Once there lived a tailor in a capital of a large province of China. His name was Mustafaa. He was so poor that he could not even maintain his family - his wife and a son. His son's name was Alaaddeen. His wife did not bring him up properly so he had developed many bad habits. He was wicked, disobedient, obstinate. As he grew up he went out of the house, roamed around, and came back only in the evening. His father tried his best to teach him tailoring but he could not learn it. After a few months the father died of an illness. His wife closed the shop and sold all the goods of the shop. She used to spin cotton, so whatever she got from it and what she got after selling her husband's shop, she started her family from that money. Alaaddeen was now 15 years old.

One day Aladeen was out in the street when a stranger stood and look at him. This stranger was a magician and he saw all the qualities in Alaaddeen he was looking in order to carry out his plan. He found out about the boy's details and asked him - "Are you not Mustafaa tailor's son?" Alaaddeen replied, - "Yes, I am, but he has died long time ago." The magician put on an act, he kissed him several times and said to him - "Oh, my child. I am your uncle. Your father was my brother. I am so grieved hearing about him." Then he took out some money from his pocket and gave it to him and said - "Go to your mother, and tell her that I will come tomorrow to see her."

Alaaddeen immediately went to his mother and asked her - "Mother, Do I have an uncle?" "No son, You don't have any uncle from your father's side or my side." "But I have just met a man who called himself my uncle and he has given me this money also. See. And he has told me to tell you that he might come tomorrow to see you." His mother said - "Well, He had a brother, but he has died long time ago, and I have never heard of any other one." Next day the magician found the boy playing in another part of the town. He gave him two gold coins and said - "Give these to your mother and tell her that I will come in the evening and have dinner with her."

Alaaddeen went home and told her this to his mother. She waited for his brother the whole day and cooked good food for him. He came in the evening bringing some wine and fruits with him and asked her to show him the place where his brother sat. As she showed him the place, he kissed the place several times and said to her - "You have not seen me because I was out of this country for 40 years. I am sorry I could not see my dear brother." Then he asked the boy's name. The boy said - "My name is Alaaddeen." "What do you do for living?" His mother said - "He doesn't do anything. His father has also not left any money for us. I don't know what to do." And she started weeping.

The magician said - "Don't worry, I will try to help you. I will hire a shop for you and you can sell some fresh stuff there. Thus you will be able to live respectfully." Alaaddeen got very happy to hear this. Next day the magician took him to market and bought some new clothes for him. Alaaddeen's mother was so happy to have such a brother-in-law who was helping her so much. Then he took him to mosques, and other places where rich merchants used to meet. And then he took him to his own Khaan (house). At night he himself escorted him to his home. Alaaddeen's mother thanked him a lot.

Next day he could not hire a shop for him, because it was Friday, and no shop was open on that day, so he took him to gardens out of the city. He showed him many fine houses on the way and thus took him a long way out of the town. Pretending to get tired, he sat down in a garden. He ate something himself and gave something to Alaaddeen also to eat. The magician then took him far from the gardens. Alaaddeen asked - "Uncle, Where are we going? I don't think I can go back to my home from here." Magician said - "I will show you another garden. You have never seen such a garden."

Telling stories on the way, the magician brought Alaaddeen to a valley and asked him to bring some dry sticks. The magician set the fire, threw some incense in it, and spoke some magic words. The earth trembled a little and showed up a square stone with a brass ring to lift it up. Seeing this Alaaddeen got frightened and wanted to run away but the magician caught him and knocked him down. Alaaddeen asked - "What wrong I have done to you, so that you are treating me like this?" The magician said - "I am like your father and own the right to behave like your father. You just obey me. See what I have done with my power. Now there is a hidden treasure here which will be yours, if you behave yourself. This treasure is yours only, because only you can touch it, I cannot touch it."

Alaaddeen got very excited hearing this, he asked him what he had to do to get it. "Lift this stone." "I cannot lift it alone. You have to help me." "No, I cannot, you will have to do this alone. Take your father's and grandfather's names, and then lift it." As Alaaddeen lifted it, he saw that there was a door about 4-5 feet below to go down. The magician said - "Now listen to what I say to you - open this door, you will find steps to go down, go down the steps, and you will be in a large place at the end of the steps. That place is divided into three great halls. In each of the halls you will find four large vessels placed on each side - full of gold and silver, but just do not touch them. Even your clothes should not touch them, so you should tuck your robe up and around your body before you enter the first hall. Then you go in the second hall and then in the third hall without stopping and without even touching the walls, because if you do touch the wall you will die instantly.

At the end of the third hall, you will find a door leading to a garden. Walk down the path across that garden, that will take you to where the five steps are. Climb up those steps and you will be on a terrace. There you will see a lighted lamp. Take the lamp down, put it out, throw away the wick, pour out its oil, hide it under your clothes and bring it to me. Do not care for the oil which might spoil your clothes, because it is not really oil and the lamp will also dry up as soon as it is thrown out. If you wish to have any fruit from the garden, you may have as many as you wish." After this he took out a ring from his finger and put it on Alaaddeen's finger saying that it would guard him against all evils as long as he will put it on.

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