83-4 - Noor al-Deen Alee and the Damsel Anees al-Jalees (4 of 4):
Noor is Saved by the Caliph

Seeing the two young people and Ibraaheem, the Caliph got very angry and said to Zaafar - "Come and see yourself, who allowed them to enter here? But by Allaah, I have never seen such beauties before." Then Zaafar also climbed up the tree and saw the same what the Caliph saw just now. He started trembling in fear. In the meantime, Anees asked Ibraaheem to bring some instrument, and Ibraaheem got up and brought the instrument. The Caliph said - "By Allaah, If she did not sing well, I will crucify all of you; but if she will sing well, I will pardon them and crucify only you." Zaafar prayed - "O Allaah, Let her not sing well." "Why?" "Because then you will crucify all of us, so at least we all will have each other's company." The Caliph laughed at his speech.

The girl started singing and she sang so well that the Caliph's anger went away. Zaafar got very happy to see this and both came down. Now the Caliph insisted that he would like to hear her music sitting with them. Zaafar stopped him doing so saying - "The girl might be frightened by this, and Ibraaheem might die with embarrassment." The Caliph said - "Then tell me some other way so that I can listen to her music sitting there only."

They went to the banks of Tigris and presently saw a fisherman fishing, standing near the pavilion window. Now only a few days ago the Caliph asked Ibraaheem to stop all fisherman fishing there. The Caliph went to the fisherman and called him - "Kareem." Kareem started trembling with fear and asked his forgiveness saying - "It is only because of poverty, Sir." The Caliph asked him to cast his net in his name, which he did and caught many fishes. The Caliph warned him not to do this again. Then he exchanged his coarse woolen coat and the turban never unwound for three years with his own clothes and asked him to go his way. The fisherman thanked him for his kindness and went away.

The Caliph took up the basket of fish, put some green grass over it and went to Zaafar. Zaafar took him as Kareem and asked him to go from there immediately. The Caliph laughed and said - "When you, my Vazeer, could not recognize me, then how can anyone else can recognize me, so I am OK now. Let us go to those people now." And the all went there where the trio were making merriment. The Caliph knocked the door and Ibraaheem asked - "Who is it?" The Caliph said - "I am Kareem. I saw you making some feast so I have brought you some fish." Ibraaheem saw the fresh fish still jumping in the basket. The girl said - "If these fish were fried." Ibraaheem asked Kareem - "Why didn't you bring us these fish already fried?" "So be it."

The Caliph first went to Zaafar and told him that they wanted the fish fried, and then he went to gardener's hut to fry the fish. When it was ready, he laid them on a banana leaf along with fresh fruits, lemon, lime etc, all gathered from the garden and presented to them. All of them ate them and got very happy. Noor took out three Deenaars and giving them to the fisherman said - "If I had known you before what has befallen me, I would have made you rich; but for now this is the only thing I can give to you."

Keeping the money in his pocket, the Caliph said - "That is fine, but tell your girl to sing loudly so that I can also hear it." Anees sang so well that the Caliph exclaimed - "By Allaah, it is very good." Then he said to Noor al-Deen - "You are fortunate to have such a good girl." Anees again sang some more lines. Noor also accompanied her. Their song told the Caliph that he deceived her master and he had a claim on them. So the caliph asked Noor as who was it? Noor asked - "Will you hear my story in prose or verses?" The Caliph answered - "The prose is a wordy thing but the verses are pearls on strings." The Noor told him his story in verses. The Caliph asked him where did he want to go now. "Anywhere, Allaah's world is wide."

The Caliph said - "I will write a letter to the Sultaan Muhammad bin Sulaimaan al-Zainee and he will not hurt you after reading that." Noor laughed and said - "What? On a fisherman's letter to the Sultaan, the Sultaan will not hurt me?"

On the 38th Night

The Caliph said - "You are right, but what happened that we both attended the same school under one schoolmaster. I was his monitor. Allaah made him the Sultaan and me the fisherman. Since that day, I do not ask him anything still he takes care of me." "OK, Then write the letter, so that I may see."

The Caliph took ink and a pen and wrote a letter to the Sultaan that as soon as he receives this letter from Haaroon al-Rasheed, he should invest all powers to Noor as before. Do not disobey me. Noor took he letter, kept it in his turban and started for Basaraa.

