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ahlulbaytnetworks · 1 year ago

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🍂🥀🍂 Umm ul-Banin 🍂🥀🍂

Abdulkarim Paknia(1)

Translated by Mahboobeh Morshedian

🥀 Abstract 🥀

Fatima bint Hazam, or Umm ul-Banin (sa), was known for her noble lineage, upright morals, and enduring devotion toward the Ahlulbayt (pbbuta). After having been wed to Imam Ali (as) and raising his children after the death of his first wife, Lady Fatima (sa), she displayed excellence in her responsibilities as a wife and mother of the orphaned children.

She favored the Imam’s children over her own, and this was especially seen as she was more grieved upon the news of Imam Hussain’s (as) martyrdom than of the death of her own four sons who were martyred with him. It was after the tragedy of Karbala that Umm ul-Banin (sa) undertook the role of publicizing the event, conveying the message of the noble martyrs, and perpetuating the path of Imamate through her sermons, elegies, and lamentation.

🥀 A Descendant of the Brave 🥀

Fatima bint Hazam al-Kilabiyya (sa) notably known as Hazrat Umm ul-Banin or “mother of several sons” was a descendant of a valiant family. Her father Hazam, was the son of Khalid ibn Rabiah ibn Kilab. His respected mother, called Leila or Shamamah, came from the family of Sahl ibn Amir ibn Malik ibn Jafar ibn Kilab, all brave Arab forefathers well-known in the region of Hijaz. Also, Hazrat Umm ul-Banin (sa) was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad’s (S) great-grandfather, Abd Manaf, through some generations.(2)

In his book Maqatil-a-Talibin, Abul-Faraj Isfahani spoke of her.(3) According to historical accounts, Umm ul-Banin’s (sa) paternal and maternal uncles were both among the valiant Arabs in the pre- Islamic era. Historians praise them for their courageousness in the battlefields. Besides heroism, they were the chiefs and leaders of their tribe so much that the former Sultans succumbed to them.

Thus, the family of Hazrat Umm ul-Banin (sa) was pre-eminent among the noblemen of their time in terms of honor, valor, nobility, and hospitality. Umm ul-Banin (sa) inherited these lofty characteristics from her ancestors, integrated them with what she learned from the family of revelation, and passed them on to her children.

🥀 Her Marriage to the Commander of the Faithful (as)

After the Master of the Pious, Imam Ali, (as) had lost Hazrat Zahra (sa); that is, after the wretched of the time had martyred her, his young children needed a mother who would be affectionate towards them while simultaneously being his comforting wife. Hence, Imam Ali (as) approached his brother, Aqil, a genealogist in the Arab world, and asked, “From among the Arabs, choose a lady as my wife, someone who is a descendant of the brave Arabs and can bear me a magnanimous and valiant son.” After giving it some consideration, Aqil suggested that the Imam marry Umm ul-Banin Kilabiyyah (sa) because no Arab was found braver than her forefathers. Imam Ali (as) liked his brother’s idea and sent him to propose to her on his behalf.(4)

🥀 The Importance of a Noble Family

Taking into account the noble blood of the bride, the Imam taught his followers a moral lesson: “Good manners demonstrate a pure lineage and excellent family origin.”(5)

There is no doubt that taking familial nobility into account in marriage is necessary as the characteristics of forefathers and parents are very likely (and of course, not necessarily) to influence the children’s behavior. Of course, to the Imam, noble blood was not only essential for marriage, it is an essential quality in a ruler in order to run a state and government, which is no less important than family. He emphasized on associating with noble people in his letter to Malik Ashtar:

You should associate with decent (and virtuous) people who have been (raised) in noble families, have a good record, and live with a good reputation. It is also so with people who are of valor, munificence, and magnanimity because such people are the center of bounty and the branch of the tree of beneficence and virtue.(6)

🥀 The Auspicious Marriage

When Aqil proposed to Umm ul-Banin (sa) on Imam Ali’s (as) behalf, the Hizam family was overjoyed; they welcomed him with open arms, taking great pride in this proposal.(7) However, the father politely asked Aqil for some time to seek the opinions of both Umm ul-Banin (sa) and her mother, Shamamah, daughter of Suheil.

🥀 The Joyful Dream

When Umm ul-Banin’s (sa) father went to his wife and daughter to ask for their opinion, he listened to his daughter describing her last night’s dream to her mother:

"Oh mother! I dreamed that I was in a green luxuriant garden. There were flowing brooks and many fruits. The moon and stars were shining. I was staring at them, thinking about the greatness of creation, Allah’s creatures and the sky lying above without any pillar as well as the light of the moon and stars…I was lost in these thoughts when the moon came down from the sky and lay on my lap. It was glowing so brightly that I was dazzled. Completely stunned, I saw four other bright stars descend on my lap, too."

Upon hearing the true dream of his daughter, Hizam ibn Khalid was delighted and gave her the glad tidings, saying, “Surely Allah, the Blessed, the Almighty, has turned your dream into a reality. I give you the good news of felicity in both this world and the hereafter!” Then, he told his wife, “Do you find our daughter, Fatimah, qualified enough to be Imam Ali’s (as) wife? Know that his house is the house of revelation, prophethood, knowledge, wisdom, courtesy, and good manners. If you find your daughter deserving of this house, let’s agree with this blessed marriage!”

“Oh Hizam! By Allah, I trained her well and I have requested the Almighty Allah to make her extremely happy. You can give Imam Ali her hand in marriage,” Shamamah said.

"Consequently, they gave Aqil a positive response, their heart swelled with great pride. Thereby, the ties of marriage united Umm ul-Banin (sa) and Imam Ali (as) forever. From the very beginning of the marriage, Imam Ali found Fatima Kilabiyyah (sa), who was still young, a woman of complete wisdom, deep, firm faith, and lofty manners of high characteristics. He esteemed her and wholeheartedly strove to revere her."

Hazrat Umm ul-Banin (sa) was also a truly dutiful wife. In addition to training righteous children, she showed maximum loyalty to the Imam. After the martyrdom of Imam Ali (as), although she maintained her youth and extreme beauty, she did not remarry in respect to her great husband.(8)

🥀 Devotion to the Prophet’s (S) Household

Without doubt, Umm ul-Banin (sa) was a devoted lady, all too aware of the rights of the Prophet’s Household. She loved them sincerely and dedicated herself to their friendship. They also considered her of lofty status and worthy position.

Her devotion was especially witnessed during the Battle of Karbala. Upon the return of the caravan of Karbala to Medina, Umm ul-Banin (sa) asked Bashir,

“Oh Bashir! What news do you have about Aba Abdallah al-Hussain (as)?”

