The night had spread its black cloak over the whole city: darkness prevailed and all was quiet. It was after midnight. All good people were in their beds and had surrendered to sleep. Suddenly, the silence was broken.
There could be heard the sound of footsteps coming along the street! A man was walking with regular, even steps towards the mosque of the great Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi. He stopped at the entrance then raised his hands and his lips began to move in prayer, the gentle murmuring continuing quietly for a little while. He recited the first chapter of the Qur’an, the Opening (al-Fatiha Surah) for the sheikh’s soul according to the custom of the people of Sham.[119]But when he finished and uttered the statement: ‘I offer this Fatiha Surah for Sultan…’ he soon sank into deep thought. A question came into his mind, ‘I wonder why he was called: “The Sultan of those who know God”… and how did he attain this sultanate?’
His thoughts ran on quickly as he pondered the matter and weighed the various possibilities until a particular idea flashed into his mind and satisfied him. The man, M. A. Sheikho came to the conclusion that the sheikh had become a sultan by virtue of the fact that he followed the way of the Prophet Mohammad (cpth) who was descended from the sons of Adam. This sultan acquired great wisdom and benefits from the words of the Prophet (cpth), and put these wise words into practice, thus becoming a leader of those who know God.
At that moment a great desire was generated in his spirit, filled with aspiration, and without even a moment’s hesitation he took a momentous decision. He made a promise to his Provider in secret, saying: ‘I shall, by God’s Will, follow in the steps of our master Mohammad (cpth).’
At that time, our officer was head of the police station of al-Salhiyeh quarter which included the Kurdish area. One day, as he was sitting in his office he heard loud voices and quite a commotion outside! Some of his gendarmes entered his office having arrested a man that was saying repeatedly in a proud and confident manner, ‘You must not beat me.’
The gendarmes said to their commander, ‘This man has assaulted someone in the street and beaten him, moreover he swore about the government. Despite this, he kept threatening us and saying repeatedly that he must not be beaten.’
Officer Sheikho, the head of the station at that time, said to him, ‘You say you should not be beaten but I, personally, will beat you.’
Whereupon Officer Sheikho indicated by the merest movement of his finger that the gendarmes should push the man to the floor and tie his feet. Then our officer picked up his lash and raised it above his head. He was about to whip the man when a deputation of notables and elders of the quarter led by Sheikh Mohammad Amin Kharbutli, the imam of the Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Mosque, came in begging with heartfelt emotion for the man to be forgiven and released. But what made our officer wonder was that these men said the very same words which the man was repeating.
They said to Officer Sheikho, ‘This man must not be beaten.’
‘But he assaulted someone in the street!’ our officer told them.
Their answer was simply: ‘This is the man who was assaulted. He has come with us to forego his right to have the guilty man punished.’
Thereupon Officer Sheikho smiled and said that as they had forgiven the guilty man, he, as a representative of the government would overlook the other man’s misdemeanour of swearing at the government, for their sake. He then said it was his pleasure to give them permission to leave the station and accompanied them to the door. However, there was a certain look of confusion etched clearly across his face. He wanted to know the secret of this man whom everybody loved and insisted should not be beaten!
The following day two men of impressive appearance, and obviously very wealthy, asked permission to enter his office. They greeted him and asked him most politely to accompany them and accept an invitation from the pasha to visit him in his palace.
Our officer was astonished! He thought to himself, ‘Is there a pasha in this area where I live and work, and I don’t know anything about him?’
It is not difficult to understand Officer Sheikho’s confusion since the title of ‘Pasha’ signified a person of high rank in the political system of the Ottoman Empire and usually would be granted to governors, such as the prefects of Iraq or Sham, or generals and other dignitaries.
As he gave more thought to the matter he came to the conclusion that this pasha must be retired, otherwise he would have known about him. In fact this particular pasha seemed to be very powerful and to hold a lot of influence as he had resigned from his official position even though he was at the height of power and thereby retained not only his high rank but also his dignity.
He set off with the two gentlemen and the small group of riders soon reached the pasha’s residence: Mohammad Amin was stunned at the incredible, breath-taking sight before him!
