The Slave Girl Umara

Abdallah ibn Ja'far ibn Abi Talib had a singing slave girl called Umara. When Abdallah came to visit Mu'awiya, he brought her out with him. One day Yazid visited him and stayed with him, and he brought her out to him. And when Yazid looked at her and heard her singing, she fell into his heart, and there seized him on her account something he could not master; yet his father's position kept him from disclosing it, together with his despair of ever winning her. He went on concealing it until Mu'awiya died, the power passed to him, and Yazid assumed the caliphate. Then he consulted one of those he trusted about her, who said: "What Abdallah possesses is not to be coveted; you cannot allow yourself to coerce him; and he will never sell her for anything. Nothing will serve in this matter but stratagem."

Yazid said: "Find me an intelligent man from the people of Iraq, quick-witted and cultivated, a man of knowledge and skill."

They sought him out and brought him, and when he came before him he drew him out in talk, and found eloquence, charm, and understanding. He said to him: "I have summoned you for a matter which, if you succeed in it, will be your fortune to the end of your days, and your hand will have its fill of it." Then he told him his affair. The man said: "O Commander of the Faithful, what Abdallah ibn Ja'far holds can be come at only by guile, and if any man can accomplish what you ask, I hope to be that man — and strength is from God. Assist me, then, O Commander of the Faithful, with money." He said: "Take what you please." So he took, and bought of the finest wares of Syria, and garments of Egypt and its goods for trade, and slaves and mounts and whatever else he needed, and set out for Medina. He halted on the open ground before Abdallah ibn Ja'far's house, hired a dwelling beside him, and then approached him and said: "I am a man of the people of Iraq, come with merchandise, and I wished to be under your protection and in your shelter until I sell what I have brought." So Abdallah sent to his stewards and said: "Honor our neighbor, and make the dwelling ample for him."

When the Iraqi had settled in, and had greeted him for some days and made himself known to him, he prepared for him a fine mule, garments of the garments of Iraq, and choice gifts, and sent them to him, writing a note in which he said: "My master, I am a merchant; God's favor upon me is ample and I have means. I have sent you a small kindness — it is such-and-such — with garments and perfume, and I have sent a mule light of rein and easy of back: take her for your riding. And I ask you, by your kinship to the Messenger (God bless him and grant him peace), to accept my gift and not to grieve me by returning it; for I hold it my religion before God Almighty to love you and to love the people of your house, and the best thing in this journey of mine is that I should gain the pleasure of your company and be honored by your acquaintance."

Abdallah ordered his gift accepted, and went out to prayer. When he returned he passed by the Iraqi at his dwelling, and the man rose to him, kissed his hand, and greeted him. He kept much company with him, and found in him culture, wit, charm, and eloquence, so that he admired him and rejoiced that he had lodged beside him. And the Iraqi went on sending, every day, some kindness and some rarity to Abdallah, till Abdallah said: "May God reward this guest of ours with good; he has filled us with gratitude and left us helpless to requite him." While they were thus, Abdallah invited him one day and called for Umara and his slave girls. When they had supped and were at their ease, and he heard the singing of Umara, he marveled, and kept adding to his wonder as he saw that this pleased Abdallah — until Abdallah said to him: "Have you ever seen the like of Umara?" He said: "No, by God, my master, I have never seen her like; she is fit for none but you; and I had not thought there could be in the world such a one for beauty of face, for skill, and for art." He said: "What is she worth?"

He said: "She has no price but the caliphate." He said: "You say this because of what you see of my regard for her, and to give me pleasure." He said: "By God, my master, I do love your pleasure, but I spoke to you only in earnest. And besides, I am a merchant who lays dirham upon dirham in search of profit; and were you to give her to me for ten thousand dinars, I would take her." Abdallah said: "For ten thousand dinars?..."

He said: "Yes." Now in that age there was no slave girl worth ten thousand dinars. So Abdallah said, as one jesting: "I sell her to you for ten thousand dinars." He said: "I have taken her." He said: "She is yours." He said: "The sale is binding." And the Iraqi went his way.

When morning came, Abdallah knew nothing of it till the money was brought to him. Abdallah said: "The Iraqi has sent the money?..." They said: "Yes — ten thousand dinars, and he said: this is the price of Umara." So he returned it to him and said: "I was only jesting with you. Did I not think you knew that a man like me does not sell one like her?" He said: "May I be your ransom — jest and earnest in a sale are one and the same." He said: "Woe to you! I know of no slave girl anywhere worth what you have offered, and had I been selling her to anyone, I would have preferred you. But I was only bantering with you, and I would not sell her for the kingdom of this world, for her closeness to me and her place in my heart." The Iraqi said: "If you were jesting, I was in earnest; I had no knowledge of what was in your soul. I have become owner of the girl at the price; she is no longer lawful to you, and there is nothing for it but that I take her." But he withheld her from him.

So the Iraqi went out, saying: "I shall put you on oath in the court of the Commander of the Faithful." When Abdallah saw that he was in earnest he said: "What a wretched guest! No visitor ever knocked at our door, no guest ever lodged with us, who was a greater calamity to us than you. You would put me on oath, and people will say: he oppressed him and browbeat him and drove him to make him swear. By God, they shall surely know that in this affair I will show patience, firm resolve, and gracious fortitude."

Then he ordered his steward to take the money and to fit out the girl with such garments, servants, perfume, and mount as became her; and she was fitted out with some three thousand dinars' worth. Then he delivered her to his steward and said: "Bring the girl to him with all that is with her, and say: this is yours, and you shall have from us besides a recompense for the kindness you have shown us."

The Iraqi received the girl and set out. When he had gone out from Medina he said to her: "Umara, by God, I have never owned you, nor are you mine; a man like me does not buy a slave girl for ten thousand dinars, nor would I set upon Abdallah ibn Ja'far to rob him, for my own sake, of the person dearest of all to him. But I am an agent sent by the Commander of the Faithful, Yazid; you are his, and it was in quest of you that he sent me. So veil yourself from me; and if Satan should enter into me concerning you, resist me."

Then he journeyed on with her until he came to Damascus — and there the people met him bearing the bier of Yazid, whose son Mu'awiya had been made caliph in his stead. The man stayed some days, then contrived an audience with him, and set the story before him. He said: "She is yours." So the Iraqi set out again, and said to the girl: "I said to you what I said, when I brought you out of Medina, because I did not own you. Now you have become mine, and I call you to witness that I have given you to Abdallah ibn Ja'far." He traveled with her until he came to Medina, and lodged near Abdallah. One of his servants came in to Abdallah and said: "That Iraqi, your guest, who did with us what he did — may God not give him greeting — has arrived." He said: "Lodge the man, and treat his stay with honor." The Iraqi sent to Abdallah: "If you would permit me — may I be your ransom — a brief entry to you, that I might tell you my need by word of mouth and go." He gave him leave, and when he came in he told him the story, and swore to him by the most binding of oaths that he had seen no fitting place for her save with him — and here she was. He brought her into the house, and when the people of the house and the servants saw her they cried out, calling: "Umara!... Umara!" And when she saw Abdallah she fell down in a swoon, and Abdallah began wiping her face with his sleeve, saying: "My beloved! Is this a dream?" The Iraqi said to him: "Nay — God has returned her by your faithfulness and your generosity." Abdallah said: "God knows how the matter truly was; praise be to God in every case." Then he ordered an estate of his sold for thirteen thousand dinars, and ordered it given to the Iraqi, who returned to Iraq abundant in honor and wealth.

(From al-Mukhtarat al-Sa'ira)