Muslim boy

Student of Knowledge طالب العلم

2010-01-24T16:07:00.004+08:00

بالعلم بل بالأدب تنال أعلى الرتب
فعش حياة العلماء و اقرأ صنوف الكتب
و دم على تواضع لا تفتخر بالنسب
كفاك أن تخرج من دنيا الورى بالحسب

نعم نعم لكنني من غير أم و أب
أهوى العلا و ليس لي مالا يقضي أرب
من يا ترى يضمني يمدني بنشب
مناي أن يكون لي شأن كشأن الكوكب
و أن أكون عالما فالعلم ميراث النبي
يا أخوة عهدتكم أنتم بقايا يعرب
مدوا يد العون ل طالب غدا في الطالب
هيا فوفروا له ما للفتى من مطلب
نعم و هل من عمل زاك كتعليمي صبي

By Knowledge, rather by morals
You achieve the highest ranks
Live scholars lives
And read a variety of books

Be always humble
Don't boast of your ancestry
It's enough to come out the realm of mankind with noble descent

Yes, yes but I am without a mother or a father
I aspire to sublimity
And I do not have money to satisfy my needs

Who will ever embrace me and grant me
I wish I have the position of the star
And to be a scholar
As knowledge is the heritage of the prophet

Oh! Brothers I entrusted you
You are the rest of Arabs
Support a student who are asking

Provide him with what he needs
Yes, is there anything better than
Teaching a boy

We will not go down (Song for Gaza) - by Michael Heart

2010-01-03T17:38:00.004+08:00

Scroll down for lyrics

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)
(Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009

A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight.

Click the Button Below to download "We will not go down" Song for Gaza MP3

Copyright 2009 - All rights reserved.

Islamic Nasheeds

2010-01-01T15:54:00.001+08:00

Islamic Nasheeds at SearchTruth.com

Malaysia history

2009-12-21T15:43:00.001+08:00

Malay Peninsula becomes the center of trade in Southeast Asia when China and India began their trade through the Malacca Strait. Many governments exist in the early 10th century originated from the port city. These include Langkasuka and Lembah Bujang in Kedah, and BATURITI Gangga Negara in Perak and Pan Pan in Kelantan. In the early 15th century, Malacca Sultanate existed and economic prosperity has attracted interest from the Portuguese conquerors, the Netherlands and Britain to establish colonies or settlements in the Straits of Malacca.

Straits Settlements royal British colony established in 1826, and Britain gradually spreading influence and control over the entire peninsula. Placement strait consists of Penang, Malacca and Singapore. In 1867, English became increasingly aggressive and began to get Malay states another. Because of civil war, disruption of Chinese secret societies, Britain has been chosen to solve the population problem of the Straits Settlements. Finally, the Pangkor Treaty was signed which resulted in the expansion of British power to Malay states (namely Perak, Pahang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, known also Federated Malay States). Other states known as the Federated Malay States, ie not Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are under the authority of Thailand.

In Borneo, the British North Borneo, formerly under the rule of the Sultanate of Sulu (now Sabah) enthroned as the Royal British colony, while a family-owned Sarawak Brooke. Due to the Japanese occupation in World War II and the rise of the communists, support for independence strengthened. When Britain want to establish the Malayan Union after the war ended, the Malay community and wanted the system up against the pro-Malay, refuse entry of Singapore citizenship and wanted a single system (rather than dual citizen, which allows the immigrants get citizenship status of Malaya and their country of origin). Independence for Malaya in 1957 obtained under the name of the Federation of Malaya, without the participation of Singapore.

Federal newly created under the name of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 through the unification of Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo (later renamed Sabah) and Sarawak. Sultanate of Brunei in the first state to participate in Malaysia's intention to withdraw due to opposition of some communities frustrated because brunei sultan they are not included in the prospective Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. In the early establishment of Pakistan, many things happen such as Indonesia attempts conquered Malaysia, Sabah and claims by the Philippines. In addition, in 1965, Singapore withdrew from Malaysia and the race riots occurred in 1969.

Malaysia is currently still have some problems with neighbors such as problems of land reclamation by Singapore and the issue price of water. With Indonesia, there are also some disagreement regarding the oil exploration concession in the waters of Sabah and the problem of foreign workers without permission (PATI). But all these problems peacefully negotiated with the spirit of esprit de corps. In addition, the people of Malaysia and its neighbors from the same branch. Especially with the people of Indonesia, Malaysia has established ties with the people in that country.

Aladdin - Arabian Night

2009-12-06T20:53:00.002+08:00

Al-Fatihah

2009-11-22T13:14:00.004+08:00

Parrots

2009-11-19T21:32:00.005+08:00

Parrots can be found in every color, but many South American parrots tend toward olive green. All have interesting feet, two toes that point forward and two that point backwards. Most members of the parrot family also have strongly hooked beaks.

Man has had a long admiration of parrots. Obviously, keeping parrots as pets is major hobby.

Giraffe

2009-11-19T16:17:00.003+08:00

Giraffes are the tallest animals on the planet.

A giraffe could look into a second-story window. A giraffe's 6-foot (1.8-meter) neck weighs about 600 pounds (272 kilograms). A giraffe's heart is 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and weighs about 25 pounds (11 kilograms), and pumps approximately 16 gallons of blood per minute.

The giraffe has several special adaptations in order to survive. Its long enable it to run up to 37 mph (60 kmph). The giraffe's long neck gives it advantage of excellent vision.

How many bones are there in a giraffe's neck?
Just like humans, giraffes have seven neck vertebrae. For giraffes, however, each one can be over ten inches (25.4 centimeters) long.

Google Logo

2009-11-11T20:20:00.002+08:00

WORDIQ

2009-11-11T18:52:00.001+08:00

One of the most visited regions of the Egypt is the Islamic Cairo, situated in the city center. It is called the Islamic Cairo for the significant number of historically monuments and mosques present in this part of the city. One of the attractions is an enormous shopping center, always crowed, when tourists can find everything they want, and more, they can exchange things. In this part of the Cairo is the world’s most visited cemetery, known as “The city of the dead people”. The tombs are real palaces belonging to rich people or even to kings, having a very beautiful Islamic architecture. There are also medieval necropolises and mausoleums dedicated to some well off families. The paradox is that in this cemetery live many poor and homeless families which makes this place a full of life one. They made homes inside the big tombs. And although nobody has an authorization to live there, the authorities did nothing to change their situation. From the touristic point of view, it is an advantage, because the number of the visitors interested in this place is continuing increasing. The Islamic Cairo sends you back in time with 700 years. Districts like Darb al-Ahmar are teeming with small and strait streets, where you can see little houses, camels, donkeys and goats. All over the place are mosques and temples, and the air is full of keen smells from plants, animals and people. The tourists are also interesting in visiting the Citadel, where for 700 years was the house of the Egypt’s government, the Ibn Tulun mosque, the mausoleum of Ibn Tulun, the biggest Islamic tomb where is buried one of the Islam’s saints, the mosque of Sultan Hasan and many more!

Egypt Islamic Cairo

Nunnery of Saint George

WORDIQ

2009-11-11T18:50:00.001+08:00

Al-Qāhirah, (in Arabic translation, meaning the Triumphant or the Vanquisher) or the city of a thousand minarets is the capital of the beautiful Egypt. The city constituted in 969 AD owns now approximately 17.285 million citizens, being on the 16th place of the world most populated capitals. Fustat was the administrative and economical capital of Egypt till 1168/1169 when, trying to fight against the Crusaders, the city is ruined. Since that year Cairo is Egypt`s capital. Today, the wonderful Cairo is a multi educational city with fifteen universities with different specific, such as Cairo University, the Russian University, The Canadian International College, and The German University. The medical services are assured by almost forty eight hospitals including: Maadi (the largest hospital in Cairo), Qasr El Ainy General Hospital.With a rail, subway and maritime system, modern roads, an airport and many taxi companies, you can not complain about transportation in Cairo. The capital of the civilizations blend has numerous cultural attractions such as Al-Azhar Park, Khedivial Opera House, Cairo`s Opera House. An important cultural event is the International Movie Festival. As Egypt is the country with enormous touristic attractions, Cairo offers various places to visit too: Cairo Tower - a TV tower having 187 m, Khan El-Khalili – an old part of Cairo with many shops, remembering of the old markets and bazaars, The Museum of Egypt - housing the largest collection of old antiquities. The old region of Cairo - with the Hanging Church, Coptic Museum, The Fortress of Babylon and many more. Words are never enough to describe the splendor, mystery and charm of Cairo, so, convince yourself by visiting the city where you don`t know what to visit first! It is a life-time experience!