To give the reader an idea of the magnificence of the pasha’s abode a short description must be given:
The towering walls were of a height rarely seen, and in the centre of one wall was a massive door made of wood with exquisite, complex, arabesque designs that were truly breathtaking, carved into it.
When the door was opened, the scene within seemed to be of one of the gardens of paradise.
There was a long, open corridor, its floor paved with expensive flagstones, so highly polished that you could see your face reflected from them. Trees trimmed into wonderful geometric shapes grew along both sides and a trellis bearing grapevines had been trained over the top of the passage and bunches of grapes hung down in golden clusters. Wherever the gaze alighted in the garden there were flowers that seemed to reflect the brilliance of the sun and gave off their delicate perfume. A wide pond was set into the middle of the garden where water flowed from a central fountain, the mist from the falling water touching the face as a reminder of the beauty surrounding them. And there, the birds perched on the branches all around, safe in their own paradise, singing and warbling their harmonious songs.
When the men entered the house, they saw before them a large entrance hall displaying the excellence of its architecture and the splendour of its ornaments.
Mohammad Amin later related the story as follows:
‘We entered the reception room… it was like something from a fairy tale to see the lights all around, reflecting off the exquisite ornaments, creating a splendid fusion of colours and shades; and arranged along the sides of the room were chairs of oriental wood inlaid with brilliant precious stones of every hue.
‘As for the floor, it was covered by many types of smooth, silken Persian carpets while superb paintings covered the walls… And the exquisite small fountain in the middle of the room with the calming sound of its tinkling water seemed to reflect all the colours of the rainbow! Not to mention the enormous, unique, regal chandeliers made of pure crystals. The sight of such beauty… such magnificence, the myriad of colours, the dancing reflections… were both dazzling to the eye and overwhelming to the mind.
‘At the back of the reception salon, there was a high, wide seat on which a man sat surrounded by many well- dressed gentlemen. As soon as he saw us he stood up and rushed forwards to welcome us.’
Officer Mohammad Amin was almost transfixed as he thought, ‘Oh God! Is this man the pasha?’ For he was the very same man whom the gendarmes had pushed to the floor and whose legs they had shackled! He was the very man whom he had been about to lash! Could this man really be the pasha?
‘So,’ said the pasha in a loud voice to our man while shaking him firmly by the hand, ‘You are the man they call“Aslan”!’ [120]
I have heard so often about your daring deeds and courage! How many times have I been told of your noble spirit and magnanimity! I am so glad that you have come to visit me in my home.’
In his usual tactful way, Mohammad Amin reciprocated the pasha’s hearty reception with words that were equally pleasing to him. Then demonstrating his extreme pleasure, the pasha accompanied our officer and asked him to sit beside him. An air of cordiality and mutual understanding prevailed in the atmosphere between the two men and a peerless sense of inspired poetic language coloured the conversation because of the admiration, reverence and appreciation which the pasha held in his heart and mind for that brave lion of a man, ‘Aslan’.
After a short time, a servant entered the hall to tell the pasha that the dining table had been prepared and that food was waiting for him and his guest. The pasha then invited his solemn visitor to accompany him with a smile that expressed his great happiness and did not once leave his lips. As they made their way towards the dining room, the most appetizing aromas reached them that made the mouth water in eager anticipation of the feast awaiting them. Then, the moment they passed through the door, abundant amounts of food appeared as a feast to the eyes, arranged most decoratively on the dining tables and spread in a matchless artistic fashion.
Whatever kind of food one could bring to mind was there on the tables: every type of meat and fish and other savoury dishes, colourful vegetables and salads and delicious sauces were there in abundance. Every platter was full of the most delicious foods, their appetizing aromas wafting in the vapours rising above them… and all laid out in such wonderful order and coordination that made the beholder want to consume every last morsel.
It was indeed a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach!
There appeared to be very few guests, yet the food was so abundant that it could easily feed four hundred hungry men. So, as soon as they heard the statement ‘Enjoy your meal’, they sat at the table in eager anticipation of the culinary delights they were about to taste.
Oh! What delicious flavours! What wonderful tastes! What superb spicy aromas! Every morsel was tastier than the one before and every dish so delicious that it was almost impossible to decide whether to eat more of that same dish or sample yet another one.
