Historical Tales and Anecdotes of the Time of the Early Khalifahs/The faithful Arab and his loving Wife

by Muhammad Diyab al-Atlidi

THE FAITHFUL ARAB AND HIS LOVING
WIFE.

TRANSLATOR'S PREFATORY NOTE.

Abu-Sufyân commanded the Kuraish against the Muslims at the battles of Bedr, and Ohod, and also at the siege of el-Medînah. He was at that time one of the Prophet's bitterest enemies; but after his conversion to el-Islám, which occurred in A.H. 8, and was, it would seem, the result of policy rather than conviction, he became one of Muhammad's most zealous adherents. Abuʾl-Fedâ relates that after his conversion, Abu-Sufyân demanded three things of the Prophet. First: That he was to be made Commander-in-Chief of all forces that were to act against the infidels. Secondly: That the Prophet would appoint as his Secretary Abu-Sufyân's son, Muʾâwiyah. Thirdly: That the Prophet would marry his daughter, Gazah. The two first petitions Muhammad granted, but refused to comply with third. He was already married to Umm-Habîba, another of Abu-Sufyân's daughters.

In the last year of the first Khalîfah, Abu-Bekr's reign, A.H. 13, Muʾâwiyah was sent in command of a large force, to the assistance of his half-brother Yezid, at that time Commander-in-Chief of the Muslim army then invading Syria. After the reduction of that province, which took place six years later, during the reign of ʾOmar, the second Khalîfah, Muʾâwiyah was appointed prefect of Syria. In A.H. 24, during the reign of ʾOthmân, the third Khalîfah, Muʾâwiyah gained many advantages over the imperial forces, took several towns, and reduced the islands of Cyprus, Aradus, and Ancyra, exacting from their inhabitants a yearly tribute which amounted to a considerable sum. After the assassination of ʾOthmân, A.H. 35, Muʾâwiyah disputed the succession with ʾAly son of Abu-Tâlib; and so powerful was the faction in his favour, that, during the reign of ʾAly, the Khalîfate was in fact divided, ʾAly reigning over Arabia and the Persian provinces, and Muʾâwiyah reigning over Syria and Egypt. ʾAly was murdered A.H. 40, and his son Hásan, a pious but weak man, was nominated his successor, and was urged to prosecute the war against Muʾâwiyah. He therefore led his army towards Syria, but after the first engagement some of his troops mutinied, and he himself nearly lost his life; which so dispirited him, that in spite of his brother Husein's remonstrances, he wrote a letter to Muʾâwiyah, offering upon certain terms to resign the Khalîfate. Thus did Muʾâwiyah become sole Khalîfah six months after the death of ʾAly, and according to Abu-Jaʾafar, et-Tábary, he reigned from the time of Hásan's resignation, 19 years, 3 months, and 5 days. Historians do not agree with regard to his age, which is variously given as from seventy to eighty-five years at the time of his decease. He held rule in Syria, first as Prefect, then as Khalîfah, for about forty years. He was buried at Damascus, which he made the residence of the Khalîfahs; and so long as his descendants, or the Khalîfahs of the house of ʾOmeyyah held the Muslim throne, that city enjoyed this prerogative.

THE first from among the Benu-ʾOmeyyah who reigned over the Khalîfate, was Muʾâwiyah, son of Abu-Sufyân.

One day Muʾâwiyah was sitting in council at Damascus, and the chamber was open on the four sides; the breeze could enter it from all quarters. But the day was extremely hot, there was no wind, and it was the middle of the day, and verily the noontide was blazing. And it so happened that he looked out in a certain direction, and observed a man coming towards him, who was being scorched by the heat of the ground, and limped in his barefoot walk. And Muʾâwiyah, after regarding him attentively, said to those about him, "Has God (may He be praised and exalted!) created a more miserable being than he who is forced to walk about in such weather and at such an hour as this?" Then answered one of them, "Perhaps, Commander of the Faithful, he brings a petition." Said Muʾâwiyah, "By Allâh! if he seeks anything from me, I will certainly give it him, and take upon myself his affair; or be he oppressed, I will surely help him. Ho, slave! stand at the door, and if this Arab asks for me, do not deny him access to me." So the youth went out and met him, and asked, "What seekest thou?" He replied, "The Commander of the Faithful." "Enter," said the slave. Then Muʾâwiyah asked him: "Whence art thou?" "From Tamîm,"^[1] said he. "What is it that has brought thee at such a time as this?" asked Muʾâwiyah. He answered, "I have come to thee lamenting, and seeking through thee redress." Muʾâwiyah asked, "From whom?" He said, "From Marwân-ibn-el-Hákam,^[2] your vicegerent." And he recited, saying:

O generous and indulgent and munificent Muʾâwiyah!
And O liberal and wise and uncorrupt and powerful!
I came to thee when my pathway on earth was narrowed;
Then, mighty one! refuse not my prayer for justice.
But vouchsafe me judgment 'gainst the oppressor, who
Has injured me in suchwise; 'twere better had he slain me.
He forced from me Saida, and my suit hath wasted me;
And he tyrannized, and acted not justly, but tore from me my wife;
And he thought to kill me, but my time was not yet
Accomplished, nor ended the term of my daily sustenance.