Egypt Cairo Al Qahirah

Citadel of Salahideen

Egypt Fruits

Egypt Info

2009-11-11T18:48:00.003+08:00

Called by Herodot the “Nil`s gift”, Egypt, is the country of a immemorial civilization, fascinating and mysterious, whose secretes remained hidden till the present time.

Egypt is situated in the north of Africa and in the Small Asia's West part, its coasts being washed by the two great seas: the Mediterranean Sea in north and The Red Sea in east.

The country is 90% constituted from desert. One of the longest rivers in the world, the Nil, sweeps Egypt from south to north, on a distance of about 1200 kilometers, dividing in this way the country's area.

The official name of the country is the Arab Republic of Egypt, the capital is Cairo, the biggest Africa's city (about 2500 km2), a noisy metropolis of seventeen million citizens, without including the tourists and the provincials. The form of government is the multi-parties democratic republic. The time zone is GMT/UTC +2 hours.

Egypt's population is about 79 million people; most of them are Egyptians, Berbers and Bedouins (99%) and there other nations like Armenians, Europeans and Nubians, but in a very small percent.

The official language is Arab, but all over the country English, German, or French is spoken. The official religion is Islam. More than 87% of the population is Muslim; the rest are Christians, Roman-Catholics, Jewish and Protestants. Egypt's official currency is the Egyptian lyre.

The importation and the export of the Egyptian lyre are forbidden. But you can bring to Egypt any free convertible currency. You can exchange the money at the exchange houses, at hotels, or in banks. In the majority of the hotels and magazines, you can use the credit cards. On the cruisers the credit cards are not allowed, you can pay only in cash. Banks are opened Monday to Friday, in the period of time 08.30 and 14.00.

Egypt conquers with its antiquities architectonics that reminds in a extremely visible way of an colossal empire's glory from the beginning of the history.

This wonderful country has numerous attractions such as the Pyramids, (that amazed the Romans and the Greeks, and continues to amaze generations and generations). The temples, the Old Cairo with its numerous churches, the mosques, the Pharaoh's Egypt, the bazaars, the royal tombs, the museums, the parks, the botanical and zoological gardens, the Christian and Islamic monuments, all are wonderful attractions for visitors.

In a context in which the historic monuments coexist in harmony with the actual modern life, Egypt offers the tourists variety in exploration: Nil cruises, diving in the Red Sea or trips in the Sinai's peninsula. More, visitors can play golf, go fishing, or to enjoy dance festivals, go to theatre, buy beautiful traditional souvenirs.
Most of the time, the Egypt's tours start and end with an incursion in capital Cairo, an enormous architectural jewelry.

Other touristic cities are Alexandria, with the famous Library of Alexandria, the Mediterranean seaport and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, and Luxor with the Mummification Museum and the Valley of the Kings.

Al Qahirah - Definition and Overview

2009-11-11T18:38:00.003+08:00

Copied from Wordiq
For other uses, see Cairo (disambiguation).

View of the modern city's skyline.

Cairo incorporates an entire medieval section, which is now a popular neighborhood and contains important buildings of islamic architecture.

Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة; romanized: al-Qāhirah) is the capital city of Egypt and has an estimated metropolitan area population of 15 million. It is the largest city in both Africa and the Middle East and is currently the thirteenth most populous city in the world.

While al-Qāhirah is the official name of the city, in local speech it is typically called simply by the name of the country, Mişr (Arabic, مصر) pronounced Maşr in the local dialect.

The name Al-Qahirah means The Subduer. This name was given to the city as many armies were destroyed in attempts to invade Cairo or defeated elsewhere by troops sent from Cairo. (Mongols, Crusaders & Ottomans are examples)

Geography

A simulated-color satellite image of Cairo, Egypt, taken on NASA's Landsat 7 satellite.

Egypt, with Cairo governorate highlighted.

Cairo is located on the banks and islands of the Nile River in the north of Egypt, immediately south of the point where the river leaves its desert-bound valley and breaks into three branches into the low-lying Nile Delta region.

The oldest part of the city is somewhat east of the river. There, the city gradually spreads west, engulfing the agricultural lands next to the Nile. These western areas, built on the model of Paris by Ismail the Magnificent in the mid-19th century, are marked by wide boulevards, public gardens, and open spaces. The older eastern section of the city is very different: having grown up haphazardly over the centuries it is filled with small lanes and crowded tenaments. While western Cairo is dominated by the government buildings and modern architecture, the eastern half is filled with hundreds of ancient mosques that act as landmarks.

Extensive water systems have also allowed the city to expand east into the desert. Bridges link the Nile islands of Gezira and Roda, where many government buildings are located and government officials live. Bridges also cross the Nile attaching the city to the suburbs of Giza and Imbabah (part of the Cairo conurbation).

West of Giza, in the desert, is part of the ancient necropolis of Memphis on the Giza plateau, with its three large pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza (last surviving of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World). Approximately 11 miles (18 km) to the south of modern Cairo is the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and adjoining necropolis of Saqqara. These cities were Cairo's ancient predecessors, when Cairo was still in this approximate geographical location.

History

Founding and early history

The current location of Cairo was too far from the ancient course of the Nile to support a city. Just to the south of the modern city's location are the ruins of Memphis, which was the capital of Ancient Egypt and was founded in around 3100 BC by Menes of Tanis after he had united the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt, although the capital later moved to Heliopolis, further south to Thebes, and, under the Ptolemaic dynasty, Alexandria.

The first settlement on the location of modern Cairo was a Roman fort, known as Babylon Fort, built about AD 150, built near the settlement known as Babylon-in-Egypt, which lay close to an ancient Egyptian canal from the Nile to the Red Sea.

A small town mostly of Coptic Christians slowly grew around the fort. Arab invaders, lead by Amr Ibn-el-As, took the fort town in 642 and also established their army in the location, rebuilding its defenses. The Arab tented camp outside the fortress, known as Al-Fustat, slowly became the permanent base of the Arab forces in Egypt under the Umayyads and Abbasids, and contains the first mosque in Africa.

Slowly, the settlement grew into a small city. The North African Shiite Fatimid Dynasty conquered Egypt in 972 and buildt a new capital, Al-Mansureya, north of the old settlement. Their leader, Al-Muez Ledin-Ellah, renamed the city Al-Qahirah after the planet Mars which was rising on the day the city was founded.

The Al-Azhar mosque was founded the same year, and along with its accompanying university it made Cairo a centre of learning and philosophy. The school remains a major center for Islamic study today. The Seljuks caputured Cairo in the mid 1100s, and Saladin and his successors expanded the city further, including the construction of its massive citadel.

The sack of Baghdad in 1258 heightened the importance of the city and it became the leading intellectual and artistic centre in the Middle East, and perhaps the world, for the next 250 years. But power was shifting from the Arab world north to the Turks and Europeans.

The city was taken by the Ottoman Empire under Selim in 1517, but the ruling Mameluks quickly returned to power as nominal vassals to the Ottoman Sultan.

Era of westernization

Detail from one of the many houses of neoclassical style that belonged to the Greek community that thrived in Cairo until the 1950s.

Cairo's rich architectonic melange includes art deco buildings like this one in Garden City.

Napoleon conquered Egypt in 1797, and Cairo was quickly surrendered to him by its Mameluk rulers. Napoleon left Egypt after his fleet was destroyed at the Battle of Aboukir Bay in 1798, leaving General Kléber in charge. Kléber was assassinated in 1800 and the three-year French occupation had little lasting effect.

The first hints of westernization began under the successors to Mehemet Ali with the introduction of a railway connection to Alexandria in 1851. Significant change, however, did not occur until the reign of Isma'il Pasha when, in 1863, construction of the Suez Canal brought significant numbers of westerners to Egypt. A network of gas lighting was installed by a French company and the railway lines were greatly expanded.

In 1867, Isma'il visited Paris to attend the Universal Exposition of 1867. There he saw the newly redesigned city of Haussmann and, funded by a booming cotton trade, decided to rebuild Cairo on the model of a European capital. He hoped to have this done by 1869 when representatives from around the world came to Egypt for the opening of the Suez Canal.

Rather than rebuild the old city, Isma'il elected to add a new quarter to the western section along the bank of the Nile. The project was carried out by Ali Pasha Mubarak and designed by the French urban planner Pierre Grand. A new area of luxurious villas and apartments was constructed and new government ministries were erected. Grand boulevards were opened through the old town and tram lines soon followed.

The era of colonization in 1882 saw the rebuilding of Cairo continuing. A modern sewer system was installed and new suburbs such as Heliopolis were constructed in the desert. Cairo's population exploded, increasing from 374,000 in 1882 to 1,312,000 by 1937. The city was dominated by westerners, however, and city planners tended to emphasise Christian cathedrals over mosques.