After that delicious and healthy meal, they passed through to another dining hall where, yet again, the eyes were transfixed by the display before them. Indeed, one might say that what they saw there could be found only in the imagination! The table was filled with every type of fruits one might imagine, all of the highest quality and many of them very rare. It was a beautiful, colourful, edible tableau and highly appealing to the appetite. Besides the superb array of fruits, there was an abundance of excellent oriental sweets arranged side by side in intricate patterns, soaked in syrup and covered with nuts.
All of this was followed by many trays of different kinds of sherbets that were passed around, thus the flavours mingled and it became impossible to take even one more morsel.
The pasha employed only the world’s most famous and skilful chefs in his kitchen and paid them high salaries. He also chose the most proficient men to decorate his dining table that was fit for a sultan, in the most pleasing and eye catching way. All of that was in order to prepare the food in an excellent and superior way and present it in the most attractive way so that it became an utter joy to those who were fortunate enough to dine at the pasha’s table.
The gathered guests, led by the pasha, returned to the reception room delighted and thoroughly sated with the splendid meal they had just consumed: their contentment showing clearly on their faces as each one took his seat. Then, the pasha made a discreet sign whereupon every one of those gentlemen of pompous and grand appearance stretched his arm to his side and drew from the corner of his own, individual couch a musical instrument, ‘Aha!’… thought Mohammad Amin, ‘they’re craftsmen!’
One held a flute, another embraced a lute; one raised a violin, another placed a drum in his lap. Thus, the musical ensemble was complete and the entertainment began. The music they played captivated the hearts which responded with their own beats of ecstasy. At these heavenly sounds all those present were about to forget their bodily existence and be transported to a place of bliss… to live in worlds of ecstasy… as their emotions and passions grew more and more intense.
Indeed, each musician was a genius in the timbre of his playing, and unique in his tone of voice. It was not long before the language of the music, having enraptured their hearts, began to encompass their spirits as the wonders of the intricate rhythms floated to their ears. He thought that any man who had never been fortunate enough to experience such an occasion, a moment so rarely given, had failed to experience the utmost bliss that life has to offer.
Suddenly, the music stopped but its memory lingered, controlling the spirit and captivating the hearts of all present.
Then, one of the men stood up and approached them. He was a comedian, skilled at entertaining with funny words and witty sayings. He started telling jokes, choosing the most amusing and whimsical tales and anecdotes. And he acted the parts too, sometimes crying or laughing, waving his hands at times, or his legs, and waggling his ears as befitted the tale. They laughed so much that their loud outbursts of laughter echoed around the room and tears of happiness began to flow.
Some weeks later, as Mohammad Amin was relating the details of this special day, he said, ‘I was sure that if there was a man among us whose mother was no longer in this world, within less than twenty minutes, he would forget her (even if he had no-one else in this world except her) and all the difficulties and suffering he had passed through. Really, that clown had a magnetic effect on the heart. He turned towards each one of us and entertained him personally with what was pleasant and appropriate to him alone. It seemed as if he had a magic act in the spirit for anyone that he turned to soon found himself in stitches, feeling so happy and cheerful and completely free from any sense of distress or grief.’
It was a dreamlike session where the lights harmonised and the smells of incense, fragrant musk and pure ambergris surged and mingled with the balmy air. Really, it was one of the most spectacular and memorable times of his life, and a night similar to the captivating nights of Andalus. [121]
Nonetheless, when it was time for prayer, everything stopped for them to pray and give praise to Al’lah. How wonderful it is to combine religion and one’s daily life: “May Al’lah not bless a life far from religion.”
In the midst of this, Mohammad Amin caught sight of the clock and was amazed at the time it showed. It was two hours after midnight!
‘Oh God! How could that be?’ he thought.
Had he really spent eight hours at the pasha’s mansion? How could such a long time feel so short?
It felt like only a few minutes!
The pasha noticed the officer’s astonishment so he yawned as a sign that those present should take their leave.
They began to leave immediately in the most polite way and showing their great respect for the pasha. Thereupon, our officer also stood up and stretched his hand towards the pasha to say goodbye. But the pasha kept his hand in his and said to him, ‘Arslan, I will expect you tomorrow.’