Bashir instead told her of the martyrdom of her four sons. She said,

“Oh Bashir! With such a bad news, you shocked and scared me to death. Tell me about Hussain (as). May my offspring and all what is under the blue sky be sacrificed for Aba Abdallah al-Hussain (as).”

Bashir replied,

“May Allah grant you a great reward for the tragedy that happened to our master, Imam Hussain (as).”(9)

These words of Umm ul-Banin (sa) demonstrate the power of her faith as well as her great adherence to Imam Hussain (as). Her statement, “If Imam Hussain (as) is alive, the martyrdom of all my four sons does not matter,” reveals the elevated level of her faith.(10)

Umm ul-Banin’s (sa) unaffected love for the Prophet’s (S) offspring and sacrifices of her children for Imam Hussain (as) produced an effect in this world as well. The Prophet’s Household did their best to respect and esteem Umm ul-Banin (sa) and her sons, not failing to express gratitude to them.

🥀 A Loving Mother to Lady Fatima al-Zahra’s (sa) Children

Umm ul-Banin (sa) tried to fill the gap left by the loss of a mother for the children of Hazrat Zahra (sa), particularly for the Prophet’s two sons – Imam Hasan (as) and Imam Hussain (as).

The Holy Prophet’s (S) offspring found their mother in this pious lady and felt the pain of loss of a mother reduce. Umm ul-Banin (sa) preferred the children of the Prophet’s (S) daughter, who were the very epitome of perfection, to her own and showed them more care and affection.

Knowing their greatness, Umm ul-Banin (sa) sought to be at their service; she did not deny them anything. The very day she moved in with Imam Ali’s (as) household, both Imam Hasan (as) and Imam Hussain (as) were sick and confined to bed. But as soon as the bride of Abu Talib’s (as) Household entered the house, she soothed and nurtured them like a kind mother.

It is written that when Umm ul-Banin (sa) married Imam Ali (as), she suggested that he call her ‘Umm ul-Banin,’ her nickname,11 instead of Fatima – her name at birth – so that Imam Hasan (as) and Imam Hussain (as) might not recall their mother by hearing the name ‘Fatima’. This prevented their bitter past from being stirred up and feeling the pain of being motherless.(12)

🥀 Raising Righteous Children

Umm ul-Banin (sa) gave birth to four sons: Abbas, Abdallah, Uthman, and Ja’far (pbbuta).13 The prominent one was Hazrat Abbas (ra), who was born on the 4th of Sha’ban, 26 A.H. in Medina.(14)

All these four young men trained by Umm ul-Banin (sa) were influenced by the lofty traits of their holy father in the first place; they also learned good manners, especially altruism from their virtuous mother. Each was an embodiment of virtues such as valor, decency, nobleness, and magnanimity.

When Imam Ali (as) was martyred, Umm ul-Banin’s (ra) oldest son – Abbas ibn Ali (ra) – was about 14 years old, with his other brothers younger than him. After the martyrdom of their holy father, their mother’s sacrifices and Imam Hasan (as) and Imam Hussain’s (as) guidance showed them the right way.

This self-sacrificing lady wholeheartedly devoted her youth and energy to training and raising the offspring of Imam Ali (as). As a loving and concerned mother, she was at their service. All Umm ul-Banin’s (sa) children were trained most appropriately. Finally, following the rightful Imam and with complete willingness, they sacrificed their lives for the exaltation of the truth.

🥀 Matchless Forbearance

The following are two instances of this angelic lady’s patience in hardships:

According to historians, once Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (as), put Abbas (ra) on his lap, folded up his sleeves, and started kissing his arms, weeping bitterly. Astounded by the scene, Umm ul-Banin (ra) asked the Imam,

“Why do you weep?”

Softly and sadly the Imam answered,

“I am looking at these two arms because they remind me of what will happen to them.”

“What will happen to them?” Umm ul-Banin (as) asked fearfully and hastily.

Imam Ali (as) sadly replied,

“They will be cut off from the forearm.”

These words hit her like a lightning and her heart sank. Then, she anxiously asked,

“Why?”

The Imam (as) informed her that the arms of her son will be cut off while defending his brother, protecting the Divine Shari‘ah, and the Prophet’s daughter (sa). Umm ul-Banin (sa) wept bitterly along with women around her.(15)

At this moment, Umm ul-Banin (sa) showed her great profound faith and forbearance. She also expressed gratitude to Allah that her son would display utmost loyalty and be sacrificed for the Prophet’s (S) son and daughter.

Likewise, her well-known words on hearing the news of martyrdom of all her four sons revealed her patience and tolerance and adorned the history of Karbala. While Bashir told the news of martyrdom of 34-year-old Abbas, 24-year-old Abdallah, 21-year-old Uthman, and 19-year-old Ja’far (pbbuta) to the mother, she showed patience and only asked about Imam Hussain (as).16 She said,

“Tell me about Hussain”

and when she received the news of Imam Hussain’s (as) martyrdom she said,

“All of the arteries of my heart are torn. May all of my children and whatever that exist under this azure heaven be sacrificed for the sake of Imam Hussain.”

🥀 Umm al-Banin (sa) and

Ashura Poems

Sayyid Muhsen Amin said about Umm al-Banin (sa),

“She was an eloquent poet, from a noble and brave family.”(17)

When women addressed her as Umm ul-Banin (sa) and expressed condolences to her, she composed the following lines:

“Oh women of Medina! Do not call me Umm ul-Banin and do not know me as the mother of the hunting lions anymore.

I had some sons, because of whom I was called Um al-Banin. But now there is no son left for me and I have lost all of them.

Yes, I had four hawks [sons], which were shot and whose jugular veins were cut.

The enemies slashed their pure bodies with their spears. My sons ended the day while they were on the ground with severed bodies.

If only I could know if it is true that they cut off the arms of my son, Abbas?”18

Another poem of hers reads as follows:

“Oh the one who saw (my dear son) Abbas (the son of Haidar al-Karrar) attacking like his father fighting with cowardly enemies! Oh the one who saw Ali’s other sons, each of which was like a hunting lion – fighting around him!

I was informed that my son Abbas was hit with a metal stick on his head while his arms had been already cut off. Woe to my lion cub (Abbas), who was hit with a metal stick on his head!

Oh my son, Abbas! If [your arms were not cut off] and you had a sword in your hand, no one would dare to approach you.”(19)

According to Imam al-Baqir (as), After the event of Karbala, whenever Umm ul-Banin (sa) heard of the martyrdom of her sons, particularly the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (as), she used to go to Baqi‘ cemetery in Medina, where she resided, and commemorated them while in deep grief for those godly men. The people of Medina joined her to listen to her words besides merely mourning their martyrdom. This was so touching that even Marwan – an enemy of the Prophet’s (S) Household – was moved to tears by Umm ul-Banin’s (sa) elegies and lamentation.