Modern Cairo

South-Central Cairo from the island of Zamalek.

Cairo remained the central city of Egypt throughout the period of British rule and afterwards. The 20th century saw massive growth in the size of the city as peasants left the farmlands in pursuit of work in the factories and commerce of the metropolis. The city was especially burdened by refugees from the various wars with Israel: much of the population of the Sinai peninsula and the cities along the Suez Canal left for Cairo between 1967 and 1978.

Today Cairo is Africa's most populous city and the Arab world's cultural centre. Since the 19th century Cairo has also become a center for tourism as people from around the world have come to see the monuments and artifacts of Ancient Egypt, especially the Pyramids. Laws against the export of these treasures has meant that the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is the only place in the world that many items can be seen.

The Nile as seen from the Cairo Hilton.

Transportation

Rail

Cairo stands at the hub of Egypt's 5000 km railway network. Ramses Station in central Cairo interconnects the main southward-bound line up the Nile valley (serving Assyut, Luxor, and Aswan) with the different lines that fan out across Lower Egypt and service the main cities of the Delta region (including Alexandria, Ismailia, and Port Said).

A second mainline station is located some 10 km south, at Giza.

Road

Cairo's roads are amongst the most dangerous in the world. The death rate per kilometer traveled in Egypt is over 40 times as high as the European average and twice as high as the nearest comparable Middle Eastern country.

Metro

Main article: Cairo Metro

Cairo's underground train system is modern and efficient.

The Cairo Metro is Africa's only fully-fledged metro system. Two lines cover a total of 62 km, with another four lines in the planning stages.

Tram

A tram from Heliopolis terminates at Ramses Station

Cairo's first tram line was constructed in 1898. That tram was the first north-south public transportation route in Cairo. It went over Khalij Misr, an ancient canal that leads to the Red Sea.

The tram network has been largely dismantled in recent years and few lines now remain operational outside the northern suburbs around Heliopolis.

Cairo in art, literature and music

Naguib Mahfouz
Cairo Opera House [1] (http://www.operahouse.gov.eg/)

Famous Cairenes

Boutros Boutros Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, was born in Cairo.
Maimonides, famous Talmudic scholar.

Sister cities

Stuttgart, Germany (since 1979)

External links

Wikitravel Guide (http://www.wikitravel.org/en/article/Cairo) — The Wikitravel visiting guide.
Lonely Planet/Cairo (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/cairo/)

National anthem of the United Arab Emirates

2009-11-09T15:07:00.007+08:00

Ishy Bilady

عيشي بلادي
English: Long Live my Nation
Ishy Biladi
National anthem of	United Arab Emirates
Lyrics	Arif Al Sheikh Abdullah Al Hassan, 1996
Music	Saad Abdel Wahab
Adopted	1971

The National Anthem of the United Arab Emirates, (Arabic: النشيد الوطني الاماراتي‎), also popularly known as Ishy Bilady (عيشي بلادي; ‘īšiy bilādī; literally, Long Live my Nation), was officially accepted as the United Arab Emirates' national anthem after the formation of the country in 1971. The anthem was composed by Saad Abdel Wahab, who also composed the national anthems of other Arab states, including that of Libya. The lyrics to the anthem, officially adopted in 1996, were written by Arif Al Sheikh Abdullah Al Hassan.]

Lyrics

Arabic text	Transliteration	Translation
عيشي بلادي عاش اتحاد إماراتنا	‘īšiy bilādī,‘aiš itaḥidu imārātinā	Live my country, the unity of our Emirates lives
عشت لشعب	‘išit liš`abin	You have lived for a nation
دينه الإسلام هديه القرآن	dīnuhul islāmu haḏihul qurʾānu	Whose religion is Islam and guide is the Qur'an
حصنتك باسم الله يا وطن	ḥaṣnatuki bismillah yā waṭan	I made you stronger in God's name, oh homeland
بلادي بلادي بلادي بلادي	bilādīy, bilādīy, bilādīy, bilādīy,	My country, My country, My country, My country
حماك الإله شرور الزمان	ḥamāki illāhu šurūr a'zamāni	God has protected you from the evils of the time
أقسمنا أن نبني نعمل	aqsamnā an nabnī n‘amalu	We have sworn to build and work
نعمل نخلص نعمل نخلص	n‘amalu nuḫliṣ n‘amal nuḫliṣ	Work sincerely, work sincerely
مهما عشنا نخلص نخلص	mahmā ‘ašna nuḫliṣ nuḫliṣ	As long as we live, we will be sincere
دام الأمان و عاش العلم يا إماراتنا	dām alamān wa ‘āš al-‘ālamu yā al-imārātinā	The safety has lasted and the flag has lived oh our Emirates
رمز العروبة	ramzul ‘arūbati	The symbol of Arabism
كلنا نفديك بالدما نرويك	kullunā nafdīki bidimā nurwīki	We all sacrifice for you, we supply you with our blood
نفديك بالأرواح يا وطن	nafdīki bil-arwāḥi yā waṭan	We sacrifice for you with our souls oh homeland

Sang Kancil Dengan Buaya

2009-11-08T11:20:00.004+08:00

Pada zaman dahulu Sang Kancil adalah merupakan binatang yang paling cerdik di dalam hutan. Banyak binatang-binatang di dalam hutan datang kepadanya untuk meminta pertolongan apabila mereka menghadapi masalah. Walaupun Sang Kancil menjadi tumpuan binatang- binatang di dalam hutan, tetapi ia tidak menunjukkan sikap yang sombong malah sedia membantu pada bila-bila masa saja.

Suatu hari Sang Kancil berjalan-jalan di dalam hutan untuk mencari makanan. Oleh kerana makanan di sekitar kawasan kediaman telah berkurangan Sang Kancil bercadang untuk mencari di luar kawasan kediamannya. Cuaca pada hari tersebut sangat panas, menyebabkan Sang Kancil berasa dahaga kerana terlalu lama berjalan, lalu ia berusaha mencari sungai yang berdekatan. Setelah meredah hutan akhirnya kancil berjumpa dengan sebatang sungai yang sangat jernih airnya. Tanpa membuang masa Sang Kancil terus minum dengan sepuas-puasnya. Kedinginan air sungai tersebut telah menghilangkan rasa dahaga Sang Kancil.

Kancil terus berjalan-jalan menyusuri tebing sungai, apabila terasa penat ia berehat sebentar di bawah pohon beringin yang sangat rendang di sekitar kawasan tersebut. Kancil berkata didalam hatinya "Aku mesti bersabar jika ingin mendapat makanan yang lazat-lazat". Setelah kepenatannya hilang, Sang Kancil menyusuri tebing sungai tersebut sambil memakan dedaun kegemarannya yang terdapat disekitarnya. Apabila tiba di satu kawasan yang agak lapang, Sang Kancil terpandang kebun buah-buahan yang sedang masak ranum di seberang sungai."Alangkah enaknya jika aku dapat menyeberangi sungai ini dan dapat menikmati buah-buahan tersebut" fikir Sang Kancil.

Sang Kancil terus berfikir mencari akal bagaimana untuk menyeberangi sungai yang sangat dalam lagi deras arusnya. Tiba-tiba Sang Kancil terpandang Sang Buaya yang sedang asyik berjemur di tebing sungai. Sudah menjadi kebiasaan buaya apabila hari panas ia suka berjemur untuk mendapat cahaya matahari.Tanpa berlengah-lengah lagi kancil terus menghampiri buaya yang sedang berjemur lalu berkata " Hai sabahatku Sang Buaya, apa khabar kamu pada hari ini?" buaya yang sedang asyik menikmati cahaya matahari terus membuka mata dan didapati sang kancil yang menegurnya tadi "Khabar baik sahabatku Sang Kancil" sambung buaya lagi "Apakah yang menyebabkan kamu datang ke mari?" jawab Sang Kancil "Aku membawa khabar gembira untuk kamu" mendengar kata-kata Sang Kancil, Sang Buaya tidak sabar lagi ingin mendengar khabar yang dibawa oleh Sang Kancil lalu berkata "Ceritakan kepada ku apakah yang engkau hendak sampaikan".

