A Tale From The Arabian Nights

A TALE FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

The Caliph, Haroon-ul-Rashid and his grand Vazir disguised themselves as poor men and walked about the streets of Baghdad to know the things for themselves. They did not depend upon the reports of their officials.

They were greatly pleased to see quiet, peace and order everywhere. No thieves or suspicious people were around. Once, when they were returning to the palace, an old blind beggar stopped them and asked for money: "O kind sir, I have had nothing to eat all the day, give me some money to buy food". He was given some money.

The Caliph had the surprise of his life, when he heard the beggar saying, "Kind sir, I ask you to do one more thing for me. Hit me. Hit me hard."

"Why do you ask me to do such a thing?" asked the Caliph. "Sir, said the beggar, "It is right that I should be punished for I have done great wrong in my life". The Caliph said: " Whatever wrong you have done I cannot hit you".

The beggar said, "I accept money from those who hit me. Here, take your money back please".

The Caliph was in a difficult situation. He was puzzled.

Then gently hitting the old man, the Caliph said, "Now you can keep the money. Go and seat something before all shops are closed".

"No", said the beggar, "Hit me hard to hurt me for my evil doing. It is a self-imposed punishment". The Caliph hit him hard. Not as hard as he could but still hard enough to satisfy the old man's troubling conscience, and walked away.

The Caliph was not only puzzled, but he was also curious. He wanted to know the reason of this old man's strange behaviour. The Vazir was asked to make sure that the old blind man was there in the palace before him the next day, after the evening prayers. It was done.

The old man was brought to the palace. He knew where he was and looked at the stranger whom he had met last night was the Caliph. He stood before the great Caliph unafraid. His name was Abdullah. he was born in Baghdad. his parents were rich, but unfortunately, died when he was quite young.

He became a travelling trader. With his ten camels loaded with merchandise, he went from town to town selling it at a profit. In due course, he grew rich.

Riches made him mean-spirited, selfish and greedy. Love is blind, they say; but the love of money leads you to morally blind ways. This was happening to Abdullah though he was unaware of it at that time.

Abdullah was moving towards the climax of his strange story. The Caliph listened with rapt attention.

Loaded with merchandise, Abdullah took his ten camels from Baghdad to a neighbouring town. At midday he stooped for rest near a pond under the shady trees. As if from nowhere, a Dervish appeared. Abdullah welcomed him and offered him to take meals with him. He did. During their meal conversation, the Dervish mentioned about a hidden cave, full of gold, jewels and precious stones in the nearby mountains.

Unloading his camels, Abdullah followed the Dervish to the foot of the hill. Abdullah was planning within himself that he would take all the treasure from the Dervish as he had no need of money or anything. The Dervish read his silent greedy thoughts and was not happy about him.

Abdullah became aware of it. He offered him one, then two, then three load of camels and finally offered to share the treasure equally by taking five camels, each, loaded with the treasure. Thereupon, the Dervish with the help of a magic formula removed a huge rock revealing a cave full of gold and jewels.

The Dervish watched, while Abdullah, like a man possessed, loaded his ten camels. When it was over, the Dervish replaced the rock in the same magical way. With five amels each, they started on their different ways. The greedy Abdullah was going with a heavy heart. "Why should a Dervish need all that money"? he thought.

Abdullah ran after the Dervish and with that plea got one camel back from him. He kept on going back to the Dervish and finally begged all the five camels from him. Telling him, "if a Dervish like you enters a town with camels loaded with gold and jewels, people will ask questions and will take you not as a Dervish but as a thief. Then there will be nothing but trouble for you."

As the Dervish was going away, Abdullah noticed that there was a small box under his arm. Not satisfied with all the gold and jewels, he also begged for the box. It contained magic powder. Poured on left eye it would reveal hidden treasures but was not to be use on the right eye. By the way of advice the Dervish said: "Riches fly away if we keep them for ourselves. The poor are at our gates so that we ma help them and do good." Abdullah never heard what he said.

Looking around and finding the Dervish no longer there, he sprinkled on his left eye the magic powder. Delighted he was for he could see things below the surface of the earth. Carried on by the enthusiasm, without caring for the warning of the Dervish, Abdullah sprinkled some powder on his right eye. Instead of getting more magical power, he went totally blind. He cursed himself and called for help. In the same hoarse voice, he called back his camels; frightened, they ran away.

He cried and pulled his hair. After some days some body took pity on him and brought him back to Baghdad. he was now a blind old beggar, who asked for alms and punishment.

"Baba Abdullah, said the Caliph, "you have done a great wrong, and your punishment has been equally great. No more punishment for you now. You will have a palace to live and enough money for your needs." Baba Abdullah was all praise for the great Caliph.

here...Alas Mrose...the original contents by www.sensualityface.com or www.fairyage.com / described with the help of ARABIAN NIGHTS