He tried to politely refuse the request, but the pasha said decisively, ‘If you do not come by yourself, I will come myself in order to fetch you here.’
So Mohammad Amin promised that he would do his best.
From that day on, he became an intimate of the pasha and did not leave him alone for even a single night. So, as the days passed the pasha began to tell his friend about his own, personal affairs. Through their conversations, our officer perceived that the pasha had given up the political life and resigned from his position after he became so wealthy that he was able to live a life of great ease and comfort, far removed from the competitiveness of politics and its machinations. Thus, he came out from the showplace of public life even though he was still at its peak, and hence he retained his prestige, rank and huge fortune.
He preferred the life of tranquillity and peacefulness; and to accomplish this, he retained the cooks, the musicians, and the servants who were in his employ during his rule, and he gave them the same salaries they had been accustomed to.
As for his marital life, there were always four wives close to him. Whenever he wanted to marry, he would choose a girl of eighteen years of age. As she became twenty-two years old he divorced her after settling an overwhelming amount of money on her.
At that time the vast majority of people were living in privation and penury. So, how fortunate was the girl whom the pasha took as a wife! He would save her from misery and unhappiness, as his benefaction and generosity would be extended to her family also. Then when he divorced her, she would leave his house taking a fortune that no amount of luxurious living or lavish expenditure could consume.
Whenever the pasha left the house he was accompanied by an African slave of enormous stature who immediately inspired fear in all who saw him. This slave accompanied him whenever and wherever he went for a ride. During the pasha’s excursions, if one of nature’s many beautiful sights caught his eye and enchanted his heart, he would give an order to the driver of the carriage to stop. There, the giant slave would prepare the narghile [122]for him to smoke and then stand respectfully by the side of the carriage while the pasha remained sitting in his comfortable seat, smoking and feasting his eyes on the beauty, splendour and perfection that was created by God’s powerful Hands. On returning to his towering palace, four muscular men awaited him, their sole purpose being to massage the muscles of the pasha’s body and remove any sign of stress!
Thus was the life of the pasha: a mixture of hedonistic delights and endless enjoyment as he had free rein to all the pleasures this worldly life has to offer.
So far this tale has dwelt on the sybaritic life of the pasha so to dispel any thoughts that one might have that he cared nothing for the less fortunate it is vital to mention that the surplus food from his sultanic dining table was dispersed daily among many poor families, in addition to certain salaries which he dispensed monthly to needy families. This was all apart from the alms and monetary gifts he used to pay, and the deeds of generosity and charity he performed. Not for a single day did he fail to perform the above acts of charity, nor did he neglect any of the obligatory religious duties. His only slight divergence from his religious obligations was because he always slept late at night he was unable to perform the dawn prayer at the appointed hour, so he did so a little later just after sunrise.
Two years went by while our officer and the pasha passed the nights together in this manner: eating and drinking, listening to music and anecdotes and spending times full of pleasure and delight… until one fateful day!
Our officer Mohammad Amin was sitting in his office in the police station when he was informed of the news of the pasha’s death!
The news came to his ears like a bolt from the blue!
The pasha had died! The man who owned that magnificent palace that man of such high standing! The master of all those servants! The owner of wealth and wives, luxury and enjoyment!
Thoughts were buzzing around his mind: ‘Oh my God! I don’t believe it! Just a few hours ago, I left him lively and active, moving briskly, seemingly in the best of health! He was full of golden dreams and rose tinted schemes… bursting with the exuberance of life! But how did he die?’
On enquiring he was told that when the pasha returned to his palace as usual after his daily outing in his regal carriage, he felt a slight dizziness, so he asked for a cup of hot flower tea to be brought to him, but when they brought the tea, they found him dead.
The ceremonies of escorting the deceased to his final resting place had been accomplished in the usual way, and an imposing procession was walking behind the coffin. Everyone was crying, yet their tears were not necessarily due to the passing of the pasha as a man but to the fact that he was no longer there to continue his overwhelming benevolence and almsgiving. Each one of them was weeping for himself, and bemoaning his own bad fortune.