Kancil berkata "Aku diperintahkan oleh Raja Sulaiman supaya menghitung jumlah buaya yang terdapat di dalam sungai ini kerana Raja Sulaiman ingin memberi hadiah kepada kamu semua". Mendengar saja nama Raja Sulaiman sudah menggerunkan semua binatang kerana Nabi Sulaiman telah diberi kebesaran oleh Allah untuk memerintah semua makhluk di muka bumi ini. "Baiklah, kamu tunggu di sini, aku akan turun ke dasar sungai untuk memanggil semua kawan aku" kata Sang Buaya. Sementara itu Sang Kancil sudah berangan-angan untuk menikmati buah-buahan. Tidak lama kemudian semua buaya yang berada di dasar sungai berkumpul di tebing sungai. Sang Kancil berkata "Hai buaya sekalian, aku telah diperintahkan oleh Nabi Sulaiman supaya menghitung jumlah kamu semua kerana Nabi Sulaiman akan memberi hadiah yang istimewa pada hari ini". Kata kancil lagi "Beraturlah kamu merentasi sungai bermula daripada tebing sebelah sini sehingga ke tebing sebelah sana".

Oleh kerana perintah tersebut adalah datangnya daripada Nabi Sulaiman semua buaya segera beratur tanpa membantah. Kata Buaya tadi "Sekarang hitunglah, kami sudah bersedia" Sang Kancil mengambil sepotong kayu yang berada di situ lalu melompat ke atas buaya yang pertama di tepi sungai dan ia mula menghitung dengan menyebut "Satu dua tiga lekuk, jantan betina aku ketuk" sambil mengetuk kepala buaya. Begitulah sehingga kancil berjaya menyeberangi sungai. Apabila sampai ditebing sana kancil terus melompat ke atas tebing sungai sambil bersorak kegembiraan dan berkata" Hai buaya-buaya sekalian, tahukah kamu bahawa aku telah menipu kamu semua dan tidak ada hadiah yang akan diberikan oleh Nabi Sulaiman".

Mendengar kata-kata Sang Kancil, semua buaya berasa marah dan malu kerana mereka telah di tipu oleh kancil. Mereka bersumpah dan tidak akan melepaskan Sang Kancil apabila bertemu pada masa akan datang. Dendam buaya tersebut terus membara sehingga hari ini. Sementara itu Sang Kancil terus melompat kegembiraan dan terus meninggalkan buaya-buaya tersebut dan terus menghilangkan diri di dalam kebun buah-buahan untuk menikmati buah-buahan yang sedang masak ranum itu.

2009-11-08T08:53:00.003+08:00

If you want to see more about United Arab Emirates (UAE), click this link:

Wikipedia: United Arab Emirates (English)
Wikipedia: Emiriah Arab Bersatu (Malay)
Wikipedia: الإمارات العربيّة المتّحدة(Arabic)

Google Logo

2009-11-08T08:14:00.001+08:00

Dec 02, 2008

United Arab Emirates National Day - (United Arab Emirates)

Google Logo

2009-11-08T07:37:00.003+08:00

Aug 31, 2009

Malaysian Independence Day - (Malaysia)

لغة ملايو

2009-11-08T02:13:00.003+08:00

اللغة الملايوية (Bahasa Melayu / بهاسا ملايو) هي لغة أوسترونيسية يتحدث بها الملايويون الذين يعيشون في شبه الجزيرة الملايوية، وجنوب تايلاند، والفلبين، وسنغافورة، وشرق سومطرة، ورياو، وبعض الأجزاء الساحلية في بورنيو.

اللغة الملايوية هي اللغة الرسمية لكل من ماليزيا، وبروناي، وسنغافورة، وتستخدم أيضاً للأعمال في تيمور الشرقية. وهي مشابه إلى حد كبير للغة الإندونيسية، اللغة الرسمية لإندونيسيا، ولكن اسمها مختلف لأسباب سياسية. عدد المتحدثين باللغة الملايوية هو 20 إلى 30 مليون. تعرف اللغة في ماليزيا باسم "باهاسا ملايو" (Bahasa Melayu) أو "باهاسا ماليزيا" (Bahasa Malaysia) واللتان تعنيان "لغة ملاو" و "لغة ماليزيا". تستخدم اللغة الملايوية الأبجدية اللاتينية للكتابة، ويوجد أيضاً نظام آخر يستخدم الأبجدية العربية في الكتابة يسمى جاوي.

تستعير اللغة الملايوية الكثير من الكلمات من اللغة العربية، الكثير منها مصطلحات إسلامية، وكذلك تستعير اللغة كلمات من كل من اللغة السنسكريتية، واللغة البرتغالية، واللغة الهولندية، واللغة الصينية، واللغة الإنجليزية. بعض الأمثل على ذلك:

bahasa بمعنى "لغة" من السنسكريتية
buku بمعنى "كتاب" من الإنجليزية
dunia بمعنى "عالم" من العربية
kamus بمعنى "قاموس" من العربية
sains بمعنى "علوم" من الإنجليزية
sistem بمعنى "نظام" من الإنجليزية
had بمعنى "حد" من العربية
waktu بمعنى "وقت" من العربية
tarikh بمعنى "تاريخ" من العربية
zirafah بمعنى "زرافة" من العربية

[عدل] عبارات أساسية

العبارة	الترجمة
bahasa Melayu	اللغة الملايوية
selamat pagi	صباح الخير
selamat petang	مساء الخير
selamat tinggal	وداعاً
tolong	رجاءً
terima kasih	شكراً
sama-sama	لا شكر على واجب
itu	ذلك
berapa؟	بكم؟
ya	نعم
tidak	لا
maaf	عذراً
saya tidak faham	لا أفهم

My Iraqi History

2009-11-08T00:12:00.007+08:00

Brief History...

Modern-day Iraq (the Arabic word for “cliff’) contains the ancient land of Mesopotamia, or “the land between the rivers”. The rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates, which originate in the mountains of Turkey and flow southward through Syria into Iraq. Between these two rivers lies a fertile plain where, as far as the known, the 1^st human civilization flourished. By the year 4000 BC, the Sumerians had established cities and government institutions, the earliest known on the planet. Writing, mathematics and science also began in Sumer. The Akkadians conquered Sumer in 2334 BC, but a mere 200 years later, the Sumerians regained control of the region. From then on, a series of people invaded and conquered this fertile land. The Babylonians gained control in 1900 BC and ruled for 300 years, during which king Hammurabi developed his famous law code. The Assyrians followed the Babylonians, then the Chaldeans took over in the 7^th century BC. Perhaps the best remembered Chaldean leader was Nebuchadnezzar II, who reigned from 605 to 562 BC from the capital city of Babylon, and build one of the seven wonders of the world, the Hanging gardens.

The Persian invaded in 550 BC, then Alexander the Great conquered the Persians and claimed Mesopotamia for the Greeks in 331 BC. The Greeks introduced metropolitan cities and scientific rationalism and improved irrigation methods, trade and commerce.

In 126 BC, the Persian took command and ruled for about 300 years. The Romans occupied the land briefly two different times: once from AD 98 – 117, and again from AD 193 – 211. the next conquerors were the Iranian Sasanids, who took charge in AD 227, and then Islamic troops, who entered the country in AD 636. The Arab tribes from the Arabian Peninsula, arrived to Iraq to teach Iraqis about Islam. The Iraqi Arab tribes (Christians and others), embraced the new religion en masse and converted to Islam. They then joined the new forces and fought against the Persians. By AD 650, Iraq was an Islamic state.

The golden age of Iraq occurred during the reign of the Abbasid Caliphate, from AD 750 to 1258. in 762, Baghdad became the capital and center of political power, science and culture in the Middle East and Europe. By the time of the Mongol invasion of the Middle East, the Abbasid empire had fragmented into many small realms which showed allegiance to Baghdad in name only, which resulted in the “Fall of Baghdad” in 1258.

History reports that the river of Tigris’s color turned black from the ink of all the books thrown and burned from libraries by the Mongols. Yet, most of the Mongols who stayed in their newly conquered state, converted to Islam as well.

The Ottoman Turks eventually added Iraq to their empire in the 16^th century. It remained that way until World War I, when Britain invaded it in 1917 – 18. Twelve years later, in October 1932, Iraq was recognized as an independent monarchy.

taken from: WORLDMARK - Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life

Abbasid Palace in Baghdad

In 750AD, Abo al Abbas was established in Baghdad as the first caliph of the Abbasid dynasty, which became an important commercial, cultural, and a famous center of learning in the Middle Ages, and was regarded in the tenth century, the intellectual center of the world. As capital of the caliphate, Baghdad was also to become the cultural capital of the Islamic world. Baghdad became a center of power in the world, where Arab and Persian cultures mingled to produce a blaze of philosophical, scientific, and literary glory.

The Fertile Crescent

Civilization developed slowly in different parts of the world. People began to settle in areas with abundant natural resources. A section of the Middle East is called the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent is a rich food-growing area in a part of the world where most of the land is too dry for farming. The Fertile Crescent begins on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and curves around like a quarter moon to the Persian Gulf.

