Part 28 (1/2)
THE BLACKSMITH WHO THE BLACKSMITH WHO COULD HANDLE FIRE COULD HANDLE FIRE WITHOUT HURT WITHOUT HURT
A certain pious man It reached the ears of once heard that there a certain pious man that abode in such a town a there abode in such a town blacksmith who could a blacksmith who could put his hand into the fire put his hand into the fire and pull out the red-hot and pull out the iron red-hot, iron, without its doing without the flaht of hurt
out for the town in question So he set out for the town in and enquiring for the question and asked for blacksmith, watched him the blacksmith; and when at work and saw him do the man was shown to as had been reported to him; he watched him at him He waited till he work and saw him do as had made an end of his had been reported to hi He waited till he had made up to him, saluted hi up to hiht” ”With all and said, ”I would be thy ht” Replied sladness his house, where they and goodly gree!” and supped together and lay carried hiether watched his host, but and lay down to sleep
found no sign of [special] The guest watched but saw devoutness in hi said to hiht or he concealeth hied with said in his mind, ”Haply hiht, but found that he ed with did no more than observe hiht, but found that he law and rose but little did not exceed the devotions in the night [to pray] At prescribed by the last he said to him, ”O law and custom of the ift hich in the dark hours to pray
God hath favoured thee At last he said to him, ”O and have seen the truth of ift hich I have taken note of Allah hath favoured thee, thine assiduity [in and have seen the truth of religious exercises], but it with mine eyes Moreover, find in thee no special I have taken note fervour of piety, such as of thine assiduity in distinguisheth those in religious exercises, but find whoifts are uished those ork ”Whence, then, cometh saintly miracles; whence, this to thee?” ”I will then cometh this to thee?”
tell thee,” answered the ”I will tell thee,”
smith answered the smith
”Know that I was once ”Know that I was once passionately enamoured of passionately enairl and oft-times required her many a time sued her for loveliesse, of love, but could not but could not prevail prevail upon her, for upon her, because she that she still clave fast still held fast by her unto chastity Presently chastity Presently there there caer and hunger and hardshi+p, food hardshi+p; food failed and failed, and there befell a there befell a sore fa one day at home, one day in my house, somebody knocked at the when one knocked at the door; so I went out, and, door; so I went out and behold, she was standing found her standing there; there; and she said to and she said to me, 'O me, 'O ered and I with excessive hunger, and liftthee to feedthee to feed for Allah's sake!' Quoth me for God's sake!' I, 'Wottest thou not how Quoth I, 'Dost thou not I love thee and what I have kno I love thee suffered for thy sake? Now and what I have suffered I will not give thee one for thy sake! I will give bittock of bread except thee no whit of food, thou yield thy person except thou yield thyself to me' Quoth she, to me' But she said, 'Death, but not 'Better death than disobedience to the Lord!'
disobedience to God' Then Then she went away and she went away and returned after two days with returned after two days the same prayer for food with the same petition as before I made her a for food I made her a like like answer, and she answer, and she entered entered and sat down in h upon upon death I set food death I set food before before her, whereupon her her, whereupon her eyes eyes ran over with tears, brimmed with tears, and and she said, 'Give me she cried, 'Give me meat to eat for the love of God, for the love of Allah, to to who Honour and and majesty!' 'Not so, Glory!' But I answered by Allah,' answered I, 'Not so, by Allah, except 'except thou yield thyself thou yield thyself to me'
to me' Quoth she, Quoth she, 'Better is 'Better is death to me death to me than the wrath than the wrath of God and wreak of Allah the the Most High' And Most Highest; and she she left the food rose and left the food untouched untouched [461] and went away [461] and went away repeating the following repeating these couplets: verses:
O, Thou, the only God, whose O, Thou, the One, whose grace grace embraceth all that be, doth all the world embrace; Thine ears have heard my Thine ears have heard, Thine moan, Thine eyes have seen eyes have seen my case!
my misery;
Indeed, privation and distress Privation and distress have dealt are heavy on my head; I me heavy blows; the woes cannot tell of all the woes that weary uer me can trace
I'm like a man athirst, that I a streale not drink a draught of draught of all that he doth streams that rail and race
see
My flesh would have me buy its My flesh would teht of savoury food whose flee! The sin that pays their joys shall pass away and price abides to all eternity pangs irl, ”worn out ant,” came a third time, and met with the same answer But then remorse seized upon the blacksmith and he bade her, ”eat, and fear not”]
”When she heard this ”Then she raised her eyes she raised her eyes to to heaven and said, heaven and said,
”'O my God, if this ”'O my God, if this man man be sincere, I pray say sooth, I pray thee Thee forbid fire to do forbid fire to harm him him hurt in this world in this world and the and the next, for Thou art next, for Thou over all He that answereth prayer things art O the whatsoever Thou wilt!' prayer of the penitent!'
”Then I left her and Then I left her and ent to put out the fire to put out the fire in in the brasier Now the the brazier Now the time was the winter-cold, season inter and the and a hot coal fell on weather cold, and a live my body; but by the coal fell on my body, but ordinance of God (to by the decree of Allah (to whoht and whom be Honour and majesty), I felt no pain Glory!) I felt no pain, and and it was born in upon it became my conviction me that her prayer had that her prayer had been been answered” answered”
[The girl then praised God, who ”straightway took her soul to Him”
The story finishes with some verses which are rendered by Payne and Burton each according to his wont]
135 Abu al-Hasan
We will next take ”Abu al-Hasan and Abu Ja'afar the Leper”
Payne Burton V 49 V 294 (Lib Ed, iv, 242)