It is said that in ancient times, during a bygone era, there was a king among the kings of the Sasanian Empire in the lands of India and China.
He had armies, servants, and loyal subjects. He had two sons.
They were both valiant knights, but the elder was more skilled than the younger. The elder son ruled the kingdom with justice, loved by the people of his land and kingdom. His name was King _Shahryar_.
His younger brother, King _Shah Zaman_, ruled in Samarkand in their lands. Each of them was a just ruler in their respective kingdoms, and their affairs remained in order.
They ruled their subjects for twenty years, during which they enjoyed prosperity and happiness.
They continued in this state until King _Shahryar_ longed for his younger brother. He commanded his minister to travel to him and bring him back.
The minister obeyed and set off on the journey, reaching his destination safely. He entered the presence of the young brother, conveyed greetings, and informed him that his brother missed him and desired to visit him.
King _Shah Zaman_ responded with obedience and respect, prepared for the journey, and gathered his tents, camels, horses, servants, and attendants. He appointed his minister as the ruler in his absence and set out to visit his brother's land.
When it was midnight, he remembered something he had forgotten in his palace.
So, he returned and entered his palace, only to find his wife lying in his bed, embracing another man, a black slave, their faces close together.
When he saw this, the world turned dark before his eyes.
He thought to himself, "If this has happened while I haven't even left the city, then what could be happening in my absence?"
He drew his sword, struck them both, and killed them in the bed. He realized that his wife was an adulteress, betraying him in his absence.
He left immediately, without wasting any more time, and ordered his departure. He travelled until he reached his brother's city.
His brother was overjoyed to see him, and the city was adorned in celebration of his arrival. They sat together, conversing happily.
However, King _Shah Zaman_ remembered what had happened with his wife, and a deep sorrow overcame him.
His complexion turned pale, his body weakened.
When his brother saw him in this state, he thought it was due to his separation from his kingdom and country. He did not inquire further about it.
In the following days, his brother said to him, "Oh, my brother, I see that you have become weak and pale. What troubles you?"
King _Shah Zaman_ replied, "Oh, my brother, I have a wound deep within me." He did not reveal to his brother what he had witnessed with his wife.
His brother suggested that they go on a hunting trip together, hoping it would bring solace to his troubled heart. However, he refused, so his brother travelled alone for the hunt.
*****
In the palace of the king, there were windows overlooking his brother's garden.
He looked and saw that the palace door had opened, and twenty maidens and twenty male servants came out, accompanied by his brother's wife, who was exceptionally beautiful.
They reached a fountain, undressed, and sat together. Then, the king's wife called out, 'Oh Mas'ud!' A black slave approached her, and they embraced each other.
The same happened with the other slaves and the maidens, engaging in kissing, hugging, and other such acts until daylight.
When the king's brother witnessed this, he said to himself, 'My affliction is lighter than this affliction.' The grief and sorrow he had felt diminished, and he said, 'This is worse than what happened to me.'
He continued eating and drinking. Afterwards, his brother returned from his journey, and they greeted each other.
The king _Shah Zaman_ noticed that his brother _King Shahryar_ had regained his complexion and his face had reddened.
He was eating heartily, whereas before he had eaten very little.
_Shah Zaman_ was amazed and asked, 'Oh brother, I saw you pale and with a pale face, but now your color has returned. Tell me about your condition.'
King _Shahryar_ replied, 'If the change in my complexion is what you want to know, I will tell you, but spare me from telling you the reason for the return of my colour.'
_Shah Zaman_ insisted, 'First, tell me about the change in your complexion and your weakness, then I will listen to the reason.' Shahryar said,
'Oh brother, know that you when you sent your minister to summon me to your presence. I prepared myself and left my city. Then, I remembered the necklace I had given you in my palace, so I returned. I found my wife with a black slave sleeping in my bed, so I killed them both. I came to you while contemplating this matter. This is the reason for the change in my complexion and my weakness. As for the return of my colour, spare me from mentioning it to you.'
When his brother heard his words, he said to him, "I swear by Allah that you must tell me the reason for the return of your colour."
So he recounted everything he had seen to him.
_Shahryar_ said to his brother _Shah Zaman_ "I want to see it with my own eyes."
His brother replied, "Pretend that you are travelling for hunting and shooting, disappear from sight, and witness it firsthand."
The king announced his departure, and the troops and tents were taken to the outskirts of the city.
The king also left and sat in the tents, instructing his attendants, "No one should enter unless called."
Then he disguised himself and left, heading towards his brother's palace.
He sat by the window overlooking the garden for an hour, and behold, the maidens and their mistress entered with the slaves, doing as his brother had described, continuing until the afternoon.
