by which she might do so.78 She had no success, however, until she applied to a base wretch of low birth who had acquired learning. What he came up with was that she should pretend that she had abandoned the religion of Islam79—we seek refuge with the Almighty!—and to hide herself until her waiting period80 was over. Then she was to go to the legal authorities, confess what she had done, and claim that she had repented and returned to Islam. The man took money from her for this advice. When the woman did as he had advised, the people were amazed and asserted that such instructions could only have come from that individual, and they looked for him but they could not find him. This is the point that the Imam al-Shāfiʿī, may God be pleased with him, was making when he said, ‘To bestow knowledge . . .’ and so on.
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وعلى هذا يا ملك الحكاية المشهورة وهو أنّ رجلًا دنىء الأصل سافر إلى مدينة فاشتدّ به الجوع فرأى رجلًا يبيع الزَلابْيَة فوقف قبالة دُكّانه حائرًا فرقّ له صاحب الزلابية ورحمه وقال له ادخل أغدّيك صَدَقَةً عنّي فدخل فقدّم له ما يكفيه من الزلابية والعسل فأكل حتّى شبع وإذا بمحتسب المدينة مارًّا ينادي على السوقة ويوزن ويحذّرهم نقص الموازين وكذلك صناّع الزلابية أن يُنْضِجوها ولا يبيعوها طريّة فقام هذا الرجل وأخذ حلقة من الزلابية وعجنها بيده وقال للمحتسب نصرك الله في هذا الرجل بيّاع الزلابية انظر ما يفعله للناس من الغِشّ قال فأخذ المحتسب صانع الزلابية وضربه ضربًا مؤلمًا فالتفت إلى هذا الرجل وقال له ما ذنبي معك وأنا شفقت عليك وأطعمتك حتّى شبعت صدقة عنّي فسكت وقال له ما اسمك قال فلان قال وأبوك قال فلان قال وأمّك قال مرجانة جارية سوداء فقال صانع الزلابية لا ألومك أبدًا جاءك الطبع الخبيث من جهة أمّك ثمّ إنّه أخرجه من دكّانه ومضى إلى سبيله * وفي هذه الحكاية يا ملك مواعظ واعتبار
“There is another well-known story to the same effect, King, that tells how a man of low birth made a journey to a certain city. There, hard-pressed by hunger, he saw a man selling fritters and, at wit’s end, he stopped in front of his shop till the fritter maker felt sorry for him and took pity on him and said, ‘Come in and I will feed you, for charity’s sake.’ The man went in, and the fritter maker gave him as many fritters with honey as he could eat and he ate till he was full. At that moment, the city’s Inspector of Markets happened to pass by, summoning the merchants, testing their weights, and warning them against selling short; and summoning likewise the fritter makers, warning them to cook their fritters thoroughly and not sell them underdone. Now, this man stood up and, taking a fritter, kneaded it in his hand and said to the inspector, ‘God aid you against this fritter maker! See how he cheats the people!’ and the inspector took the fritter maker and gave him a painful beating. Afterwards, the fritter maker turned to the man and asked him, ‘What harm did I ever do you? Did I not take pity on you and feed you till you were satisfied, for charity’s sake?’ The man, however, said nothing. The fritter maker then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He answered, ‘So and so.’ ‘And your father’s?’ ‘So and so.’ ‘And your mother’s?’ ‘Murjānah, a black slave.’ ‘I no longer blame you at all then,’ said the fritter maker. ‘You got your despicable nature from your mother’s side.’ Then he expelled him from his shop, and the man went on his way. In this story, King, are words that are wise and lessons to prize.”
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فقال الملك لا بدّ من أخذه وتعليمه ولا أركن إلى ما تقول فقال له الوزير افعل ما بدا لك فأخذ الفلّاح وأنعم عليه وألبسه الثياب الحسنة الفاخرة وقيّد له من يعلّمه القرآن والعلم فحفظ القرآن وبرع في علم الرمل والحرف حتّى صار يُخْرِج الضمير ويبيّن الضائع قال فتذكّر الملك مقالة الوزير في حقّ الفلّاح ونصحه الملك في عدم أخذه وتعليمه فأرسل إليه فلمّا حضر قال له يا وزير خابت فراستك في الفلّاح فإنّه الآن بقي على غاية من العلوم وصار له براعة في علم الرمل والحرف ويخرج الضمير ويبيّن الضائع فقال الوزير يا ملك اختبره وانظر طبعه وخُلُقه فأرسل إليه فحضر فقال له الملك بلغني أنّه صار لك قوّة في إخراج الضمير وبيان الضائع فقال له نعم بسعادة الملك إن شاء الله فقال له مرادي أن أُضْمِرَ على شيء وتبيّنه لي فقال افعل فتوارى الملك وقلع خاتمه وأطبق عليه يده وقال له انظر ما في يدي قال فأقام الأشكال وقال في يدك شيء مدوَّر قال نعم قال وهو خالي الوَسَط قال صدّقت ولكن ما هو فسكت ساعة ثمّ قال أظنّ والله أعلم أنّه حجر طاحون قال فضحك الوزير وقال ردّ عليه طبعه الأوّل يا ملك قال فاغتاظ الملك منه وسلب نعمته وردّه إلى حالته الأولى
But the king said, “He must be taken and educated! I will not take what you say on trust!” “As you think best,” said the minister. So the king took the peasant and lavished gifts upon him and clothed him in luxurious, handsome garments and engaged someone to instruct him in the Qurʾan and the sciences, and the man memorized the Qurʾan and became a master of the sciences of divination by sand and by letters,81 to the point that he could read men’s minds and find things that were lost. Then the king, remembering what his minister had said to him against the peasant and how he had advised him against taking him and educating him, sent for him, saying to him when he appeared, “Minister, your reading of the peasant’s character has proven false. He has now become most learned in the sciences, is a master of divination by sand and by letters, and he reads men’s minds and finds what is lost.” To this the minister responded, “Test him, King, and observe his true nature and disposition.” So the king sent for the man and he came and the king said to him, “It has reached me that you have become skilled in reading men’s minds and finding what is lost.” The man replied, “Indeed it is so, Your Majesty, if God wills.” “I intend to hide something,” said the king, “and you must tell me what it is.” “By all means,” said the man. The king then hid himself and, having removed his ring and concealed it in his hand, said to him, “Look and see what is in my hand!” The peasant set up his figures and said, “In your hand is something round.” “Correct!” said the king. “And it has a hole in the middle.” “True,” said the king,
