed them to his former playmates, purchased outfits for them, and began with this crowd of blooming youths to obtain access to the palace of the king. Bakhtanassar was an elegant penman, a descendant of a noble family, but had been degraded by the adversities of fortune. The king, Sanjârib, discovered the prognostics of success on his forehead, and gradually promoted him, till he attained the dignity of a governor. Bakhtanassar was successful and victorious in all his undertakings, but when he accompanied Sanjârib in his expedition to the Holy House, they were both made captives, and on their return he was, as before, in the service of the king, after whose decease he ascended the throne. At that time Nushia, the son of Amos, was king of the children of Esrâil, and Armia their prophet; but the Jews were wicked, flagitious, rebellious, and obdurate, never taking nor listening to the advice of Armia. The rumour of the disobedience and rebellion of the children of Esrâil reached the ears of Bakhtanassar, wherefore he engaged in warlike operations, and collected the stores and ammunitions necessary for a campaign to the Holy House. About that time Armia mounted a rock near the city, tore his robes, threw dust and ashes over his head, and turned towards the people, saying: ‘God—w. n. b. e.—addresses you thus: Cease your disobedience, or else I shall appoint a tribe of fire-worshippers over you, who fear neither My punishments nor My rewards; they will exterminate you, and ruin the Holy House.’ The Jews replied: ‘Thou attributest falsehoods to the God of the inhabitants of the world, because the adorable Lord will never destroy His own mosque, and the righteous Judge will never appoint enemies over His friends.’ Despite of Armia’s admonitions, they paid no attention to them, but rather imprisoned him. About that time Bakhtanassar encamped with his army around the city, the siege whereof lasted for a long time, until wicked men submitted to his rule and surrendered the keys of the entrances, whereon the bloody sword of Bakhtanassar did its work, and only the sick and the weak found mercy. He inquired for Dâniâl the Greater, but was informed that his lordship had departed to the eternal world. Dâniâl Bin Hazqil, however, who was his successor in wisdom, was brought to his presence, with his family, and with Bakhtanassar’s letter of protection; and as he kept his promise, they were spared his valour and cruelty. He not only razed and burnt the Holy House, but destroyed also the [books of the] Mosaic Law. The effects of his wrath became visible in the whole of Syria; he made seventy thousand captives of the high and the low from among the children of Esrâil, whom he carried off with an amount of wealth, to calculate which eludes the imaginations of accountants, and marched to the capital of his dominions.

After Bakhtanassar had ceased his slaughter and plunder, it was reported to him that before his arrival a prophet of the children of Esrâil had predicted all that would happen, but that those ill-fated wretches had imprisoned him in such and such a place. Bakhtanassar then ordered him to be produced, and asked him: ‘Whence knewest thou what would happen?’ Armia replied: ‘The Lord, who knows the secrets of futurity, had ordered me to admonish and to warn the people, and had informed me of all that would happen.’ Bakhtanassar said: ‘What bad people they must be who have accused their prophet of falsehood, and who have imprisoned him. If thou wilt remain with me, thou wilt meet only with respect and kindness; but if thou preferrest to dwell in thy own country in peace and tranquillity, thou mayest do so.’ Armia replied: ‘I am at all times under the protection of God, and the children of Esrâil would likewise have remained under it had they listened to my words; nor would evil have reached them from thy or from any other part.’ Bakhtanassar then dismissed Armia and marched to Babel, but took with him Dâniâl, the son of Hazqil, with the family of Dâniâl the Greater, to whom he showed much kindness. Some have said that A’zira, the son of Sarhia, also was of the family of Dâniâl the Greater. It is reported on good authority that he was among the number of captives, and was at last exalted to the dignity of a prophet; but God knows best!

Armia remained in the Holy House, and constantly uttered lamentations for its desolation; and herein the swallows kept him company, wherefore people assert that it is illicit to kill them. When those who had escaped the sword became aware of the circumstances of Armia, they crept out from their hiding-places, gathered around him, and said: ‘It is proper that we should go to Egypt and live there under the shadow of the governor’s protection.’ All agreed to this proposal, whereon Armia departed with them to Egypt.¹³⁶ Some assert that Bakhtanassar was still in Syria when Armia started with the remnant of the children of Esrâil to Egypt. When Bakhtanassar had obtained information on this point, he sent a letter to the King of Egypt to the following purport: ‘Numbers of my subjects have fled to thy country; therefore send them back. Shouldst thou, however, refuse to do so, the same will happen to Egypt what happened to the Holy House.’ This message was, however, replied to by the King of Egypt as follows: ‘These people are free and noble. It would be against the laws of humanity to surrender them to thee.’ On this occasion, also, Armia said to his people, exhorting them: ‘Repent of your sins and crimes, and crave pardon, else Bakhtanassar will pursue you even to this country, and his cruelty will overtake you as it has overtaken your countrymen.’ The children of Esrâil replied: ‘What words are these, and how could Bakhtanassar vanquish the king?’ The people continued in their rebellion, and Armia went with some of them to the banks of the Nile, where he placed four stones near each other, and concealed them, saying: ‘When Bakhtanassar conquers the country, he will erect his throne in this locality, so that its four supports will rest upon these four stones.’