When King _Shahryar_ witnessed this, he lost his mind and said to his brother _Shah Zaman_ "Let us go on our way, for we have no need for you to see if anyone else has experienced the same fate as us. Our death will be a relief from our lives."
His brother agreed, and they left through a secret door in the palace.
They travelled for several days and nights until they reached a tree in the middle of a meadow, where there was a spring of fresh water next to the salty sea.
They drank from that spring and rested. After an hour of daylight had passed, they saw that the sea was turbulent, and a black column rose from it, heading towards that meadow. They became afraid and climbed up the tree, which was tall, to see what would happen.
They saw a tall, broad-shouldered, and well-built jinn with a box on his head. He came ashore and approached the tree under which they were sitting.
He opened the box and took out a smaller box from it, then opened it, and a beautiful and radiant girl emerged from it, shining like the sun. As the poet said:
[The daylight brightened in the darkness
and the trees illuminated with her light.
When she reveals herself and the valleys become clear
the sun rises from her radiance.
All creatures prostrate before her when she appears
and the veils are lifted.
And when there are flashes of lightning,
she is protected by the tears of rain]
The jinn said, "Oh lady of the free, whom I abducted on her wedding night, I desire to rest for a while."
Then the jinn laid his head on her lap and fell asleep.
The young girl raised her head up to the top of the tree and saw the king and his brother above that tree.
She lifted the jinn's head from her lap and placed it on the ground.
She stood beneath the tree and signalled to them, saying, "Come down and fear not this creature."
They replied, "By Allah, you must forgive us for this matter."
She said to them, "By Allah, you must descend, or else the jinn will be alerted and he will kill you in the worst way."
Overcome by fear, they descended to her.
She stood up and said, 'Stay away from me, or else I will alert the jinn upon you.'
Trembling with fear, King _Shahryar_ said to his brother King _Shah Zaman_ 'Oh brother, do as she commands.' _Shah Zaman_ replied 'I will not act until you act before me.'
They exchanged glances, and she said to them, 'Why do I see you exchanging glances? If you do not advance and act, I will alert the jinn upon you.'
Fearing the jinn, they did as she commanded.
When they finished, she said to them, 'Wake up.'
She took out a bag from her pocket and extracted from it a necklace containing 570 rings.
She said to them, 'Do you know what this is?' They replied, 'We do not know.'
She said to them, 'The owners of these rings all used to take advantage of me in the absence of this jinn. So, I give you your rings, as you two are the last ones remaining.'
They handed her their rings, and she said to them, 'This jinn abducted me on my wedding night. He placed me in a box and put the box inside a chest, which he sealed with seven locks. Then, he threw the chest into the depths of the tumultuous sea. He did not know that a woman among us when she desires something, nothing can overcome her."
When they heard these words from her, they were greatly astonished and said to each other, 'If this jinn has experienced something greater than what we have experienced, then this is something that brings us comfort.'
Then, they turned away from her and returned to the city of King _Shahryar_.
They entered his palace, Then he proceeded to execute his wife, as well as the concubines and slaves.
King _Shahryar_ continued his practice of taking a virgin girl each night, deflowering her, and killing her before morning.
This continued for a period of three years, causing uproar among the people, and they fled with their daughters.
And there was no longer a girl in that city who could bear the burden of such defilement.
Then the king ordered the vizier to bring him a girl as was his custom.
The vizier went out and searched, but he could not find a suitable girl.
He returned to his house, filled with anger and despair, fearing for his own life from the king.
The vizier had two daughters, the elder named _Shahrazad_ and the younger named _Dunyazad_.
The elder daughter had read books and histories, the stories of past kings and the accounts of ancient nations.
It was said that she had collected a thousand books of history related to previous civilizations and the stories of kings and poets. She said to her father, "Why do I see you changed, carrying the burden of sorrow and grief?"
When the vizier heard these words from his daughter, he recounted to her everything that had happened to him from beginning to end with the king.
She said to him, 'By Allah, my father, marry me to this king, and either I will live or I will be a ransom for the Muslim girls and the cause of their salvation from his hands.'
He said to her, 'By Allah, do not risk your life at all.' She said to him, 'It must be done.'
He said, 'I fear for you that you may suffer the same fate as the donkey and the bull with the farmer.' She asked him, 'And what happened to them, father?'
He said, "Know, my daughter, that there was a merchant who had wealth and livestock. He had a wife and children, and he lived in the countryside.
Allah Almighty had granted him knowledge of the animals and their needs. In his house, he had a donkey and a bull. One day, the bull came to the donkey's place and found him well-fed and resting.
