One day he came to his father who was sitting ‘amongst his ministers and courtiers. The king’s son had wrapped his body with a piece of coarse cloth and had a turban on his head. ‘This mad child has degraded the king in the eyes of other kings’, whispered the courtiers. They asked the king to admonish his son so that he may reform himself. The king said, “You have really degraded me in the eyes of others, my son”. The boy did not make a reply but addressed a wild bird sitting nearby, saying: “In the name of the Creator I bid you to come and perch on my arm.”
The bird flew at once and perched itself on his arm. Then he bade that to go back and the bird went back to its place.
Addressing his father, he said: ‘‘The way you love this world has in fact made me hang my head in shame and I have decided to part with you’. After saying this he left the place. He was carrying a copy of the Holy Qur’an. But shortly before he left his mother gave him a very precious ring so that he might sell it in the hour of dire need and get some money for affording him bread for some time. He bent his steps towards Basra and started working among the labourers. He only worked once a week and made himself live on his one day’s earnings for eight days.
He got a little more than a rupee for his, labour and did not claim more than that He spent very little to keep himself alive. Abu ‘Amir Basri says that one of his house walls had collapsed and he was looking for a mason to have it rebuilt. He saw a handsome young man sitting and reading the Holy Qur’an. ‘Would you work for me?” he asked the boy. ‘Yes, I will. Men are born to ¢a,n by the sweat of their brow. Tell me what can I do for. you?’ said the boy. Abu ‘Amir said: ‘I want you to work with mortar”.
The boy said: “I will get a rupee and it sixth part as my daily wage and will not work during the prayer times. -Abu ‘Amir accepted both these conditions and engaged him. He says that when he learnt after the evening prayers that the volume of work done by him could not have been accomplished by ten persons, he gave him two rupees more than the stipulated wage. The boy refused to accept the additional money and went away after taking what was agreed upon. The next day, he says, he again started looking for the boy but could not find him. He inquired from various persons if they could tell him anything about the young man.
They told him: “The young man works only on Saturday and he can not hire him on any other day.” Abu ‘Amir says that after judging his work he was so enamoured of the boy that he stopped the construction for a week. On Saturday he again started looking for him. He saw him reading the Holy Qur’an as he had seen him earlier. He: greeted him and asked if he would like to work for him again on the basis of the agreed terms. He said: ‘He will work and thus resumed the task he had discontinued.”” Wondering at the volume of work done by the boy previously,
Abu ‘Amir became curious about the method of his work. He hid himself at a place where he could watch the boy working without being seen by him. He saw to his utter amazement that the boy was pasting mortar on the wall and the stones were automatically arranging themselves in line. Abu ‘Amir says that he was convinced that the young man was a saint because only saints are helped by unknown powers in their work. He says: “In the evening, he gave him three rupees but he refused to accept this wage saying that he did not need the additional money.
He took his one rupee and its sixth part and left the place.” Abu ‘Amir waited for him for another week and on Saturday he started looking for him again. There was no trace of him. He inquired from various persons and ultimately one man informed him that the young man was lying sick in a jungle. Abu ‘Amir offered this man some money to help him to locate the young man. He agreed to accompany him and they reached the jungle. He saw him lying half-conscious on the ground with a piece of brick supporting his head. He greeted him but had no reply.
He again addressed him and the young man opened his eyes as if he had recognised him. Abu «Amir lifted his head a little and placed it in his lap. The young man took exception to this and said: “Don’t ~ be deceived by the worldly comforts. Life will soon come to an end and we will part with these comforts. Whenever you see a dead man being led to the grave remind yourself that one day you will also meet your end’. Then he addressed Abu ‘Amir saying, ‘‘When my soul leaves this mortal frame kindly give me a nice bath and bury me after wrapping my body in the clothes I am wearing”.
Abu ‘Amir said: “Why should not I bring a fitting shroud for you?” He said: ““The living deserve more to make use of the new clothes.” This is exactly what Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique had said when he was about to die. He had said that he should be buried after being wrapped in the clothes he was wearing. The young man said: “Old or new, the shroud has to wear away. What one takes to the other world are his deeds. Give my turban and water pot to the grave digger as his wages and take this ring and the Holy Qur’an to King Harun Rashid.
Take every care that you hand over these things to him personally telling him that they were pledged to you by a wandering boy.” He said: “Tell at hae Wiese’ and the singer heated the king that he should beware of dying in ignorance”’. he saw the king sitting all alone. The king asked him He said this and his soul left for his heavenly home. to come near and sit close to him. He asked him what
This was the moment, Abu ‘Amir says, when his son used to do. Abu ‘Amir told him that he used to come to know that the young man was a prince. He earned his livelihood by working with mortar acting upon his last advice and buried him. He gave stones. ‘Did he work for you ?” he asked. ‘Yes’, he both the articles belonging to the young man to replied. The king said: “Didn’t you know that he was a grave digger and took the Holy Qur’an and the ring to closely related to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) Baghdad.
When he reached the king’s palace (the king happened to be the descendant of Hadrat he saw the king coming out with the entourage. Abu ‘Abbas, the uncle of the Holy Prophet). Abu ‘Amir, Kept regretted that he did not know anything about the boy sapling be Watch what; was, happy when he had met him. It was only after his death that saw a big procession of the army comprising of a thou- he came ‘to know about his identity went the see sand horsemen.
The procession came out one after asked if he (Abu Amir) had given the last bath to the other and when the tenth of the series was emerging his'“son.’Abu ‘Amir replied in the /affirmative manner of being coming out. “For heaven's sake, the king touched his hand and held it close to his chest. son and listen to what I say in the name of the Holy At this moment he recited these couplets, we give below Prophet”, cried Abu ‘Amir. On hearing this the king de cabsisGae Sr these: looked at him. Addressing the king in a hurry he said: My heart begins to melt in memory of the lonely “These articles were pledged to me by a wandering boy traveller whose last abode is far from me. Never who had advised me to hand over these to you”.
The less, his grief fills my heart. Deat', no doubt, the king looked at the articles as if these were familiar disturbs! the tribe's clothing comforts Maiheaeearans him. After a moment he hung his head down with derer, your face was a shining piece of moon tears welling up in his eyes. ‘Abu Amir says that that was mounted on your slender silvery neck. the king bade a courtier to look after him until his grave swallowed the piece of the moon and the moon returned. ; or moon-shine.
When the king came back to his palace he ordered Later King Harun Rashid to visit the: grave of his son. Abu ‘Amir accompanied him. When they reached the spot the king recited the following verses :
How I wish to meet the traveller who would the curtains to be dropped in his chamber. “Call that man so that I could lighten the burden of my grief.” The courtier went to Abu ‘Amir and informed him that the king desired his company. He, however, cautioned him that the king was down with never return !_ Death swallowed you too early. King Harun Rashid about his son he said:_
‘The boy You were the light of my eyes and my heart was born much before I became the king. This boy throbbed with your love. Your father will soon 5 was well versed in the Holy Qur’an and other branches taste the cup of death in his old age which you of knowledge. His mother had given him a precious already tasted in your youth. Everyone has to ring which he could not put to any use and thus take his cup sooner or later, no matter whether one lives returned it before he died. He was very obedient to in a jungle or a city. We cannot but praise his mother.”
READ ALSO;
READ ALSO:
[THE STORY OF KING HARUN AL RASHID SON’S]
[THE STATEMENT OF HASSA BASRI ON DEATH]
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