A main feature of Umm ul-Banin’s (sa) poems was her awareness of the then political events and relevant affairs. After the event of Karbala, she was able to convey the message of the oppressed and truth-seeking martyrs of Ashura to the future generations; she also could awaken the unaware people to the truth through her art of reciting elegies of the martyrs of Karbala.

🥀 Her extraordinary acts and spiritual status

Umm ul-Banin (sa) was also known for her spiritual status and extraordinary. The following refers to one of this mystic’s numerous miracles:

A Sterile Hanafi Couple become Fertile

In the city of Kut, Iraq, there was a mourning session held for Hazrat Umm ul-Banin (sa) in the house of Hajiyyah Um Abd-ul-Amir in Muharram 11th- 20th.

While these mourning sessions were being held, a Hanafi family moved to this neighborhood. Vazirah – an infertile woman– was a member of this family, who could not have a baby after 10 years of marriage and had lost all her hopes. Her neighbors told her, “Why don’t you invoke Umm al-Banin?” Vazirah answered, “It’s no use doing it since medicine could not do anything for me. I even used traditional medicines and fasted on the birthday of Zakariyya, but it was no use.”

“Whoever eats the ritual meal which is offered to commemorate the personality of Umm ul-Banin (sa) and considers her an intermediary between him and Allah, his prayer will be granted. Why don’t you do so? Allah may grant you a daughter and you can name her ‘Fatima’ after the blessed Umm ul-Banin (sa),” they said.

Looking at them silently and anxiously, Vazirah suddenly started to speak and anxiously told them, “Ok, but provided this is between you and me. My husband and family must not know anything about it.” They replied, “Alright, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow come to Hajiyyah’s house, where a mourning session is held, ending with Marthiya (an elegiac poem recited to commemorate the martyrdom or suffering) of Umm ul-Banin (sa).”

Filled with both fear and hope, Vazirah left home to Hajiyyah Um Abd-ul-Amir’s, veiling her face. She was distraught, sweating with shame. The nearer she got to the mourning session, the faster her heart beat. To her, the voice of the Marsiya reciter had a pleasant tune and pinned her hopes on getting rid of psychological pain. She entered the house, and took part in the mourning session.

When the Marsiya reciter finished with the elegies that triggered lamentation for Umm ul-Banin (sa), he prayed that the sick would be healed. Then a ritual meal was offered to commemorate the personality of Umm ul-Banin (sa) and the women present there asked for blessings by eating the food served. They were sitting around the table on which the ritual meal was served, praying that the sick would be healed and their requests granted. With her trembling hands, Vazirah took some food, got up, and left the house in tears. Hoping that they would be healed, her husband and Vazirah ate that food at night.

After about one month, Vazirah began to feel different; she suffered from dizziness and chest pain and she lost her appetite. She slept a lot and had difficulty going to the crowded places. She also struggled with housework and was especially feeling anxious.

Her husband noticed these changes and was concerned. They went to a doctor who assured them that those were symptoms of pregnancy. In order to ensure that it was true, the doctor recommended they undergo a laboratory test the next day. Upon hearing the news, they were delighted.

The next day, the couple found the test result positive. They went back home and performed prostration in gratitude to Allah. The news of her pregnancy spread among their relatives and their home was replete with joy. But she continued to hide the vow she made.

Months passed quickly and finally the ninth month came. In the early spring and just before the call to the Morning Prayer, she gave birth to a girl, delighting everybody. Vazirah said, “In order to be blessed, let’s name the baby Fatimah,” but her in-laws disagreed and said, “Name her Ayishah.” To resolve any disagreement, they named her Boshra.(20)

🥀 Demise

Eventually, the godly life of Umm ul-Banin (sa), which was replete with affection and struggle, came to an end about ten years after the event of Karbala. During her blessed life, she conveyed the message of the martyrs and perpetuated the path of Imamate; in other words, she completed her mission.

After the heartrending event of Karbala, she accomplished her political and social mission, namely keeping the eternal heroic event of Ashura alive in the best way possible. Umm ul-Banin (sa) passed away in 69 A.H. and was buried in Baqi‘ cemetery next to the Prophet’s (S) aunts Safiyyah and ‘Atikah, the four Shi‘a Infallible Imams,(21) and other luminaries of Islam.(22)

In his praise of Umm ul-Banin (sa), Sheikh Ahmad Dajili, a well- known Arab poet wrote:

Oh Umm al-Banin (sa)! What sublime characteristics you enjoy! Due to the sorrow that came upon you (because of) your faith, you will be remembered forever.

🥀 Conclusion

The dream Umm ul-Banin (sa) saw prior to Imam Ali’s proposal to her proved to be true. Indeed, she spent her life luxuriously in terms of reaping abundant blessings in this world that would guarantee her a successful afterlife. Best known for her deep love for Allah and the Ahlulbayt (pbbuta), she adopted the role of being a faithful wife and an affectionate mother.

In raising her own four sons, she passed her adoration for the Household (pbbuta) to them, ensuring that they display loyalty to the Chief of the Martyrs, Imam Hussain (as). After the tragedy of Karbala, through her undying grief and her talent in elegies, she persevered in keeping the message of Karbala alive.

✧༺♥༻∞　　 ∞༺♥༻✧

🥀 Sources 🥀

1. A religious scholar in the Islamic

Seminaries of Qum.

2. Umda-tul-Matalib, Ibn Anbah, Najaf,

Al-Matba'ah al-Haydariyyah Publications,

(1380 A.H) (page. 356)

3. Maqatil-a-Talibin, Abul-Faraj Isfahani,

Najaf, al-Haidariyyah Publications,

(1385 A.H) (page. 53)

4. Umda-tul- Matalib, Ibn Anbah,

(page. 357)

5. Oyun-al-Hikam wal Mawa’iz,

Ali ibn Muhammad Laithi, Dar-al-Hadith

Publications, (page. 228)

6. Mustadrak-ul-Wasail, Mirza Hussain

Nuri, Qum. Alal-Bait Institute,

(1408 A.H) (vol. 13, pg. 164)

7. Al-Aqilah wal Fawatim, Hussein Shakiri,

Qum. Setareh Publications.,

(1421 A.H) (page. 17)

8. Bihar-al-Anwar, Allameh Majlisi, Beirut,

al-Wafa Institute, (1403 A.H)

(vol. 42, page. 74)

9. Tanqih-ul-Maqal, Sheikh Abdallah

Mamaqani, old edition, (vol. 2, page. 128)

10. Ibid, (page. 128)

11. Kunyah; An honorific widely used in

place of given names through the Arab

world and in the medieval Muslim world,

typically deriving from the name of the

bearer’s first-born son.

