KHUZAIMAH AND ʾIKRIMAH.
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Then Khuzaimah came out to him, and ʾIkrimah held the bag towards him and said, "With this restore thy condition." And Khuzaimah took it from him, but found it heavy. So he put it out of his hand, and laid hold of the bridle of ʾIkrimah's steed, and said, "That I might be a ransom for thee! Who art thou?" ʾIkrimah replied, "O thou![1] I did not come at such a time and such a season as this, desiring that thou shouldst recognize me." "But," said Khuzaimah, "I will not accept it unless thou tell me who thou art." So ʾIkrimah said, "I am Jâbir-ʾAtharât-el-Kirâm."[2] "Tell me more," said Khuzai-mah. But he answered, "No," and passed on.
- ↑ Ya enta! Ya hazha! O thou! O such-an-one! An exclamation importing no manner of respect to the person addressed.
- ↑ It is now I believe generally known that most, I might say all, English proper names have a meaning; though in only a few instances, e.g., where the names of the cardinal or Christian virtues have been made use of as proper names, is the meaning instantly apparent. This is, however, not the case in an original language such as Arabic. In Arabic, proper names which are made use of as commonly as Mary, Elizabeth, Anne, or Susan, in English, bear their meaning as obviously as the English names Prudence, Grace, Hope, or Charity. In the instance related above, the name "Jâbir-ʾAtharât-el-Kirâm" would mean the mender (or repairer) of the slips of the generous. But such a name would awaken no suspicion of its being assumed in the mind of the person whom it was intended to deceive.