So Noor came to Basaraa, went to the Sultaan, kissed the ground before him and presented the Caliph's letter to him. The Sultaan took the letter, kissed it three times and after reading it, he called four Qaazees and the Ameers and was about to divest his royal robe, that al-Mueen came in. The Sultaan gave him the Caliph's letter. He read it and tore it to pieces. The Sultaan got very angry at this asked him - "What did you do?" Al-Mueen said - "This man has never met the Caliph and his Vazeer. He has got some paper written in Caliph's handwriting which served his purpose. The Caliph would certainly not send him to take the Saltanat from you without the imperial autograph and the Diploma of investiture; and he would have certainly dispatched with him an official or a Minister. He has come alone, so he has not come from the Caliph, never, never."

The Sultaan asked him - "Then what is to be done?" "Leave him to me, I will send him back to Bagadaad city under the charge of an official. If he is speaking truth, they will send him again with autograph and investiture. And if not, I will take my due out of this debtor." So the Sultaan handed him over to al-Mueen. Al-Mueen took him to his house and beat him till he fainted. Then he put chains in his feet and took him to the jail. He kept him there in an underground cell and tortured him day and night. But the jailor who was given his charge treated him kindly. He loosened his chains and did not beat him.

On the 41st day, a present came from the Caliph for the Sultaan, so the Sultaan got very happy, but then he came to know that it was not for him, but for the new Sultaan. Al-Mueen said - "It had been better if we had put him to death the day he came." The Sultaan said - "Go and fetch him so that I can cut his head." Then he announced in the city that "Whoever would like to see beheading Noor, let him come to the palace." When people heard this they wept, even the little ones, merchants, traders.

The jailor took off his clean clothes and dressed him in two filthy vests and took him to the Vazeer. The Vazeer ordered Noor to mount on the bare back of a mule and ask people to throw stones at him. Noor said - "Do not do so. Nobody dies before his death day is decreed." But they gave him a round of the city and brought him beneath the palace windows. The executioner came and asked him - "I am but  slave in this matter, tell me your desire so that I may fulfill it." Noor looked to his left and to his right, before and behind him and asked him some water to drink. He brought some water for him, but Vazeer sprang up from his place, took the pot from his hand and broke it. Then he cried at the executioner to cut his head.

So he covered his eyes, and a loud wail rose from the crowd. At the same moment, a cloud of dust rose. The Sultaan asked al-Mueen to find out about it, he replied - "Not until we have beheaded him." "No, Wait till we have found out what is this all about?" Now this dust was because Zaafar was coming with his people. What happened is that the Caliph did not remember Noor for 30 days, nor anybody reminded him, till one day when he was passing by Anees' room and he heard her weeping and singing.

He entered her room and asked her - "Who are you?" "I am the one whom Noor gave you as a gift, and you promised him to send me to him with the robe of honor. I have not slept for 30 days." So the Caliph said to Zaafar - "We have not heard anything from Noor and I suppose that the Sultaan has slain him, but if this has happened, I will slay him whoever is the cause of this. So you go to Basaraa and bring the news of my cousin Muhammad as how he had dealt with Noor. Tell him the whole story of Noor and how I sent him to him with my written order. Bring the Sultaan and his Vazeer to me."

So Zaafar set out to Basaraa and reached there in time. He asked - "What is this gathering?" The people told him about Noor. He quickly came to the Sultaan and told him the purpose of his coming. He took the custody of the King and his Vazeer, released Noor, and enthroned him as the Sultaan. He stayed in Basaraa for three days. On the 4th day morning Noor said - "I long to see the Caliph." Zaafar said - "OK, Say your prayers, and get ready for the journey." The Vazeer was repenting for what he had done with Noor.

When they had come to Bagadaad and the Caliph found that Noor was at the point of death, he gave a sword to him and asked him to cut the head of his enemy. He too the sword, stepped up to al-Mueen who looked at him and said - "I did according to my mother's milk, you do according to yours." Upon this, Noor threw the sword and said to the Caliph - "He has flattered me with his words." The Caliph said - "Leave him then." Then he said to Masaroor - "You cut his head." So Masaroor rose and cut his head.

The Caliph asked Noor to ask for a boon from him. He said - "I don't need the kingship of Basaraa, I wish to serve you only just by seeing you." So the Caliph sent for Anees, bestowed plentiful favors upon both and gave them one of his palaces in Bagadaad. He made Noor one of his cup-companions. Noor lived there till his death came.

End of Story No 83