12. Al-Aqila wal Fawatim, Husayn Shakiri,

(page. 118)

13. Bihar-al-Anwar, Allameh Majlisi,

Section 120, About His Offspring and

Wives, (vol. 42, pg. 92)

14. Al-Aqilah wal Fawatim, Hussain Shakiri,

(page. 119)

15. Qamar of Bani Hashim

(The Hashimite Moon),

Abdu-Razzaq Muqarram, Heidariyyah

Publications, Najaf, (1369 A.H)

(page. 19)

16. Ibid.

17. A’yan al-Shiah, Sayyid Muhsen Amin,

Beirut, Dar-a-Ta’arif Publications,

(vol. 3, pg. 475)

18. Al-Aqila wal Fawatim, Husayn Shakiri,

(page. 124)

19. Absar al-Ain fi Ansar al-Hussain (as),

Sheikh Muhammad Samawi, Zamzam of

Guidance Publications, (1384 solar)

(page. 63)

20. The Splendid Personality of the

Hashimite Moon, Abol-Fazl al-Abbas

(ra), Ali Rabbani Khalkahali,

(vol. 2) abridged.

21. I.e. Imam Hasan (as), Imam Sajjad (as),

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) and

Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (as).

22. Kalimat-u-Taqwa, Muhammd Amin

Zain-u-Din, Qum, Ismailian Publications,

(1413 A.H) (vol. 2, page. 511)

A contemporary researcher does not

agree with the current burial place of

Umm al-Banin (sa) in Baqi cemetery.

He believes Hazrat Abbas’s (sa) mother

was buried somewhere else. The

History of the Holy Shrine of Imams in

Baqi‘, Muhammad Sadiq Najmi, Sher

Publications, (1385 solar) Tehran,

(pp. 275-276)

✧༺♥༻∞　　 ∞༺♥༻✧

🍂🥀🍂 al-islam.org 🍂🥀🍂

0 notes

loverandservantoftheahlulbayt · 1 year ago

Text

🍂🥀🍂 Umm ul-Banin 🍂🥀🍂

Abdulkarim Paknia(1)

Translated by Mahboobeh Morshedian

🥀 Abstract 🥀

🥀 A Descendant of the Brave 🥀

🥀 Her Marriage to the Commander of the Faithful (as)

🥀 The Importance of a Noble Family

Taking into account the noble blood of the bride, the Imam taught his followers a moral lesson: “Good manners demonstrate a pure lineage and excellent family origin.”(5)

🥀 The Auspicious Marriage

🥀 The Joyful Dream

When Umm ul-Banin’s (sa) father went to his wife and daughter to ask for their opinion, he listened to his daughter describing her last night’s dream to her mother:

“Oh Hizam! By Allah, I trained her well and I have requested the Almighty Allah to make her extremely happy. You can give Imam Ali her hand in marriage,” Shamamah said.

🥀 Devotion to the Prophet’s (S) Household

Her devotion was especially witnessed during the Battle of Karbala. Upon the return of the caravan of Karbala to Medina, Umm ul-Banin (sa) asked Bashir,

“Oh Bashir! What news do you have about Aba Abdallah al-Hussain (as)?”

Bashir instead told her of the martyrdom of her four sons. She said,

Bashir replied,

“May Allah grant you a great reward for the tragedy that happened to our master, Imam Hussain (as).”(9)

🥀 A Loving Mother to Lady Fatima al-Zahra’s (sa) Children

Umm ul-Banin (sa) tried to fill the gap left by the loss of a mother for the children of Hazrat Zahra (sa), particularly for the Prophet’s two sons – Imam Hasan (as) and Imam Hussain (as).

🥀 Raising Righteous Children

Umm ul-Banin (sa) gave birth to four sons: Abbas, Abdallah, Uthman, and Ja’far (pbbuta).13 The prominent one was Hazrat Abbas (ra), who was born on the 4th of Sha’ban, 26 A.H. in Medina.(14)

🥀 Matchless Forbearance

The following are two instances of this angelic lady’s patience in hardships:

“Why do you weep?”

Softly and sadly the Imam answered,

“I am looking at these two arms because they remind me of what will happen to them.”

“What will happen to them?” Umm ul-Banin (as) asked fearfully and hastily.

Imam Ali (as) sadly replied,

“They will be cut off from the forearm.”

These words hit her like a lightning and her heart sank. Then, she anxiously asked,

“Why?”

“Tell me about Hussain”

and when she received the news of Imam Hussain’s (as) martyrdom she said,

“All of the arteries of my heart are torn. May all of my children and whatever that exist under this azure heaven be sacrificed for the sake of Imam Hussain.”

🥀 Umm al-Banin (sa) and

Ashura Poems

Sayyid Muhsen Amin said about Umm al-Banin (sa),

“She was an eloquent poet, from a noble and brave family.”(17)

When women addressed her as Umm ul-Banin (sa) and expressed condolences to her, she composed the following lines:

“Oh women of Medina! Do not call me Umm ul-Banin and do not know me as the mother of the hunting lions anymore.

I had some sons, because of whom I was called Um al-Banin. But now there is no son left for me and I have lost all of them.

Yes, I had four hawks [sons], which were shot and whose jugular veins were cut.

The enemies slashed their pure bodies with their spears. My sons ended the day while they were on the ground with severed bodies.

If only I could know if it is true that they cut off the arms of my son, Abbas?”18

Another poem of hers reads as follows:

I was informed that my son Abbas was hit with a metal stick on his head while his arms had been already cut off. Woe to my lion cub (Abbas), who was hit with a metal stick on his head!

Oh my son, Abbas! If [your arms were not cut off] and you had a sword in your hand, no one would dare to approach you.”(19)

🥀 Her extraordinary acts and spiritual status

Umm ul-Banin (sa) was also known for her spiritual status and extraordinary. The following refers to one of this mystic’s numerous miracles:

A Sterile Hanafi Couple become Fertile

In the city of Kut, Iraq, there was a mourning session held for Hazrat Umm ul-Banin (sa) in the house of Hajiyyah Um Abd-ul-Amir in Muharram 11th- 20th.

🥀 Demise

In his praise of Umm ul-Banin (sa), Sheikh Ahmad Dajili, a well- known Arab poet wrote:

Oh Umm al-Banin (sa)! What sublime characteristics you enjoy! Due to the sorrow that came upon you (because of) your faith, you will be remembered forever.

🥀 Conclusion

✧༺♥༻∞　　 ∞༺♥༻✧

🥀 Sources 🥀

1. A religious scholar in the Islamic

Seminaries of Qum.