Then when Muʾâwiyah heard his words, and the fire that burnt within him, he said to him, "Gently, O brother of the Arabs! Tell your tale, and let me judge of your affair."

"So he began: “O Commander of the Faithful! I had a wife. I was enamoured of her and fascinated by her. Through her my eye was refreshed and my heart was glad. And I had a camel foal to which I looked for the maintenance of my condition and the support of my beloved. But a year of misfortune fell upon us; I lost even to socks and slippers, and there remained to me of my possessions, nothing. And when that which I had held was diminished, and my wealth was gone, and my state impoverished, I became grievously despised by those who knew me, and he who had sought my neighbourhood avoided me, and he absented himself who did not wish to visit me. And when her father heard how ill was my condition, and how poor my estate, he took her from me, and renounced me, and drove me away, and used hard language to me. So I came to your vicegerent, Marwân-ibn-el-Hákam, hoping that he would help me. But when her father appeared before him, and Marwân asked him about my position, he replied, 'I know nothing whatever of him.' Then I exclaimed, 'God save the Prince! May it please thee that she be summoned and questioned concerning her father's speech?' So he agreed, and sent and fetched her. But when she appeared before him, he was seized with admiration of her, and became my enemy, and renounced me, and showed hatred towards me, and sent me to the prison. And it was as though I had fallen from heaven and been borne of the wind to a far distant spot. Then he said to her father, 'Wilt thou marry her to me for a thousand dinârs, and ten thousand dirhems, and I will be surety for her release from this Arab?' Now her father coveted the gift, so he agreed to this. And when he had received the sum, he sent to me and had me brought into his presence, and behaved towards me like a raging lion. And he cried, 'Divorce Saida!' But I cried, 'No!' So he gave harsh orders about me to a troop of slaves, who seized me and tortured me with various kinds of torture. And there was no help for it but by divorcing her, so I did it. Then he sent me back to the prison, and I remained there until the legal period of her seclusion^[3] had elapsed. Then Marwân married her and released me. And verily have come to thee in hope, and seeking redress through thee, and craving protection from thee." And he recited, saying:

There is desire in my heart,
⁠It is consumed by the fire therein,
And my body is pierced by an arrow,
⁠By which the physician is baffled.
And in my breast are living coals,
And in the living coals are sparks.
And my eye sheds tears,
And the tears flow in torrents.
And only through my Lord
And through the Amîr is help.

Then he was agitated, and his throat became dry, and he fell swooning, and writhed like a serpent. And when Muʾâwiyah heard his words and his recital, he said, "The son of el-Hákam has exceeded the limits of prudence, and has been unjust, and has dared to do what is unlawful amongst Muslims:"—and then added, "Of a truth, O Arab! even in tradition I never heard the like of what thou hast brought before me." And he sent for an inkstand and paper, and wrote a letter to Marwân-ibn-el-Hákam, in which he said:

"Verily what I have heard concerning thee is, that thou hast overstepped the limits of prudence in dealing with thy subjects. And it is imperative that he who holds rule should, concerning his passions, be as one who is blind, and should turn his back upon his desires." Then after this he wrote a long epistle [I have abridged it], and recited, saying:

Thou didst reign over a mighty province, but thou wert not capable;
Therefore ask pardon from God for thine adulterous deed.
And verily the miserable youth came weeping to us,
And laid before us his trouble and his sorrows.
I swear an inviolable oath to Heaven,
Yea, and else may I be excluded from my religion and my faith,
That dost thou disobey me in what I have written
I will surely make of thee meat for eagles.
Divorce Saida, and send her equipped instantly,
With el-Kamît and Nasr son of Dzabyân.

Then he folded the letter and sealed it, and summoned el-Kamît and Nasr son of Dzabyân, and entrusted this important matter to their care.

So they took the letter and journeyed until they arrived at el-Medînah. Then they went to Marwân son of el-Hákam, and saluted him, and presented the letter to him, and intimated to him the state of affairs. And Marwân read the letter, and he wept. Then he went to Saida and told her. And not daring to disobey Muʾâwiyah, he divorced her in presence of el-Kamît, and Nasr son of Dzabyân. And he equipped them, and Saida accompanied them. And Marwân wrote a letter, saying the following lines:

Be not hasty, Commander of the Faithful. For verily
⁠Thy vow shall be redeemed in private and in public.
Though overcome by admiration, I acted not unlawfully,
⁠For how could I bear the titles oppressor, adulterer?
Hold me excused, for surely, hadst thou seen her,
My passion had been thine, by nature's inevitable law.
This Sun will soon approach thee; there is not her peer
Within the realms of men or of genii.