The donkey had groomed hair and clean straw, and he would sometimes be ridden by his owner for a specific need and then returned to his state. One day, the merchant heard the bull saying to the donkey, 'You are fortunate, while I am tired. You eat clean straw, and they serve you. Sometimes your owner rides you and then returns, while I am always used for plowing and grinding.'
The donkey replied, 'Be patient, even if they beat you. When you go out to the pasture, they will put a bell around your neck. Rest and do not eat or drink for a day or two or three, and you will find relief from fatigue and exertion."
The merchant would listen to their conversation.
So when the driver came to feed the bull, he ate some of the food eagerly.
The merchant said to him, "Take the donkey and use it for plowing."
The next day, the driver took the bull for plowing and found it weak, unable to work the whole day. The man returned and took the donkey's place, plowing the entire day.
When the day ended, the bull thanked him for his kindness and for relieving him from fatigue that day.
But the donkey remained silent and regretted deeply. On the second day, the farmer came and took the donkey for plowing until the end of the day. However, the donkey did not return except with a severed neck, weak and helpless.
The bull observed this and thanked him for his sacrifice and praised him. The donkey replied, "I was content and at ease, and my curiosity is what harmed me."
Then he said: "Know that I am advising you, and I heard our companion say: If the bull does not rise from its place, give it to the butcher to slaughter it and cut its skin into pieces. I am afraid for you, and I advise you, and peace be upon you."
When the bull heard the donkey's words, he thanked him and said: "Tomorrow, I will join them."
Then the bull ate all of its fodder completely until it licked the manger with its tongue. All of this while their owner heard their conversation. When daylight came, the merchant and his wife went to the cowshed and sat down.
The driver came and took the bull and left. When the bull saw its owner, it wagged its tail, farted, and defecated. The merchant laughed until he lay on his side. His wife asked him: "What are you laughing at?" He replied: "Something I saw and heard, and I cannot reveal it, or I will die."
She said to him: "You must tell me about it, and what is the reason for your laughter, even if it causes your death."
He replied to her: "I cannot reveal it out of fear that harm may befall me, and it may lead to my death." She said to him: "You only laughed at me."
Then she continued to press him and inquire, and she summoned their children and sent for the judge and witnesses.
She intended to make a will, then reveal the secret to her and die, because he loved her greatly as she was his cousin and the mother of his children. He was 120 years old. Then he gathered all her family and the people of his neighborhood and told them his story, and that when he revealed his secret to someone, he would die.
All the people who were present said to her: "For God's sake, leave this matter, lest your husband, the father of your children, die." She said to them: "I will not back down until he tells me, even if he dies."
They fell silent. Then the merchant got up from among them and went to the stable to perform ablution, then he would return to tell them and die. He had a rooster with fifty hens, and he had a dog.
The merchant heard the dog calling the rooster and insulting him, saying: "You are happy while our companion is going to die!" The rooster asked the dog: "How is that possible?" So the dog repeated the story to him.
The rooster said to him: "Be content with this and do not anger him, for our companion is lacking in intelligence. I have fifty wives except for one, and he does not know how to deal with her properly.
Why doesn't he give her some mulberry branches?
Then he enters her room and beats her until she dies or repents and stops asking him about anything.
He said "When the merchant heard the rooster speaking to the dog, he regained his senses and resolved to beat her."
Then the vizier said to his daughter Shahrazad "Perhaps he did to you what the merchant did to his wife. "
She asked him: What did he do? He said: He entered her room after cutting the mulberry branches and hid them inside the room. He told her: Come inside the room so that I can tell you, and no one will see me, then I will die.
She entered with him. Then he locked the door of the room on both of them and started beating her until she fainted. She said to him: Repent and seek forgiveness. Then she and him left the room.
The people and her family rejoiced, and they sat down to discuss the matter until death.
When the vizier's daughter heard her father's words, she said to him: "It must be done."
So she prepared herself and went to King Shahriyar.
Her younger sister had advised her and said: "When you approach the king, send messengers to ask for me.
When you come to me and see the king, fulfill his request from me, then say to him: 'O my sister, tell me a strange story to pass the night.' And I will tell you a story that will hopefully bring salvation.
Then, when our father, the vizier, asks if I have fulfilled his request, say yes." When he wanted to enter, he took her to the king.
When the king saw her younger sister, he said: "I want to bid her farewell."
So he sent for her. He asked her: "What is the matter with you?" She replied: "O king, I have a sister who came to visit her sister."
She came to her sister, embraced her, and sat under the bed. Then the king stood up and took her virginity. They sat together and conversed. Her younger sister said to her: "Congratulations, my sister.
Tell us a story that captivates our hearts and minds, if the king permits." When he heard those words, he stayed awake throughout the night. She said: "He was anxious and worried, but he was delighted to hear the story".
To be continued...