Some of the best farmland of the Fertile Crescent is in a narrow strip of land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

The Greeks later called this region Mesopotamia, which means "between the rivers." Many different civilizations developed in this small region. First came the Sumerians, who were replaced in turn by the Assyrians and the Babylonians.

Today this land is known as Iraq.

Resource: http://www.mrdowling.com/603mesopotamia.html

SOME of the Civilizations of Iraq...

Babylon

Hammurabi

Hammurabi was the king of the city-state of Babylon. About 1800BC, Hammurabi conquered the nearby city-states and created the kingdom of Babylonia. He recorded a system of laws called the Code of Hammurabi. The 282 laws were engraved in stone and placed in a public location for everyone to see. Hammurabi required that people be responsible for their actions. Some of Hammurabi's laws were based on the principle "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." This means that whoever commits an injury should be punished in the same manner as that injury. If someone put out another person's eye, their eye would be put out in return. Hammurabi's Code may seem cruel today, but it was an early attempt at law. Laws are rules that are known to people.

(Take a look at the 282 laws of Hammurabi)

Resource: http://www.mrdowling.com/603mesopotamia.html

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is said that the Gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar to please his wife or concubine, Amyitis, who had been "brought up in Media and had a passion for mountain surroundings". He did this because his wife had lived in the mountains and she was homesick on the flat plains of Babylon. He planted a large amount of brightly colored tropical plants on the roof of the palace. The gardens were completed around 600 BC. The Hanging Gardens were built on top of stone arches 23 meters above ground and watered from the Euphrates by a complicated mechanical system. It was Nebuchadnezzar II who restored Mesopotamia to its former Babylonian glory and made Babylon the most famous city of the ancient world.

The Hanging Gardens on the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 50-km south of Baghdad, Iraq, "Has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns... Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels... These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches... This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators."

Resource: http://home.achilles.net/~sal/iraq_history.html

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Sumerian Civilization

It is only natural for us to look back at our past and try to gain extra strength from our ancestors'
achievements and creations.

The Sumerian Civilization started in the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent, the area between Baghdad and the Gulf, at around 9,000 B.C. thus before the Roman, Greek and Egyptian civilizations.

"HISTORY STARTS IN SUMER" - Samuel Noah Cramer, famous archeologist.

The Sumerian Miracle was the civilization that started history, way before the Egyptian miracle and the Greek miracle. In fact, the two latter civilizations were enriched by the Sumerian civilization and it's achievements.

The first form of writing was invented in Mesopotamia by the Sumerians around 3,500 B.C., thus, the Sumerian language was the first written language. Therefore, history started at around 3,500 B.C. with the invention of written Sumerian. Although spoken Sumerian faded around 3,000 B.C. written Sumerian remained in use up till 1,000 A.D.

Due to the archeological nature of Mesopotamia, most of the Sumerian civilization was built and documented using clay, that was often dried in the sun. Thus, and due to the undurability of clay, many details of the civilization were lost throughout the years. However, the relatively few clay sheets that survived tell a great story about a great civilization. Clay sheets with mathematical problems and solutions, names and descriptions of different trees and plants and names and properties of different metals and stones were found and are witnesses to the Sumerian advances in different fields of science. Also, the first form of a judicial system was introduced by the Sumerians where a huge number of clay sheets detailing individual laws that governed the Sumerian population survived the years and are available for us now to study.

If the interest was to find "who invented" something or "where/when was the first time" something was used, then the Sumerian civilization is a satisfactory answer to many of these questions. For example:

· The Ceramists' Wheel.

· The wheel and cart.

· The Sail Boat.

· The first Bridge.

· The first Dome.

· The first Temple.

· The first Musical System.

· The Harp.

· Law courts.

· Writing.

· Schools.

· Parliament.

· Myths.

· The 60 degrees (60'') system, still used nowadays in measuring time and angles.

and many other were all invented in Sumer, which is now known as Iraq.

Sumeria was composed of several city-states, or nations the size of cities. Walls around each city-state protected the citizens from outside invaders. Farmland was usually outside the city walls, and people would seek protection from the walls of the city when under attack.

The Sumerians were polytheistic, which means they believed in many gods. They worshiped their gods at huge temples they called ziggurats. Each ziggurat was dedicated to a specific god, whom the Sumerians believed ruled over their city. Often when a rival city attacked, the invaders would force the conquered people to accept their gods. Most people in the Western Hemisphere today are monotheists, which means they believe in only one god. Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are all monotheistic faiths.

[Inspired by the book Sumer and Akad, Dr. Wadee3 Bushour, Damascus 1981]

Resource: http://www.mrdowling.com/603mesopotamia.html

Ancient Sumerians record keepers marked pictographic symbols in soft pieces of clay with a pointed reed. The clay tablets were then baked to make them hard. We call the Sumerian's writing system cuneiform. Cuneiform means wedged shaped, because the marks in the clay were wedges.

Sumerian's God's Ziggurat

Assyrian Empire

The Assyrians

The Assyrians lived upstream on the Tigris River from the Babylonians. The people of the region did not know

how to read, but about 1350BC, they managed to conquer all of Mesopotamia a build an empire that reached as far

as Egypt.

The Assyrians developed powerful armies with iron weapons. They dammed the rivers leading into Babylon.

This deprived the Babylonians of water. The Assyrians also used chariots, which allowed them to move quickly,

and battering rams, heavy logs carried by many men to break down city walls. In time, the Assyrians were

conquered by the Medes and the Persians, two powerful civilizations east of Mesopotamia in land we now call Iran.

Wikipedia:Pengenalan bahasa Melayu

2009-11-07T20:31:00.005+08:00

Dari Wikipedia Bahasa Melayu, ensiklopedia bebas.

Ingin tahu tentang Bahasa Melayu? Bahasa Melayu adalah sebuah bahasa Austronesia dan mempunyai kaitan yang rapat dengan bahasa-bahasa etnik lain yang dituturkan di Nusantara. Bahasa ini dituturkan di seluruh Kepulauan Melayu Nusantara yang antaranya di Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapura, Selatan Thailand, Selatan Filipina malah sehingga Pulau Christmas di Australia. Bahasa Melayu juga pernah menjadi bahasa lingua franca pada kemuncak Kesultanan Melayu Melaka pada abad ke-15 dan ke-16. Sejak kebelakangan ini kepentingan Bahasa Melayu semakin disedari oleh masyarakat di dunia.

ايڠين تاهو تنتڠ بهاس ملايو؟ بهاس ملايو اداله سبواه بهاس اوسترونيسيا دان ممڤوڽاءي كاءيتن يڠ راڤت دڠن بهاس ايتنيك لاءين يڠ دتوتوركن دنوسنتارا. بهاس اين دتوتوركن دسلوروه كڤولاون ملايو نوسنتارا يڠ انتاراڽ ايندونيسيا, مليسيا, بروني, سيڠاڤورا, سلاتن تايلند, سلاتن فيليڤينا ماله سهيڠڬا ڤولاو كريستماس داوستراليا. بهاس ملايو جوڬا ڤرنه منجادي بهاس ليڠڬوا فرنكا ڤد كمونچق كسلطانن ملايو ملاك. سجق كبلاكڠن اين كڤنتيڠن بهاس ملايو سماكين دسداري اوليه مشاركة ددنيا.

Want to know about Malay? The Malay language is of Austronesian stock, spoken mainly in the Malay Archipelago of Southeast Asia namely the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Southern Thailand, the Southern Philippines and even as far as Christmas Island in Australia. The language achieved the status of lingua franca in the region during the height of the Malaccan Sultanate in the 15th and 16th century. As of late the importance of Malay as a language is being noted worldwide.

هل تريد معرفة اللغة الملايوية؟ اللغة الملايوية هي لغة أوسترونيسية يتحدث بها الملايويون في جنوب شرق آسيا أساسا البلدان من إندونيسيا وماليزيا وبروناي وسنغافورة وجنوب تايلند وجنوب الفليبين وحتى بالنسبة جزيرة كريسماس في أستراليا. حققت اللغة "لينجوا فرانكا" في المنطقة خلال ذروة في السلطنة مالاكا في القرن الخامس عشر والقرن السادس عشر. صار أهمية اللغة الملايوية معروفة في العالم.