2. Umda-tul-Matalib, Ibn Anbah, Najaf,

Al-Matba'ah al-Haydariyyah Publications,

(1380 A.H) (page. 356)

3. Maqatil-a-Talibin, Abul-Faraj Isfahani,

Najaf, al-Haidariyyah Publications,

(1385 A.H) (page. 53)

4. Umda-tul- Matalib, Ibn Anbah,

(page. 357)

5. Oyun-al-Hikam wal Mawa’iz,

Ali ibn Muhammad Laithi, Dar-al-Hadith

Publications, (page. 228)

6. Mustadrak-ul-Wasail, Mirza Hussain

Nuri, Qum. Alal-Bait Institute,

(1408 A.H) (vol. 13, pg. 164)

7. Al-Aqilah wal Fawatim, Hussein Shakiri,

Qum. Setareh Publications.,

(1421 A.H) (page. 17)

8. Bihar-al-Anwar, Allameh Majlisi, Beirut,

al-Wafa Institute, (1403 A.H)

(vol. 42, page. 74)

9. Tanqih-ul-Maqal, Sheikh Abdallah

Mamaqani, old edition, (vol. 2, page. 128)

10. Ibid, (page. 128)

11. Kunyah; An honorific widely used in

place of given names through the Arab

world and in the medieval Muslim world,

typically deriving from the name of the

bearer’s first-born son.

12. Al-Aqila wal Fawatim, Husayn Shakiri,

(page. 118)

13. Bihar-al-Anwar, Allameh Majlisi,

Section 120, About His Offspring and

Wives, (vol. 42, pg. 92)

14. Al-Aqilah wal Fawatim, Hussain Shakiri,

(page. 119)

15. Qamar of Bani Hashim

(The Hashimite Moon),

Abdu-Razzaq Muqarram, Heidariyyah

Publications, Najaf, (1369 A.H)

(page. 19)

16. Ibid.

17. A’yan al-Shiah, Sayyid Muhsen Amin,

Beirut, Dar-a-Ta’arif Publications,

(vol. 3, pg. 475)

18. Al-Aqila wal Fawatim, Husayn Shakiri,

(page. 124)

19. Absar al-Ain fi Ansar al-Hussain (as),

Sheikh Muhammad Samawi, Zamzam of

Guidance Publications, (1384 solar)

(page. 63)

20. The Splendid Personality of the

Hashimite Moon, Abol-Fazl al-Abbas

(ra), Ali Rabbani Khalkahali,

(vol. 2) abridged.

21. I.e. Imam Hasan (as), Imam Sajjad (as),

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) and

Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (as).

22. Kalimat-u-Taqwa, Muhammd Amin

Zain-u-Din, Qum, Ismailian Publications,

(1413 A.H) (vol. 2, page. 511)

A contemporary researcher does not

agree with the current burial place of

Umm al-Banin (sa) in Baqi cemetery.

He believes Hazrat Abbas’s (sa) mother

was buried somewhere else. The

History of the Holy Shrine of Imams in

Baqi‘, Muhammad Sadiq Najmi, Sher

Publications, (1385 solar) Tehran,

(pp. 275-276)

✧༺♥༻∞　　 ∞༺♥༻✧

🍂🥀🍂 al-islam.org 🍂🥀🍂

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arabellaflynn · 5 years ago

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Advent Calendar: "Gulnare Of The Sea"

From The Arabian Nights: Their Best Known Tales. Edited by Kate Douglas Wiggin & Nora A. Smith. Charles Scribners Sons, 1909, New York. I had a hell of a time picking something from the Arabian Nights (original title: ألف ليلة و ليلة‎, "Alf-layla wa layla", 'The thousand nights and one night') for this. It's easy to find collections of the best-known stories, but all of the collections that have passed into the public domain in the US are Victorian or Edwardian, and involve content that would not pass muster today. The point at which any given story contained a jump scare in the form of "a monstrous black" coming out of nowhere, in the same tone we'd use for "a giant slobbering ogre" now, was the point at which I stopped reading. I ultimately went with Gulnare of the Sea for a couple of reasons. One, I was intrigued by the familiar motif of a beautiful mute woman from the sea -- similar images occur in the tale of the Little Mermaid, spread throughout Europe by inclusion in Hans Christian Andersen's collection. And two, I think this is the only fairy tale I've ever read that seriously resolves with "and then all the in-laws got along forever and ever, the end".

There was, in olden time, and in an ancient age and period, in the land of the Persians, a king named Shahzeman, and the place of his residence was Khorassan. He had not been blest, during his whole life, with a male child nor a female; and he reflected upon this, one day, and lamented that the greater portion of his life had passed, and he had no heir to take the kingdom after him as he had inherited it from his fathers and forefathers. So the utmost grief befell him on this account.

Now while he was sitting one day, one of his mamelukes came in to him, and said to him: "O my lord, at the door is a slave-girl with a merchant: none more beautiful than she hath been seen." And he replied: "Bring to me the merchant and the slave-girl." The merchant and the slave-girl therefore came to him; and when he saw her, he found her to resemble the lance in straightness and slenderness. She was wrapped in a garment of silk embroidered with gold, and the merchant uncovered her face, whereupon the place was illuminated by her beauty, and there hung down from her forehead seven locks of hair reaching to her anklets. The King, therefore, wondered at the sight of her, and at her beauty, and her stature and justness of form; and he said to the merchant: "O sheikh, for how much is this damsel to be sold?" The merchant answered: "O my lord, I purchased her for two thousand pieces of gold of the merchant who owned her before me, and I have been for three years travelling with her, and she hath cost, to the period of her arrival at this place, three thousand pieces of gold; and she is a present from me unto thee." Upon this, the king conferred upon him a magnificent robe of honour, and gave orders to present him with ten thousand pieces of gold. So he took them, and kissed the hands of the king, thanking him for his beneficence, and departed. Then the king committed the damsel to the tirewomen, saying to them: "Amend the state of this damsel, and deck her, and furnish for her a private chamber, and take her into it." He also gave orders to his chamberlains that everything which she required should be conveyed to her. The seat of government where he resided was on the shore of the sea, and his city was called the White City. And they conducted the damsel into a private chamber, which chamber had windows overlooking the sea; and the king commanded his chamberlains to close all the doors upon her after taking to her all that she required.