When Bakhtanassar had received the answer of the Governor of Egypt, he marched to that country, subdued his opponents, made the children of Esrâil prisoners, and discovered Armia among them. He reproached him in these words: ‘Have I not dealt with thee kindly, and exempted thee of what befell thy people?’ Armia replied: ‘Yes.’ Bakhtanassar continued: ‘Then why hast thou associated thyself to my enemies?’ Armia rejoined: ‘I have admonished them, and told them that thou wouldst conquer this country, and in confirmation of the truth of my words I have buried stones in this place, and have informed the children of Esrâil that the four legs of thy throne would stand upon these stones.’ Bakhtanassar was astonished at these words, but finding the statement of Armia to be true, he liberated his lordship, and allowed him to go where he pleased.

When Bakhtanassar returned from Egypt and Syria to Babel, his kindness towards Dâniâl, the son of Hazqil, and towards the family of Dâniâl the Greater, increased, so that the Magi¹³⁷ envied Dâniâl, and said to the king: ‘Thou cherishest an individual who opposes thy religion and eats not thy food.’ Therefore Bakhtanassar invited Dâniâl to a repast, and learnt that the Magi and the chiefs of the kingdom had been right in their assertion. He then became angry, and imprisoned Dâniâl, who remained in confinement until Bakhtanassar dreamt a fearful dream, in consequence of which he assembled his soothsayers, interpreters, and confidants, and said to them: ‘I have had a terrible dream; you must interpret it.’ They replied: ‘If your majesty will relate it; we shall explain it.’¹³⁸ Bakhtanassar said: ‘I was so frightened that I have forgotten the contents of the dream.’ They continued: ‘How can we interpret an account which thou art unable to relate?’ At these words Bakhtanassar became incensed with wrath, and exclaimed: ‘I have for a long time kept you in my service that you may always be ready to solve similar questions and difficulties without delay. Now, I shall grant you a respite of three years. If you comply with my wishes after the expiration of that period of time, all will be well; but if not, I shall kill you all.’¹³⁹ This declaration became known in the city and also to Dâniâl, who requested the gaoler to convey the information to the king that he would interpret the dream. The gaoler, however, replied: ‘Do not attempt it, for I apprehend Bakhtanassar will injure thee.’ Dâniâl, however, expostulated until he consented and reported the matter to the proper authorities. Then Bakhtanassar called for Dâniâl and asked him to interpret the dream. The latter, therefore, spoke as follows: ‘Thou hast in thy dream beheld a statue standing erect on the ground. Its head was of gold, its neck of silver, its trunk of brass, its legs of iron, and its feet of baked clay. When thou wast looking at it, a stone fell from heaven and broke it to pieces,¹⁴⁰ whereas thy belief was that if all men and genii were to assemble they could not separate the limbs of that statue from each other. Then a wind commenced to blow, which dispersed every atom of the statue; whilst the stone [that had fallen from heaven] so increased in bulk that it filled the whole surface of the earth, so that thou wast unable to see anything besides that stone and the firmament.’ Bakhtanassar replied: ‘Such was my dream, and nothing less nor more; therefore explain it!’ Dâniâl continued: ‘The statue represents the present times and the realms. The golden head represents your majesty, the neck your son, and the trunk is a similitude of other kingdoms. Iron is a metaphor of the empire of the Persians, the solidity of the palace of whose prosperity will be strengthened in their average condition; the baked clay, however, implies that in later times their dominion will become weak. The stone that fell from heaven and destroyed the statue indicates a prophet who will be sent in later times, will vanquish kings, will abolish all other religions, and whose law will subsist till the day of the resurrection.’¹⁴¹ Bakhtanassar replied: ‘O Dâniâl, I know no one who has more highly obliged me than thou hast done by the interpretation of this dream. It is my wish to reward thee, therefore select any of the three following things: (1) Either return to thy country, and rebuild any ruined places according to thy pleasure; or (2) I shall issue letters patent to thee and to thy companions, that wherever you choose to settle in my dominions you shall be respected and honoured; or (3) if thou shouldst feel inclined to remain with me, I shall do to thee all the good in my power.’ Dâniâl replied: ‘The will of God the most High and Magnificent was that our country be destroyed; nor is anyone able to contravene this decree by attempting to rebuild anything therein. I need not thy letters patent, for in whatever place I may be I am under the protection of my Omnipotent Nourisher. The thing, however, which will suit my circumstances and those of my countrymen best, is to remain near to the station of thy magnificence.’ After Dâniâl had thus expressed his wish to dwell in the vicinity of the king, Bakhtanassar assembled his children, the principal office-bearers, grandees, and nobles of the kingdom, and said: ‘Dâniâl is a wise, intelligent, and prudent man, by means of whose explanation God—w. n. b. e.—has delivered me from the apprehensions under which I was on account of the horrible dream I had. Therefore I appoint him to regulate the affairs of the state, of the army, and of my subjects, in such a manner that, in case we should differ on any subject, my orders are to be considered as non-existent and his injunctions are to be followed.’ After Dâniâl had thus attained the highest degree of power, dignity, and glory, the ovens of the minds of the Babylonian grandees again commenced to blaze with the flames of envy. A number of confidants and officials therefore spoke to the king as follows: ‘Formerly no one was dearer to thee than ourselves; our enemies dared not to move even their feet beyond the prescribed limits, for fear of being chastised by us. Now, however, as thou hast appointed this Esrâilite slave over all general and special matters [of the administration], we have lapsed into a base position, the affairs of the realm are in great danger, the surrounding kings covet thy dominions, and have tried to bribe us with promises. All this has happened on account of the weakness of thy understanding, thy imperfect intellect, and thy misgovernment.’ Bakhtanassar replied: ‘Such a calamity has not befallen my intellect and judgment as you allege. But I have found Dâniâl to be a wise and skilful man, who has delivered me from an affliction, wherein you have failed, despite of all your acuteness and intelligence. I have placed the reins of the government into his hands for the benefit of the high and low, and for the good of the commonwealth.’ The grandees, however, repeated their insinuations, and continued: ‘This Esrâilite pretends to have a God who is aware of hidden things and concealed mysteries.’ Bakhtanassar replied: ‘Yes, such is his opinion!’ They said: ‘If thou wilt allow, we shall make a god for thee, superior to his, who will inform thee about all things, and aid thee in all matters.’ Bakhtanassar rejoined: ‘If you really can accomplish what you pretend, I have no objection.’ Therefore those fools assembled workmen to construct a broad and high idol of various metals, and placed a golden diadem encrusted with precious stones on its head. They also lit a great fire, and compelled the people to adore the idol,¹⁴² and whoever refused to do so was thrown into the flames, so that on the said occasion many of the children of Esrâil, who were prisoners in that country, perished. A certain day was appointed for a festival to bring offerings and make sacrifices; and, according to a tradition, Dâniâl, the son of Hazqil, was, with three other men of the family of Dâniâl the Greater, on that occasion thrown into the fire without the knowledge of Bakhtanassar. When the latter, however, looked from the terrace of his residence towards the said fire, he caught sight of five persons sitting in that dreadful place, but one of them had wings like a bird, wherewith he was fanning his companions. At the sight of this portentous spectacle the king was completely overpowered by fear, and shouted to the men to come out from the fire, whereon the four men issued from it unscathed, and presented themselves to Bakhtanassar, who asked them about the person who had fanned them when they were in the fire. Dâniâl replied: ‘He was an angel sent by the Omnipotent Nourisher for the purpose of guarding His servants from being injured by the fire.’ Bakhtanassar then reproved them, and asked: ‘Why have you not informed me of this matter? I might have prevented the people from dealing with you in this opprobrious fashion.’ They replied: ‘[We forebore to do so] that thy people may become aware of the omnipotence of God— w. n. b. e.—who is the Creator of the world, and who watches over His friends.’ Bakhtanassar having been warned by this event, augmented his civility and kindness towards those men.