Voleu saber que és el Malai? La llengua malaia és una llengua austronesia parlada pels malais, originària de l'Arxipèlag Malai del Sud-est d'Àsia a través de països com ho són Indonèsia, Malàsia, Brunei, Singapur, Tailàndia del Sud, el Sud de Filipines i de fet fins a la llunyana "Chrismas Island" d'Austràlia. L'idioma va arribar a tenir l'estatus de llengua franca en la regió durant l'època del Sultà de Malacca en el segle XV i XVI. És per això que la importància de la llengua malaia és recent i d'això s'han adonat per tot arreu del món.

Die malaiische Sprache stammt von der austronesischen Sprachfamilie ab, die hauptsächlich im malaiischen Archipel in Südostasien gesprochen wird, im Einzelnen in Indonesien, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapur, Südthailand, auf den südlichen Philippinen, bis hin zur Weihnachtsinsel vor Australien. Die Sprache wurde in dieser Region zur Verkehrssprache während der Blütezeit des Sultanats von Malakka im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert. In letzter Zeit wird die malaiische Sprache weltweit verstärkt wahrgenommen.

El idioma Malayo es una lengua austronesia hablada por los malayos, originaria de el Archipiélago Malayo del Sureste de Asia a través de paises como lo son Indonesia, Malasia, Brunei, Singapur, Tailandia del Sur, el Sur de Filipinas y de hecho hasta la lejana "Chrismas Island" de Australia. El idioma llegó a tener el estatus de lengua franca en la región durante la época del Sultán de Malacca en el siglo XV y XVI. Es por eso que la importancia del idioma Malayo es reciente y de ello se han dado cuenta por todo alrededor del mundo.

می‌خواهید در مورد زبان مالایی بدانید؟ زبان مالایی زبانی است که توسط مردم نژاد مالایی درجنوب شرقی آسیا که از ساکنان شبه جزیرهٔ مالایا, جنوب تایلند, جنوب فیلیپین، سنگاپور، اندونزی، برونئی، شمال شرقی سوماترا و حتی در جزیره کریسمس در استرالیا، هستند، صحبت می‌‌شود. زبان مالایی در دوران سلطنت دودمان مالاکا (قرن ۱۵ و ۱۶ میلادی) به زبانی آمیخته با دیگر زبان‌های منطقه جنوب شرقی آسیا تبدیل شد.

Haluatko tietää malaijin kielestä? Austronesialaisiin kieliin kuuluvaa malaijia puhutaan pääasiassa Malaijien saaristossa Kaakkois-Aasiassa – Indonesiassa, Malesiassa, Bruneissa ja Singaporessa – sekä lisäksi Thaimaan ja Filippiinien eteläosissa ja jopa niinkin kaukana kuin Australian Joulusaarella. Kielestä tuli alueen yleiskieli, lingua franca, Malakan sulttaanikunnan huippuaikoina 1400- ja 1500-luvuilla. Nykyään malaijin kielen tärkeys tunnustetaan maailmanlaajuisesti.

A maláj nyelvről dióhéjban A majál nyelv az ausztronéz nyelvcsalád dél-kelet-ázsiai ágából fejlődött ki. Főként a Maláj-félszigeten beszélik: Malajziában, Bruneiben, valamint Indonézia, Szingapúr, Thaiföld és a Fülöp-szigetek egyes részein, de jelen van az ausztrál Karácsony-szigeten is. A Malakkai Szultanátus fénykorában, a 15. és 16. században a térség fő kommunikációs nyelvének számított. Napjainkban jelentősen erősödik nemzetközi jelenléte.

Le malais fait partie de la branche austronésienne, parlée principalement dans l'archipel malaisien de l'Asie du Sud-est tel que l'Indonésie, la Malaisie, le Brunei, le Singapour, le Sud du Thaïlande, les Philippines du Sud et même jusqu'à l'Île Christmas en Australie. La langue a atteint le stade de lingua franc dans la région durant l'ascension du sultanat de Malacca au 15ème et 16ème siècle. Récemment, l'importance de la langue malaise est en train d'être remarquée par le monde entier.

मलय भाषा का स्टॉक है औस्ट्रोनेशी , मलय द्वीपसमूह में मुख्य रूप से बात की दक्षिण पूर्व एशिया के देशों के नाम से इंडोनेशिया , मलेशिया , ब्रुनेई , सिंगापुर , दक्षिणी थाईलैंड , फिलीपींस के दक्षिणी और यहाँ तक कि जहाँ तक क्रिसमस द्वीप ऑस्ट्रेलिया में है . इस भाषा का दर्जा हासिल की जनभाषा के दौरान इस क्षेत्र में जनभाषा की ऊँचाई के Malaccan सल्तनत में 15 वीं और 16 वीं शताब्दी है . जैसा कि हाल के महत्व को मलय भाषा के रूप में दुनिया भर में नोट किया जा रहा है .

malay bhasha ka stok hai austroneshi , malay dvipasamooh men mukhy roop se bat kee dakshin poorv eshiya ke deshon ke nam se indoneshiya , maleshiya , bruneee , singapur , dakshini thaeelaind , filipins ke dakshini aur yahan tak ki jahan tak krisamas dvip aostreliya men hai . is bhasha ka darja hasil kee janabhasha ke dauran is kshetr men janabhasha kee oonchaee ke Malaccan saltanat men 15 vin aur 16 vin shatabdi hai . jaisa ki hal ke mahatv ko malay bhasha ke roop men duniya bhar men not kiya ja raha hai .

دویپسمُوہ میں مُکھے رُوپ سے بات کی دکشِن پُورو ایشِیا کے دیشوں کے نام سے اِںڈونیشِیا ، ملیشِیا ، برُنیئی ، سِںگاپُر ، دکشِنی تھائیلیںڈ ، پھِلیپیںس کے دکشِنی اؤر یہاں تک کہ جہاں تک کرِسمس دویپ آسٹریلِیا میں ہے . اِس بھاشا کا درجا حاصل کی جنبھاشا کے دوران اِس کشیتر میں جنبھاشا کی اُوںچائی کے Malaccan سلتنت میں 15 ویں اؤر 16 ویں شتابدی ہے . جیسا کہ ہال کے مہتو کو ملے بھاشا کے رُوپ میں دُنیا بھر میں نوٹ کِیا جا رہا ہے .

Ingin tahu tentang Bahasa Melayu? Bahasa Melayu adalah sebuah bahasa Austronesia dan berkerabat dekat dengan bahasa-bahasa suku bangsa lain yang dituturkan di Nusantara. Bahasa ini dituturkan di seluruh Kepulauan Melayu Nusantara, yaitu di antaranya di Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapura, Thailand Selatan, Filipina Selatan dan bahkan juga di Pulau Christmas di Australia. Bahasa Melayu juga pernah menjadi bahasa lingua franca pada puncak kekuasaan Kesultanan Melayu Melaka. Dewasa ini kepentingan Bahasa Melayu semakin disadari oleh masyarakat di dunia.

マレー語が知りたいですか マレー語はオーストロネシアの語系で、おもにマレー諸島の東南アジアであるインドネシア、マレーシア、ブルネイ、シンガポール、タイ南東部、フィリピン南東部そしてオーストラリアのクリスマス島でさえ話されています。マレー語がそういった地域の共通語になったのはマラッカのスルタン制が絶頂期にあった15世紀から 16世紀にかけてでした。最近になってマレー語の言語としての重要性が世界的に注目されてきています。

말레이시아어에 대해 알고 싶으십니까? 말레이시아어는 동남아시아 말레이 제도, 곧 인도네시아, 말레이시아, 브루나이, 싱가포르, 남부 타이, 남부 필리핀, 크리스마스 섬에서 주로 사용하며 오스트로네시아어족이 선조입니다. 이 언어는 15~16세기 말라카 술탄 통치 기간 동안 이 지역에서 국제어의 지위를 달성하였습니다. 말레이시아어의 중요성이 늦게나마 전세계적으로 주목을 받고 있습니다.

मलेय भाषाया बारेय् सीका दिगु ला? मलेय भाषा छगू अस्त्रोनेसियन भाषा ख। थ्व भाषा आपालं मलेय आर्किपेगालोया दखिन-पूर्व एसियाली देय् इन्दोनेसिया, मलेसिया, ब्रुनाइ, सिंगपोर, दखिनी थाइल्यान्द, दखिनी फिलिपिन्स व अस्त्रेलियाया क्रिस्मस तापूइ छ्‌यलिगु या। थ्व भाषं १५गु व १६गु शताब्दीया मलक्कन सल्तनतया ईले थ्व आर्किपागेलोया लिङ्गुवा फ्राङ्काया कथं विकशित जुल। आ वया थ्व भाषा हलिमय् नां जाया वयाच्वंगु दु।

Maleis is een taal van de austronesische taalfamilie. Het wordt voornamelijk gesproken in landen zoals Indonesië, Maleisië, Brunei, Singapore, het zuiden van Thailand, het zuiden van de Filipijnen en op Kersteiland in Australië. De taal heeft in deze regio’s sinds het Maleisische sultanaat van de 15e en 16e eeuw de status van lingua franca verworven. Vandaag de dag wordt Maleis wereldwijd gezien als een belangrijke taal.