The king then went in to visit the damsel; but she rose not to him, nor took any notice of him. So the king said: "It seemeth that she hath been with people who have not taught her good manners." And looking at the damsel, he saw her to be a person surpassing in loveliness, her face was like the disk of the moon at the full, or the shining sun in the clear sky; and he wondered at her beauty, extolling the perfection of God, the Creator: then the king advanced to the damsel, and seated himself by her side, pressed her to his bosom, and kissed her lips, which he found to be sweeter than honey. After this, he gave orders to bring tables of the richest viands, comprising dishes of every kind; and he ate, and put morsels into her mouth until she was satisfied; but she spoke not a single word. The king talked to her, and inquired of her her name; but she was silent, not uttering a word, nor returning him an answer, ceasing not to hang down her head toward the ground; and what protected her from the anger of the king was her beauty, and her tenderness of manner. So the king said within himself: "Extolled be the perfection of God, the Creator of this damsel! How elegant is she, saving that she doth not speak!"—Then the king asked the female slaves whether she had spoken; and they answered him: "From the time of her arrival to the present moment she hath not spoken one word, and we have not heard her talk." The king therefore caused some of them to come, and sing to her, and make merry with her, thinking that then she might perhaps speak. Accordingly the female slaves played before her with all kinds of musical instruments, and enacted sports and other performances, and they sang so that every one who was present was moved with delight, except the damsel, who looked at them and was silent, neither laughing nor speaking. So the heart of the king was contracted. He however inclined to her entirely, paying no regard to others, but relinquishing all the rest of his favourites.

He remained with her a whole year, which seemed as one day, and still she spoke not; and he said to her one day, when his passion was excessive: "O desire of souls, verily the love that I have for thee is great, and I have relinquished for thy sake all my worldly portion, and been patient with thee a whole year. I beg God that He will, in His grace, soften thy heart toward me, and that thou mayest speak to me. Or, if thou be dumb, inform me by a sign, that I may give up hope of thy speaking. I also beg of God that He will bless thee with a son that may inherit my kingdom after me; for I am solitary, having none to be my heir, and my age hath become great. I conjure thee, then, by Allah, if thou love me, that thou return me a reply." And upon this, the damsel hung her head toward the ground, meditating. Then she raised her head, and smiled in the face of the king, whereat it appeared to the king that lightning filled the private chamber; and she said: "O magnanimous King, God hath answered thy prayer; for I am about to bring thee a child, and the time is almost come. And were it not that I knew this thing, I had not spoken to thee one word." And when the king heard what she said, his face brightened up with happiness, and he kissed her hands by reason of the violence of his joy, and said: "Praise be to God who hath favoured me with things that I desired; the first, thy speaking; and the second, thy information that thou art about to bring me a child." Then the king arose and went forth from her, and seated himself upon the throne of his kingdom in a state of exceeding happiness; and he ordered the vizier to give out to the poor and the needy a hundred thousand pieces of gold as a thank-offering to God. So the vizier did as the king had commanded him. And after that, the king went in to the damsel, and embraced her, saying to her: "O my mistress, wherefore hath been this silence, seeing that thou hast been with me a whole year, awake and asleep, yet hast not spoken to me, except on this day?"

The damsel answered: "Hear, O King of the age, and know that I am a poor person, a stranger, broken-hearted: I have become separated from my mother, and my family, and my brother." And when the king heard her words, he knew her desire, and he replied: "As to thy saying that thou art poor, there is no occasion for such an assertion; for all my kingdom and possessions are at thy service, and as to thy saying, 'I have become separated from my mother and my family and my brother'—inform me in what place they are, and I will send to them, and bring them to thee." So she said to him: "Know, O King, that my name is Gulnare (Pomegranate Flower) of the Sea. My father was one of the Kings of the Sea, and he died, and left to us the kingdom; but while we were enjoying it, another of the kings came upon us, and took the kingdom from our hands. I have also a brother named Saleh, and my mother is of the women of the sea; and I quarrelled with my brother, and swore that I would throw myself into the hands of a man of the inhabitants of the land. Accordingly I came forth from the sea, and sat upon the shore of an island in the moonlight, and there passed by a man who took me and sold me to this man from whom thou tookest me, and he was an excellent, virtuous man, a person of religion and fidelity and kindness. But had not thy heart loved me, and hadst thou not preferred me above all thy wives, I had not remained with thee one hour; for I should have cast myself into the sea from this window, and gone to my mother and my people. I was ashamed, however, to go to them; for they would imagine evil of me, and would not believe me, even though I should swear to them, were I to tell them that a king had purchased me with his money, and chosen me in preference to his other wives and all that his right hand possessed. This is my story, and peace be on thee!" And when he heard her words, he thanked her, and kissed her between the eyes, and said to her: "By Allah, O my mistress, and light of my eyes, I cannot endure separation from thee for one hour; and if thou quit me, I shall die instantly. How then shall the affair be?" She answered: "O my master, the time of the birth is near, and my family must come." "And how," said the king, "do they walk in the sea without being wetted?" She answered: "We walk in the sea as ye walk upon the land, through the influence of the names engraved upon the seal of Solomon, the son of David, upon both of whom be peace! But, O King, when my family and my brethren come, I will inform them that thou boughtest me with thy money, and hast treated me with beneficence, and it will be meet that thou confirm my assertion to them. They will also see thy state with their eyes, and will know that thou art a king, the son of a king." And thereupon the king said: "O my mistress, do what seemeth fit to thee, and what thou wishest; for I will comply with thy desire in all that thou wilt do." And the damsel said: "Know, O King of the age, that we walk in the sea with our eyes open, and see what is in it, and we see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the sky as on the face of the earth, and this hurteth us not. Know also, that in the sea are many peoples and various forms of all the kinds that are on the land; and know, moreover, that all that is on the land, in comparison with what is in the sea, is a very small matter." And the king wondered at her words.

Then the damsel took a bit of aloes-wood and, having lighted a fire in a perfuming-vessel, threw into it that bit, and she proceeded to speak words which no one understood; whereupon a great smoke arose, while the king looked on. After this, she said to the king: "O my lord, arise and conceal thyself in a closet, that I may shew thee my brother and my mother and my family without their seeing thee; for I desire to bring them, and thou shalt see in this place, at this time, a wonder, and shalt marvel at the various shapes and strange forms that God hath created." So the king arose immediately, and entered a closet, and looked to see what she would do. And she proceeded to burn perfume and repeat spells until the sea foamed and was agitated, and there came forth from it a young man of comely form, of beautiful countenance, like the moon at the full, with shining forehead, and red cheeks, and hair resembling pearls and jewels; he was, of all the creation, the most like to his sister, and the tongue of the case itself seemed to recite in his praise these verses:—

The moon becometh perfect once in each month; but the loveliness of thy face is perfect every day. Its abode is in the heart of one sign at a time; but thine abode is in all hearts at once.

Afterward, there came forth from the sea a grizzly-haired old woman, and with her five damsels, resembling moons and bearing a likeness to the damsel whose name was Gulnare. Then the king saw the young man and the old woman and the damsels walk upon the surface of the water until they came to Gulnare; and when they drew near to the window, and she beheld them, she rose to them and met them with joy. On their seeing her, they knew her, and they went in to her and embraced her, weeping violently; and they said to her: "O Gulnare, how is it that thou leavest us for four years, and we know not the place in which thou art? By Allah, we had no delight in food nor in drink a single day, weeping night and day on account of the excess of our longing to see thee." Then the damsel began to kiss the hand of her brother, and the hand of her mother, and so also the hands of the daughters of her uncle, and they sat with her awhile, asking her respecting her state, and the things that had happened to her, and her present condition.