After the pasha’s mortal remains were placed in his everlasting home, our officer returned directly to his office. He closed the door and sat at his desk. His features showed that he was deep in thought and his eyes seemed focused on serious matters. He sat in contemplation, putting many questions to himself while many thoughts about the future began to cross his mind: he rejected some, and studied others, comparing them with known facts and events.
The death of the pasha was just the start of many questions that would give him sleepless nights:
‘Oh God! Oh God! Is this the meaning of fate? Is the future of everyone restricted to this hole in the ground where hopes and plans all come to nothing?
‘Oh God! What a bitter loneliness! Total darkness: When might it be driven away? Where are the close friends? Where are the companions? Where have the sessions of pleasure and nightly conversations gone? Where have the lights and lamps disappeared to? Where are the palaces? What is the purpose beyond this life? Where is its fascinating brightness which entirely captivates the heart?
‘How can we escape? Where is the refuge?
‘There is no way back! The pasha has died!
‘Sultans and kings, even Prophets and Envoys also die.
‘Does anybody doubt his own death? Will you not die?
‘Who can escape when the angel of death comes to take the soul? Is there any escape from death?’
The certainty is that one day you will leave this world:
Be sure to take along provisions, in the form of good deeds.
Be sure that you will meet death… for it will come to claim you!
Never forget that you, too, will be wrapped in a shroud and placed in your tomb beneath the soil
Never forget that gloomy day when those spirits who failed to see the Light of Al’lah will tremble at the very thought of death.
It was only one week after the pasha’s death when two men accompanied by the mayor of al-Salhiyeh quarter entered the station to speak with Officer Sheikho. One of them was a physician and the other was one of his assistants.
The mayor asked our officer to send a few of his policemen to accompany them to the cemetery in order to carry out a post-mortem examination on the pasha’s corpse. For the investigations done by the security authorities according to a complaint lodged by his relatives showed that the pasha might have been murdered. And they wanted proof!
The indictment was directed towards one of his wives whom the pasha had been about to divorce. They thought she might have poisoned him in order to get a share of his great wealth. For there would have been a huge difference between her share if the pasha had divorced her and what she would have expected on his death, especially as the pasha had no children.
But our officer said that he would go with them himself for the pasha was his close friend.
They then set off together to the graveyard. The gravedigger had already removed the soil from above the grave when they arrived there, and the entrance of the grave seemed to be closed by a big slab. So, they asked him to remove it.
When the grave was opened there came a most abominable stench from the corpse that permeated the entire graveyard. It nauseated the people there and caused them to run away. Then when the sunlight entered the grave-hole, it showed a horrible and dreadful sight. The pasha appeared misshapen and in such a state of decay that even the most courageous of men would have been terrified and felt the blood curdling in their bodies.
All eyes stared at the hole, fixed on what they saw before them, as the men craned their necks unable to believe what they saw: the face of the pasha was distorted beyond recognition, there were no eyes in the sockets, the nose was so mutilated that nothing remained except two openings, the mouth gaped wide but no tongue could be seen. The abdomen and legs were swollen and the shins black and blotched. Worst of all, his body was covered with swarms of large white maggots that were feasting tirelessly on the pasha’s flesh: the columns did not stop, as one file entered his nose, another came out of his eyes… and so it continued.
Despite all those attackers, the pasha remained still, offering no resistance!
In a hurry, the physician gave pieces of cotton to his assistant who used them to cover his nose and mouth until they finished their task. Then he brought out a scalpel and used it to scrape away some of the waves of maggots. He scraped them right and left, and at a certain point of the abdomen, he plunged the scalpel in thus causing it to burst and emit a loud popping sound. Then he slashed the abdomen and a white liquid came bubbling out. The physician took up a spoonful using his medical spoon and put it in a special box. He gave an order to the gravedigger to fill up the grave with earth. Some days later the doctor’s report stated: ‘It was proved that the pasha’s death was normal and there was no murder.’
As soon as the harrowing task was finished, our officer returned directly to his office. He sat at his desk and gave free rein to his thoughts. The sight of the putrefaction of his close friend made him go deep within himself to the very core of his being, his intellect holding a virtual discussion with his spirit. This opened up new avenues of thought for him and created many questions to which he had no immediate answers, and he called on Al’lah from the depths of his spirit:
‘Oh my God