Det malaysiske språk blir betegnet som Austronesian og snakkes for det meste i det sørøstlige Asia, i land som Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Sør Thailand, Sør Phillipinene og til og med så langt som til Påske øya i Australia. Språket oppnådde status som Lingua franca i regionen i tiden da det Malakanske sultanen hadde sin storhetstid i det 15ende og 16ende århundre. Ved senere tid har betydningen av malaysisk fått internasjonal anerkjennelse som språk.

Język malajski jest językiem austronezyjskim, używanym głównie na wyspach Archipelagu Malajskiego w południowej Azji, a mianowicie w Indonezji, Malezji, Brunei, Singapurze, południowej Tajlandii, południowych Filipinach, a nawet na Wyspie Bożego Narodzenia w Australii. Język ten otrzymał status lingua franca w tym regionie w okresie szczytowego rozwoju Sułtanatu Malakki w XV i XVI wieku. Od tego czasu język malajski jest językiem znanym na całym świecie.

Limba malay este o limbă austroneziană vorbită de populaţiile de malay, originare din Arhipeleagul Malay din sud-estul Asiei, în ţări cum sunt Indonezia, Malaezia, Brunei, Singapore, Tailanda de sud, sudul Filipinelor şi în fapt până la îndepărtata "Insulă a Crăciunului" în Australia. Limba a primit statutul de lingua franca a regiunii în epoca sultanului de Mallaca în secolul XV şi XVI. Aceasta este cauza pentru care limba malay este de natură recentă, începând să capete importanţă la nivel mondial.

Малайский язык принадлежит Австронезийской семье языков, на нём разговаривают на островах Малазийского архипелага в Южной Азии, в частности в странах Индонезии, Малайзии, Брунее, Сингапуре, Южном Таиланде, Южных Филиппинах и даже на острове Крисмас в Австралии. Язык достиг статуса лингва-франка в регионе во времена расцвета султаната Малакки в 15-ом и 16-ом столетиях. Сейчас малайский язык известен во всём мире.

மலாய் மொழி ஆஸ்திரே-ஆசிய குடும்பத்தைச் சார்த ஒரு மொழி. இது தெற்காசியாவின் மலாய் Archipelago பிரதேசத்தில் உள்ள இந்தோனேசியா, மலேசியா, புருனி, சிங்கப்பூர், தாய்லாந்து, பிலிப்பைன்ஸ், ஆஸ்திரேலியா ஆகிய நாடுகளில் பேசப்படுகின்றது. 15 ஆம், 16 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டுக் காலப்பகுதியில் இந்தப் பகுதிகளை ஆண்ட அல்லது தொடர்புகளை பேணிய மலாக்கன் சுல்தானின் ஆட்சியில் இம்மொழி செல்வாக்கு பெற்றது.

อยากรู้เกี่ยวกับมาเลย์หรือ ภาษามาเลย์ อยู่ในภาษากลุ่มออสโตรนีเซียน พูดในหมู่เกาะมาเลย์ในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ เช่นประเทศอินโดนีเซีย มาเลย์เซีย บรูไน สิงคโปร์ ตอนใต้ของไทย ตอนใต้ของฟิลิปปินส์ และยังไกลไปถึงเกาะคริสต์มาสในออสเตรเลียด้วย ภาษามาเลย์มีสถานะเป็นภาษากลางในภูมิภาค ในช่วงที่รัฐสุลต่านแห่งมะละกาเรืองอำนาจในคริสต์ศตวรรษที่ 15 และ 16 ในระยะหลังนี้ ความสำคัญของมาเลย์เป็นที่กล่าวถึงในระดับโลกมากขึ้น

Nais mo bang malaman ang Malay? Nasa pamilyang Austronesia ang wikang Malay, na pangunahing binibigkas sa Kapuluang Malay ng Timog-silangang Asya sa mga bansa ng Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Katimugang Thailand, Katimugang Pilipinas at kahit pa ang Pulo ng Christmas sa Australya. Nakamit ng wika ang katayuang lingua franca o wikang malawak na ginagamit sa rehiyon noong panahon ng rurok ng mga Sultang Malacca sa ika-15 at ika-16 na siglo. Sa ngayon, kinikilala sa buong daigdig ang kahalagaan ng Malay bilang isang wika.

Malay dili Malezya-Polinezya dil grubundadır ve özellikle Güneydoğu Asya'nın Malezya takımadasında, İndonezya, Malezya, Brunei, Singapur, Tayland'ın güneyi, Güney Filipinler gibi ülkelerde ve hatta Avustralya'nın Christmas Adası'nda bile konuşulmaktadır. Malay dili bu bölgede 15. ve 16. yüzyıllarda Malaka saltanatının yükseliş döneminde lingua franca statüsüne ulaştı. Dünya, günümüzde Malay dilinin önemini görmeye başlamıştır.

要知道关于马来语吗？ 马来语属于南岛语系，主要通行于东南亚的马来群岛地区，亦即印度尼西亚，马来西亚，文莱，新加坡，泰国南部，菲律宾南部甚至是远到澳大利亚的圣诞岛。 15-16世纪正是马六甲苏丹国的鼎盛时期，该语言成为当时这个区域的通用语。此后，马来语的重要性开始被世界所重视。

要知道關於馬來語嗎？ 馬來語屬於南島語系，主要通行於東南亞的馬來群島地區，亦即印度尼西亞，馬來西亞，文萊，新加坡，泰國南部，菲律賓南部甚至是遠到澳大利亞的聖誕島。 15-16世紀正是馬六甲蘇丹國的鼎盛時期，該語言成為當時這個區域的通用語。此後，馬來語的重要性開始被世界所重視。

Bạn muốn biết về tiếng Mã Lai? Tiếng Mã Lai thuộc ngữ hệ Nam Đảo, được nói chủ yếu tại quần đảo Mã Lai ở Đông Nam Á, cụ thể là các nước Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, miền nam Thái Lan, miền nam Philippines và thậm chí là xa tới tận đảo Christmas ở Australia. Ngôn ngữ này đã đạt được địa vị ngôn ngữ chung tại khu vực trong thời kỳ đỉnh cao của Hồi quốc Malacca trong thế kỷ 15 và 16. Và sau này tầm quan trọng của tiếng Mã Lai như là một ngôn ngữ đã được chú ý trên phạm vi toàn thế giới.

The Enchanted Storks

2009-11-06T20:49:00.002+08:00

A Tale of Baghdad

If favor now should greet my story,
Allah must receive the glory.

Once, in the great and glorious city of Bagdad, there was a Calif—Commander of the Faithful and ruler of all Islam. The people of Bagdad loved their ruler, yet one thing mystified them. All who came before him were amazed by his intimate knowledge of their daily lives.

“The Calif has a thousand eyes,” muttered some, glancing behind them for spies. But the Calif’s real secret was this: Each afternoon, he and his trusted Vizier, Ali ben Manzar, would disguise themselves as merchants and slip through a hidden door in the palace wall. Then they would roam the bazaars of the city, listening to the talk and gossip of the day.

One afternoon, as the Calif and his Vizier made their way through the market, an old and wizened man thrust one of his wares under the Calif’s nose.

“What a lovely snuffbox!” said the Calif, admiring the carving and jeweled inlay. “What will you ask for it?” “Just one gold coin,” the peddler wheezed. The Calif gave him two, took the box, and walked on.

Reaching the edge of the city, the Calif and his Vizier strolled through the parks and orchards beyond. At last they stopped to rest by a quiet lake. “I wonder if my new box holds any snuff,” said the Calif. He opened the tiny box and found it filled with the pungent powder. “But what is this?” he said, pulling a piece of parchment from the underside of the lid. The Vizier craned his neck to see. “What does it say, Glorious Lord?” The Calif read,

A sniff of snuff, for wings to soar.
Casalavair for hands once more.

“Why, I believe the snuff is magic!” said the Calif. He looked longingly at the sky. “I have always wanted to see my city from the air.” “Perhaps we should be cautious,” said the Vizier. “What if the charm fails to change us back?”

“If the snuff works, then surely the magic word will too,” said the Calif. “Come, let us try our luck!” He held out the box, and each took a pinch of snuff. Then together they inhaled the powder.