So she said to them: "Know ye, that when I quitted you, and came forth from the sea, I sat upon the shore of an island, and a man took me, and sold me to a merchant, and the merchant brought me to this city, and sold me to its king for ten thousand pieces of gold. Then he treated me with attention, and forsook all his favourites for my sake, and was diverted by his regard for me from everything that he possessed and what was in his city." And when her brother heard her words, he said: "Praise be to God who hath reunited us! But it is my desire, O my sister, that thou wouldst arise and go with us to our country and our family." So when the king heard the words of her brother, his reason fled in consequence of his fear lest the damsel should accept the proposal of her kindred, and he could not prevent her, though he was inflamed with love of her; wherefore he became perplexed in violent fear of her separation. But as to the damsel Gulnare, on hearing the words of her brother she said: "By Allah, O my brother, the man who purchased me is the king of this city, and he is a great king, and a man of wisdom, generous, of the utmost liberality. He hath treated me with honour, and he is a person of kindness, and of great wealth, but hath no male child nor a female. He hath shewn me favour too, and acted well to me in every respect; and from the day when I came to him to the present time, I have not heard from him a word to grieve my heart; but he hath not ceased to treat me with courtesy, and I am living with him in the most perfect of enjoyments. Moreover, if I quitted him, he would perish: for he can never endure my separation even for a single hour. I also, if I quitted him, should die of my love for him in consequence of his kindness to me during the period of my residence with him; for if my father were living, my condition with him would not be like my condition with this great, glorious king. God (whose name be exalted!) afflicted me not, but compensated me well; and as the king hath not a male child nor a female, I beg God to bless me with a son that may inherit of this great king these palaces and possessions." And when her brother, and the daughters of her uncle, heard her words, their eyes became cheerful thereat, and they said to her: "O Gulnare, thou art acquainted with our affection for thee, and thou art assured that thou art the dearest of all persons to us, and art certain that we desire for thee comfort, without trouble or toil. Therefore if thou be not in a state of comfort, arise and accompany us to our country and our family; but if thou be comfortable here, in honour and happiness, this is our desire and wish." And Gulnare replied: "By Allah, I am in a state of the utmost enjoyment, in honour and desirable happiness." So when the king heard these words from her, he rejoiced, and he thanked her for them; his love for her penetrated to his heart's core, and he knew that she loved him as he loved her, and that she desired to remain with him to see his child which she was to bring to him.

Then the damsel Gulnare of the Sea gave orders to the female slaves to bring forward viands of all kinds; and Gulnare herself was the person who superintended the preparation of the viands in the kitchen. So the female slaves brought to them the viands, and the sweetmeats, and the fruits; and she ate with her family. But afterward they said to her: "O Gulnare, thy master is a man who is a stranger to us, and we have entered his abode without his permission, and thou praisest to us his excellence, and hast also brought to us his food, and we have eaten, but have not seen him, nor hath he seen us, nor come into our presence, nor eaten with us, that the bond of bread and salt might be established between us." And they all desisted from eating, and were enraged at her, and fire began to issue from their mouths as from cressets. So when the king beheld this, his reason fled, in consequence of the violence of his fear of them. Then Gulnare rose to them, and soothed their hearts; after which she walked along until she entered the closet in which was the king her master; and she said to him: "O my master, didst thou see, and didst thou hear my thanks to thee, and my praise of thee in the presence of my family; and didst thou hear what they said to me, that they desired to take me with them to our family and our country?" The king answered her: "I heard and saw. May God recompense thee! By Allah, I knew not the extent of the love that thou feelest for me until this blessed hour." She replied: "O my master, is the recompense of beneficence aught but beneficence? How then could my heart be happy to quit thee, and to depart from thee? Now I desire of thy goodness that thou come and salute my family, that they may see thee, and that pleasure and mutual friendship may ensue. For know, O King, that my brother and my mother and the daughters of my uncle have conceived a great love for thee in consequence of my praising thee to them, and they have said, 'We will not depart from thee to our country until we have an interview with the king, and salute him.'" And the king said to her: "I hear and obey; for this is what I desire." He then rose from his place, and went to them, and saluted them with the best salutation; and they hastened to rise to him; they met him in the most polite manner, and he sat with them in the pavilion, ate with them at the table, and remained with them for a period of thirty days. Then they desired to return to their country and abode. So they took leave of the king and Queen Gulnare of the Sea, and departed from them, after the king had treated them with the utmost honour.

After this, Gulnare gave birth to a boy, resembling the moon at the full, whereat the king experienced the utmost happiness, because he had not before been blessed with a son nor a daughter during his life. They continued the rejoicings, and the decoration of the city, for a period of seven days, in the utmost happiness and enjoyment; and on the seventh day, the mother of Gulnare, and her brother, and the daughters of her uncle, all came, when they knew that she had given birth to her child. The king met them, rejoicing at their arrival, and said to them: "I said that I would not name my son until ye should come, and that ye should name him according to your knowledge." And they named him Bedr Basim (Smiling Full Moon), all of them agreeing as to this name. They then presented the boy to his maternal uncle, Saleh, who took him upon his hands, and, rising with him from among them, walked about the palace to the right and left; after which he went forth with him from the palace, descended with him to the sea, and walked on until he became concealed from the eye of the king. So when the king saw that he had taken his son, and disappeared from him at the bottom of the sea, he despaired of him, and began to weep and wail. But Gulnare, seeing him in this state, said to him, "O King of the age, fear not nor grieve for thy son; for I love my child more than thou, and my child is with my brother; therefore fear not his being drowned. If my brother knew that any injury would betide the little one, he had not done what he hath done; and presently he will bring thee thy son safe, if it be the will of God, whose name be exalted!" And but a short time had elapsed when the sea was agitated, and the uncle of the little one came forth from it, having with him the king's son safe, and he flew from the sea until he came to them, with the little one in his arms, silent, and his face resembling the moon in the night of its fulness. Then the uncle of the little one looked toward the king, and said to him: "Perhaps thou fearedst some injury to thy son when I descended into the sea, having him with me." So he replied: "Yes, O my master, I feared for him, and I did not imagine that he would ever come forth from it safe." And Saleh said to him: "O King of the Land, we applied to his eyes a lotion that we know, and repeated over him the names engraved upon the seal of Solomon, the son of David; for when a child is born among us, we do to him as I have told thee. Fear not therefore, on his account, drowning, nor suffocation, nor all the seas if he descend into them. Like as ye walk upon the land, we walk in the sea."