It is related that afterwards Bakhtanassar again had a terrible dream, and that on awakening from sleep he convoked all who pretended to be soothsayers and interpreters, and that he said to them: ‘I have had a frightful dream, but I forget it. I want you to explain it.’ The interpreters replied: ‘Thou associatest with the chief of sorcerers; thou allowest him to sleep near thee, and when thy sensitive organs are in a state of lethargy, he causes thee to see terrible visions and frightens thee, and for their interpretation thou rewardest him with distinctions and favours. This assertion of ours is confirmed by the fact of thy never having had any visions like these before thy intimacy with Dâniâl.’ Bakhtanassar answered: ‘Have you no other reply to my words than this?’ They said: ‘No.’ Bakhtanassar then became angry with them, dismissed them from the assembly, and called for Dâniâl, whom he informed about his dream and the forgetting of it, and requested him to interpret it. Dâniâl asked for a little respite, retired to a private apartment, prostrated himself on his knees, and craved for a revelation of the knowledge of the dream, with the interpretation thereof. After the Eternal Lord, who never speaks, had inspired him with the necessary information, he hastened back to the presence of Bakhtanassar and said: ‘The Creator of the world has deigned to reveal thy dream, which is as follows: When thou wast asleep thou hast seen a great tree, which had stretched its top towards the sky; birds perched thereon, whilst wild beasts and rapacious animals reposed in the shade thereof. When thou wast contemplating that tree, thou wast astonished at its beauty, and at the assembly of birds and animals. Then an angel came with an axe in his hand, intending to fell the tree; suddenly, however, another cherub exclaimed: “It is the will of the Almighty Nourisher, that thou shouldst not altogether demolish this verdure by the roots, but that thou lop off some of it, and leave some of it.” Thou hast perceived that when the angel was cutting off some of the branches of that tree, the animals and birds dispersed, the trunk of the tree remained, and a complete change hath taken place in its beauty and its freshness.’ Bakhtanassar said: ‘Thou hast correctly explained the vision. Inform me now of the interpretation thereof.’ Dâniâl replied: ‘Thou art the tree, the birds are thy family, children, army, and adherents. The animals and wild beasts that reposed in the shade of that tree are thy subjects who live under the shadow [i.e., protection] of thy government. Thou hast incurred the divine wrath, for having permitted the grandees of thy kingdom to erect an idol. Therefore God—w. n. b. e.— has commanded an angel to destroy thee, and so respite some of thy progeny for a season.’ Bakhtanassar asked: ‘What will the Lord Almighty do to me?’ Dâniâl rejoined: ‘That thou mayest obtain an idea of the perfection of divine omnipotence, thou wilt, by the command of the Almighty Inscrutable One, during seven years be transformed into the figures of all sorts of creatures for a warning; and after the expiration of that time thou wilt again assume the human form.’¹⁴³ Bakhtanassar asked: ‘Would repentance or eleemosynary works be of use in this case?’ Dâniâl said: ‘No! Because the eternal decree of predestination has gone forth!’ After hearing these words, Bakhtanassar abdicated the royal dignity in favour of his son, retired from power, wept and moaned in the corner of exclusion. After a week had elapsed in this manner, he ascended to the roof of the house to enjoy the breeze, whereon, by the power of God, suddenly wings and a beak, as well as claws, began to grow on his body. Having thus been transmuted into an eagle, he attacked and vanquished all the birds, whereon the news spread in the country that such a beast had been created. Bakhtanassar was then gradually changed into the forms of various birds and animals during a period of seven years. Let it not remain concealed that, although this event may appear incomprehensible to the human understanding, it is not impossible to divine omnipotence.

During the just-mentioned time, Dâniâl acted as the viceroy of Bakhtanassar’s son, governed the subjects and the army of the realm, and restrained them from committing illicit acts. He also informed them of Bakhtanassar’s speedy return, and of his again shedding the rays of his vision upon the administration of their affairs.

Wuhub Bin Muniah relates that Bakhtanassar at last returned to his house in the form of a gnat. When the Omnipotent Inscrutable One again transmuted him to his first form, he washed himself, and issued from his private apartments with a drawn sword, assembled the office-bearers, grandees, chiefs, subjects, and servants of the kingdom, and addressed them as follows: ‘Ere this we have worshipped an inanimate mass, unable to help or to injure us. Now I trust in divine omnipotence, and believe in the God of the children of Esrâil. Whoever of this people will follow my example in this matter will be my friend, or else I shall punish him with the sword. I give you one day and night to consider, that you and your friends may come to me with sincerity as believers and monotheists.’ After these words he returned to his private apartments, and during the same night surrendered his life to the grasper of souls. As, however, the biography of Bakhtanassar is not related in the principal historical works with these details and wonderful events, the tongue of the writing-reed was under no apprehension of [being accused of] prolixity.