Then he sealed the letter and made it over to the messengers. And they journeyed until they came to Muʾâwiyah, to whom they presented the letter. And he read it, and said: "Verily he has obeyed well, and has been particular in his mention of the woman." Then he commanded that she should be brought before him. And when he saw her, he found her appearance admirable. He had never seen one more lovely than she, nor equalling her in beauty, and grace, and stature, and symmetry. Then he addressed her, and found her eloquent of speech, happy in expression. And he said, "Bring the Arab to me." So they brought him; and he was in extremity through the change in his condition. Then cried Muʾâwiyah, "O Arab! art thou to be consoled for her? And wilt thou take in exchange for her three full-grown virgin slaves like moons, and with each slave a thousand dinârs, besides what will suffice thee and will enrich thee, which I shall apportion to thee every year from the Treasury?"

And when the Arab heard Muʾâwiyah's words, he sobbed chokingly—Muʾâwiyah thought he had died. So he asked him, "What evil has come over thee that thou art in this sad plight?" The Arab replied, "I sought protection through thy justice against the tyranny of the son of el-Hákam; but to whom shall I turn from thy oppression?" And he recited, saying:

May the king live for ever! Do not cause me to be
Like him who from burning sand takes refuge in the fire.
Restore Saida to one whom grief has distracted.
At eve and at morn he finds himself remembering and sad.
Covet her not from me, but loosen the bonds;
For doest thou this, verily I am not without gratitude.

Then he said, "By Allâh! O Commander of the Faithful! wert thou to offer me the Khalifate, I would not take it without Saida." And he recited, saying:

Excepting Saida, my heart refuses to love; and hateful
To me is womankind. I am guileless on their account.

Then said Muʾâwiyah to him, "But thou hast confessed that thou didst divorce her, and Marwân confessed that he divorced her, and we wish to give her the choice. If she choose other than thee, we ourselves will marry her: but if she choose thee, we will give her up to thee." He said, "Let it be done." So Muʾâwiyah cried, "Speak, Saida ! which is dearest to thee, the Commander of the Faithful with his power, and his rank, and his palaces, and his empire, and his wealth, and all that thou hast seen around him; or Marwân son of el-Hákam, with his tyranny and his injustice; or this Arab, with his hunger and his poverty?"

So she recited, saying:

This one. And even in hunger and want
He were dearer to me than my kin and my friends,
And the wearer of the crown, or his vicegerent, Marwân.
And for me all are possessed of dirhems and dinârs.

Then she continued: "By Allâh! O Commander of the Faithful! I am not going to forsake him because times have changed, nor because the days are darkened. Neither let it be forgotten that I have been his companion from the first, and our love is not worn out. And it is right that I should be the one to bear patiently with him in adversity, who have with him been happy in brighter days."

Then Muʾâwiyah marvelled at her wisdom, and her affection for the Arab, and her fidelity to him. And he gave her ten thousand dirhems, and gave the same sum to the Arab, who took her and departed.

 

1. The Benu-Tamîm, one of the most considerable tribes of Arabia, were dispersed over the north-east of Nejd from the Syrian desert to the borders of el-Yamâmah.
2. Marwân-ibn-el-Hákam was Secretary of State to ʾOthmân, the third Khalîfah, and was highly favoured by him, so much so that the large sums squandered by the Khalîfah upon Marwân, and one or two others, gave great offence to the people. But nevertheless it was chiefly through the treachery of Marwân that the intrigues of Aishah (the Prophet's widow), Talhah and Zubair (two of the Associates), and Muhammad, son of Abu-Bekr, were successful, and ended in the assassination of ʾOthmân, the traitor's master and benefactor. In A.H. 54, Marwân was appointed governor of el-Medînah by Muʾâwiyah, and in A.H. 64 (A.D. 684) was chosen Khalîfah of Syria upon the abdication of Muʾâwiyah the Second, the son of Yezîd, the son of Muʾâwiyah. The Khalîfate was now again divided, ʾAbd-Allâh-ibn-Zubair having been appointed Khalîfah in Arabia after the death of Yezîd. But Marwân's election was upon condition that Khaled, a younger son of Yezîd, should succeed on Marwân's death, his own children being excluded. And to show his sincerity in this matter, Marwân married Yezîd's widow, the mother of Khaled. Afterwards, however, he caused his own eldest son, ʾAbd-el-Mâlik, to be proclaimed his successor, which so angered Khaled that he reviled his step-father in public, who, being incensed at his reproaches, grossly aspersed the character of Khaled's mother. News of the affront being carried to her by the child, she vowed vengeance, and in consequence soon afterwards poisoned her husband, as is stated by some of the Arab historians. Others assert that she laid a pillow on his face while he slept, and sat upon it till he was smothered. Abu-Jaʾafar-et-Tábary, however, intimates that Marwân died of the plague, nor does Abuʾl-Fáraj say anything of his wife's being accessory to his death. He reigned less than a year.
3. There is no one word in English, as there is in Arabic, which expresses this period. In the case of a divorcée three months, and of a widow four months and ten days, during which it is unlawful for her to marry again.