He then took forth from his pocket a case, written upon, and sealed; and he broke its seal, and scattered its contents, whereupon there fell from it strung jewels, consisting of all kinds of jacinths and other gems, together with three hundred oblong emeralds, and three hundred oblong large jewels, of the size of the eggs of the ostrich, the light of which was more resplendent than the light of the sun and the moon. And he said: "O King of the age, these jewels and jacinths are a present from me unto thee; for we never brought thee a present, because we knew not the place of Gulnare's abode. So when we saw thee to have become united to her, and that we all had become one, we brought thee this present; and after every period of a few days, we will bring thee the like of it. For these jewels and jacinths with us are more plentiful than the gravel upon the land, and we know the excellent among them, and the bad, and the places where they are found, and they are easy of access to us."—And when the king looked at those jewels, his reason was confounded and his mind was bewildered, and he said: "By Allah, one of these jewels is worth my kingdom!" Then the king thanked Saleh of the Sea for his generosity, and looking toward the Queen Gulnare said to her: "I am abashed at thy brother; for he hath shewn favour to me, and presented me with this magnificent present, which the people of the earth would fail to procure." So Gulnare thanked her brother for that which he had done; but her brother said: "O King of the age, to thank thee hath been incumbent on us; for thou hast treated my sister with beneficence, and we have entered thine abode, and eaten of thy provision." Then Saleh said: "If we stood serving thee, O King of the age, a thousand years, regarding nothing else, we could not requite thee, and our doing so would be but a small thing in comparison with thy desert." And Saleh remained with the king, he and his mother and the daughters of his uncle, forty days; after which he arose and kissed the ground before the king, the husband of his sister. So the king said to him: "What dost thou desire, O Saleh?" And he answered: "O King of the age, we desire of thy goodness that thou wouldst give us permission to depart; for we have become desirous of seeing again our family and our country and our relations and our homes. We will not, however, relinquish the service of thee, nor that of my sister nor the son of my sister; and by Allah, O King of the age, to quit you is not pleasant to my heart; but how can we act, when we have been reared in the sea, and the land is not agreeable to us?" So when the king heard his words, he rose upon his feet, and bade farewell to Saleh of the Sea and his mother and the daughters of his uncle, and they wept together on account of the separation. Then they said to the king: "We will never relinquish you, but after every period of a few days we will visit you." And after this, they flew toward the sea, and descended into it, and disappeared.

The king treated Gulnare with beneficence, and honoured her exceedingly, and the little one grew up well; and his maternal uncle, with his grandmother and the daughters of his uncle, after every period of a few days used to come to the residence of the king, and to remain with him a month, and then return to their places. The boy ceased not to increase in beauty and loveliness until his age became fifteen years; and he was incomparable in his perfect beauty, and his stature and his justness of form. He had learned writing and reading, and history and grammar and philology, and archery; and he learned to play with the spear; and he also learned horsemanship, and all that the sons of the kings required. There was not one of the children of the inhabitants of the city, men and women, that talked not of the charms of that young man; for he was of surpassing loveliness and perfection; and the king loved him greatly. Then the king summoned the vizier and the emeers, and the lords of the empire, and the great men of the kingdom, and made them swear by binding oaths that they would make Bedr Basim king over them after his father; so they swore to him by binding oaths, and rejoiced thereat; and the king himself was beneficent to the people, courteous in speech and of auspicious aspect. And on the following day, the king mounted, together with the lords of the empire and all the emeers, and all the soldiers, and they ceased not to proceed until they arrived at the vestibule of the palace; the king's son riding. Thereupon he alighted, and his father embraced him, he and the emeers, and they seated him upon the throne of the kingdom, while his father stood, as also did the emeers, before him. Then Bedr Basim judged the people, displaced the tyrannical and invested the just, and continued to give judgment until near midday, when he rose from the throne of the kingdom, and went in to his mother, Gulnare of the Sea, having upon his head the crown, and resembling the moon. So when his mother saw him, and the king before him, she rose to him and kissed him, and congratulated him on his elevation to the dignity of sultan; and she offered up a prayer in favour of him and his father for length of life, and victory over their enemies. He then sat with his mother and rested; and when the time of afternoon-prayers arrived, he rode with the emeers before him until he came to the horse-course, where he played with arms till the time of nightfall, together with his father and the lords of his empire; after which he returned to the palace, with all the people before him. Every day he used to ride to the horse-course; and when he returned, he sat to judge the people, and administered justice between the emeer and the poor man. He ceased not to do thus for a whole year; and after that, he used to ride to the chase, and go about through the cities and provinces that were under his rule making proclamation of safety and security, and doing as do the kings; and he was incomparable among the people of his age in glory and courage, and in justice to the people.

Now it came to pass that the old king, the father of Bedr Basim, fell sick one day, whereupon his heart throbbed, and he felt that he was about to be removed to the mansion of eternity. Then his malady increased so that he was at the point of death. He therefore summoned his son, and charged him to take care of his subjects and his mother and all the lords of his empire and all the dependants. He also made them swear, and covenanted with them a second time, that they would obey his son; and he confided in their oaths. And after this he remained a few days, and was admitted to the mercy of God, whose name be exalted! His son Bedr Basim, and his wife Gulnare and the emeers and viziers and the lords of the empire, mourned over him; and they made for him a tomb, and buried him in it, and continued the ceremonies of mourning for him a whole month. Saleh, the brother of Gulnare, and her mother, and the daughters of her uncle, also came, and consoled them for the loss of the king; and they said: "O Gulnare, if the king hath died, he hath left this ingenuous youth, and he who hath left such as he is hath not died. This is he who hath not an equal, the crushing lion, and the splendid moon." Then the lords of the empire, and the grandees, went in to the King Bedr Basim, and said to him: "O King, there is no harm in mourning for the king; but mourning becometh not any save women; therefore trouble not thy heart and ours by mourning for thy father; for he hath died and left thee, and he who hath left such as thou art hath not died." They proceeded to address him with soft words, and to console him, and after that they conducted him into the bath; and when he came forth from the bath, he put on a magnificent suit woven of gold, adorned with jewels and jacinths, and he put the royal crown upon his head, seated himself upon the throne of his kingdom, and performed the affairs of the people, deciding equitably between the strong and the weak, and exacting for the poor man his due from the emeer; wherefore the people loved him exceedingly. Thus he continued to do for the space of a whole year; and after every short period, his family of the sea visited him; so his life was pleasant, and his eye was cheerful: and he ceased not to live in this state until he was visited by the terminator of delights and the separator of companions. This is the end of their story. The mercy of God be on them all!

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