It is also related by Wuhub Bin Muniah that, when the son of Bakhtanassar ascended the throne after the demise of his father, he considered rebellion and arrogance to be his duties. He began to cook pork in, and to drink wine from, the vessels of the Holy House, which the Satans had built by order of the prophet Sulimân (u. w. b., etc.). He not only refused to be warned by Dâniâl, but expelled him from his society. His mother said: ‘Thy father was wiser than thou; he, nevertheless, consulted Dâniâl in all matters, and I think it would be proper for thee to do so likewise, and to profit by his foresighted sagacity.’ The son replied: ‘Leave off these words, for I hate no man on the face of the earth more than him.’ About this time the son of Bakhtanassar was, on a festive occasion, sitting in a banquet with the grandees of his realm, when all of a sudden a hand made its appearance,¹⁴⁴ and immediately disappeared again, but on that hand three words were written. No one present knew what the writing meant; therefore the son of Bakhtanassar and his grandees were under great fear and apprehension, and some of the latter said to him: ‘If thou wishest to be relieved of thy pain and grief, call for Dâniâl, implore his pardon, and propose this question to his penetrating mind that we may see what he will reveal.’ The prince approved of the opinion of his ministers, and, after conciliating Dâniâl, proffered his request for the solution of that important difficulty. Dâniâl replied: On that hand the following three words [or, rather, sentences] were written: Wazana fakhaffa; wa wa’da fanjaza; wa jama’ fafarraqa [He weighed and found it light; He promised and fulfilled it; He collected and dispersed].’ The son of Bakhtanassar having asked for the meaning of these words, Dâniâl replied: ‘Their signification is, that God—w. n. b. e.—has weighed thy works, and found them light; He has promised to give thee dominion, and fulfilled His promise; He has collected the cause of thy pomp and greatness, and He has scattered them.’¹⁴⁵ The king again queried: ‘When will this dispersion take place?’ Dâniâl said: ‘After three days more thou wilt be killed, and thy dominion will be transferred to another.’ When the son of Bakhtanassar heard these words, he retired to his palace, and ordered one of his most confidential servants to cut off any person’s head attempting to enter. During the fourth night after the prediction of Dâniâl, the son of Bakhtanassar came out from the palace, and the watchman, who had awoke from sleep, attacked him with a sword. He shouted: ‘I am thy benefactor and king!’ The watchman, however, replied: ‘Thou art a liar!’ and despatched him, after repeatedly striking and wounding him, to the city of non-existence—or, rather, to the abyss of hell. After the murder of Bakhtanassar’s son, another individual took the bride of dominion into his arms, consulted wise men concerning the captivity of the children of Esrâil, and received the following answer: ‘The afflictions that befell our country took place because we have injured and despised these people. Now, the best for thee will be to allow the children of Esrâil to depart to their country.’ Therefore the king ordered the children of Esrâil to depart to their own land, under the guidance of Dâniâl, with all the ornaments and decorations which Bakhtanassar had conveyed from the Holy House to the capital of his kingdom. In the book entitled Maghâzi it is, however, related that when Abu Mûsa Asha’ri was, during the Khalifate of O’mar, the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b., etc.—appointed governor of the city of Sûs, he happened, during the opening of the doors of the treasuries which had belonged to the viceroy of that place, to reach a locked door, and he ordered it to be opened. The inhabitants of Sûs, however, said: ‘There are no worldly goods in this apartment.’ Abu Mûsa asked: ‘Then what is in it?’ They replied: ‘Here is a thing which thou hast no need of.’ Abu Mûsa would, however, not rest until they had opened the door, whereon he perceived a large sarcophagus of stone, containing the body of a tall and corpulent man, whose nose appeared to be one span long. Abu Mûsa inquired who this individual was, and elicited the information that he was Dâniâl. After further questioning the people how he had come there, they replied: ‘Once there was a great dearth in our country, and the king requested the sovereign of Babel to send Dâniâl, that by the blessing of his advent and the efficacy of his prayers the inhabitants might be delivered of the miseries of famine. The request of our king having been granted, Dâniâl arrived, and by his orisons he procured abundant showers of rain, plenty of provisions, and cheapness of food. Our king would not allow Dâniâl to leave this county, and when he died he was buried in this spot. Whenever we are afflicted by any calamity, we assemble in this place, and pray to the Lord and Granter of requests till he removes the evil from us.’ Abu Mûsa reported this case to the Farûq aa’zim [i.e., to O’mar], and O’mar sent a message to Abu Mûsa to take the corpse of Dâniâl out of the house, to dress it in a new shroud, and to bury it in conformity with the ordinances of the religion, which was accordingly done.