A flurry of wings, beaks, and feathers—and there in place of the Calif and his Vizier stood two storks. “Wonderful!” the Calif said, snapping and clattering his beak—for that is how storks talk. A human would have heard only Calap! Calap! But since both the Calif and his Vizier were now birds, Ali ben Manzar understood perfectly.

Calap! Calap! “Quite amazing!” replied the Vizier.

Calap! Calap! “Let us test our wings!” said the Calif.

The two storks rose into the air, circling higher and higher. Spread below were meadows, ornamental gardens, orchards, and fields of crops. The great river Tigris flowed slowly across the plain, sprouting canals along its length. And basking on the banks of the river was Bagdad, capital of all Islam, City of Peace.

“Breathtaking, is it not?” called the Calif. “Come, let us fly over the city.”

Soon they soared above the streets, canals, bridges, and clay-brick buildings of Bagdad. In courtyard and bazaar, people bought and sold, worked and rested, fought and prayed, stole and chased, kissed and parted, laughed and wept. “Truly,” said the Calif, “a stork knows more of this city than the Calif himself.”

As evening drew near, the Vizier called, “Glorious Lord, we had best return to the palace.” Back they flew to the lake, and landed by the snuffbox. The Calif once more read the parchment, then cried, “Casalavair!” And there stood—two storks.

“Casalavair!” called the Calif again. “Casalavair! Casalavair!” But storks they remained. “Ali ben Manzar, you try it!” said the terrified Calif.

“Casalavair! Casalavair!” cried the no-less-terrified Vizier.

But no matter how they called and hopped and flapped their wings, nothing changed. At last they stood exhausted. “It seems,” the Vizier said, “some enemy has lured us into this enchantment.” “But what can we do?” asked the Calif.

“I know of nothing,” said the Vizier. “Without the proper word to break the spell, we may never regain our true forms.”

The sun dipped into the lake as the two storks stood lost in thought. Finally the Calif said, “Stork or not, my stomach aches for food. What are we to eat?” “Why, Glorious Lord,” said the Vizier, “we must eat what every stork eats! Fish and mice, frogs and toads, snakes and eels, snails and slugs, worms and grubs.”

So the storks poked their beaks among rushes at the lake edge, and into holes along the bank. When they had eaten as much as they could bear, each stood on one leg, crossed the other leg against it, hid his beak among his breast feathers, and slept.

* * *

The next morning, they hid the snuffbox and flew to the palace. From high on a turret they watched the frantic scene within the palace walls. Soldiers, courtiers, and servants rushed about in search of the Calif and the Vizier—a search the storks knew too well was in vain. Glancing then behind him, the Vizier cried out, “Look, Glorious Lord! A caravan approaches!”

Through the streets of Bagdad came a magnificent procession of horsemen, camel riders, and servants on foot. At its head rode a horseman in regal dress.

“By the beard of the Prophet,” cried the Calif, “it is my brother Omar! He has long coveted my throne.”

The caravan reached the gate, and the horseman called to the guards. “I am Omar, brother to the Calif. I have learned by secret means that the Calif is missing and will not return. As true successor of the Prophet Mohammed, I have come to take my brother’s place as Commander of the Faithful, ruler of all Islam.”

“Do not open the gate!” called the Calif. But all that was heard by the startled people below was Calap! Calap! And when they looked up, all they saw was two storks—one of them hopping madly, flapping its wings, and clattering its beak. “You see?” exulted Omar. “Even the storks welcome me. Open the gate!”

The gate opened, and Omar rode through in triumph. High on the turret, the Calif stood silent and still. “Glorious Lord,” the Vizier said gently, “we can do nothing here. Let us fly far from the city. In solitude we may find the strength to bear our fate.”

The two soared away, beyond the city and the plains, to a lonely forest in the foothills of the great mountains. There they began their new life. They dined on tree toads and fish, and tried not to speak of Bagdad or the affairs of a Calif.

One afternoon, the storks wandered into a different part of the forest. “How gloomy and silent it is here,” said the Vizier. “Not even a rustle of leaves.” Just then, a quick tap-tap-tap made them jump. They turned to see a woodpecker hunting for worms in the bark of a tree. To their amazement, tears flowed from the woodpecker’s eyes.

“Good woodpecker,” said the Calif, “why do you weep?” “Why should I not?” said the woodpecker. “You were born a bird and have known no other life, but I am a princess. The evil sorcerer Khadur threw this spell upon me, for I would not marry him. And a bird I must remain until another man asks me to wed.”

Her tears flowed faster. “Imagine, a man proposing to a bird! Do you see now why I weep?” “I do,” the Calif said thoughtfully. “But how did you come to this forest? Is the sorcerer himself hereabouts?” “There is a clearing nearby,” she said, pointing with her beak. “He meets there every night with his magicians.” The Calif said to his Vizier, “Come, Ali ben Manzar. We may find a way to help our little friend—and perhaps ourselves as well.” Making their way through the thick forest, the Calif and his Vizier reached a wide, rocky circle where no plant grew. They hid themselves in the bushes at its edge and waited for the gathering dark.

As the moon rose and cast its light into the clearing, three cloaked men entered the circle by different paths. They built a fire on a tall, flat rock in the very center and sat cross-legged around it. Then the flames leaped, and a fourth cloaked figure stood among them.

“Hail, Khadur, greatest of sorcerers!” the magicians shouted, touching their heads to the ground. The Calif gasped. “By the beard of the Prophet! It is the peddler who sold us the box!” Before the storks could recover from this surprise, there was another. With a clatter of hooves, into the clearing rode the Calif’s brother, Omar.

“Greetings, sorcerer,” said Omar as he pulled up before the fire. “Greetings, Glorious Lord,” the sorcerer wheezed. “And how do you fare in the city of Bagdad?” “Excellently,” said Omar. “The people long for their old ruler, but they learn to fear me and obey. As for you, sorcerer, you have well earned your reward.” He threw Khadur a bulging pouch. “But you have not yet told me—how did you get rid of my brother?”

Khadur wheezed with laughter. “Nothing easier, Glorious Lord. I disguised myself as a peddler and sold him a box of magic snuff. Your brother and his dolt of a Vizier changed themselves most obligingly into storks! I even provided the word of disenchantment—or nearly so.” “What do you mean?” said Omar.

“I switched two letters,” said Khadur. “I wrote Casalavair instead of Calasavair.” The sorcerer laughed until he choked.

“A true master! I will have need of your services again,” said Omar. He spurred his horse and raced from the clearing. “Now, to work!” Khadur told his magicians. “We have spells to prepare.”

“There will be no spells tonight!” cried the Calif.

All that the men heard was Calap! Calap!—but two storks were suddenly upon them, pummeling them with strong wings, pecking them with sharp beaks.

“It’s the Calif and the Vizier!” wheezed Khadur. He fled from the clearing, his magicians close behind. “Should we not follow, Glorious Lord?” asked the Vizier. “No, Ali ben Manzar,” said the Calif. “We have spells to undo.”

Even as he spoke, the woodpecker alighted beside them. “What was that noise?” she asked anxiously. “You shall know presently, dear Princess,” said the Calif. Then drawing an anxious breath, he cried, “Calasavair!”

A flurry of wings, beaks, and feathers—and there in place of two storks stood the Calif and his Vizier. “Princess,” said the Calif, turning to the astonished woodpecker, “will you honor me by becoming my wife?”

Another flurry of feathers, and there stood a young woman of slender figure and dancing eyes. “The honor will be mine,” she said shyly, and offered him her hand.

* * *

The next day, they borrowed horses at a nearby village and rode into Bagdad. By the time they reached the palace, a joyous crowd had gathered behind them. “Open the gate!” called the Calif.

The gate flew open just as Omar appeared in the palace yard. When Omar saw the Calif, he turned the color of parchment. “Seize him!” the Calif ordered, and the guards dragged Omar before him. “Brother, spare my life!” pleaded Omar. “For your treason, I should behead you,” said the Calif. “But instead I will banish you by ship to the farthest end of the earth. And by the beard of the Prophet, on the voyage you will eat nothing but toads and snails!”

* * *

And so the Calif regained his throne, and gained a lovely wife besides. And if he seemed to know even more about his people than before, no one guessed how—for few even noticed the pair of storks that soared on many an afternoon above the streets of Bagdad.

The Calif saw much more than we,
But how much more does Allah see!

The Story of Sidi-Nouman

2009-11-06T20:30:00.003+08:00

IRAQ

The Caliph, Haroun-al-Raschid, was much pleased with the tale of the blind man and the dervish, and when it was finished he turned to the young man who had ill-treated his horse, and inquired his name also. The young man replied that he was called Sidi-Nouman.

"Sidi-Nouman," observed the Caliph, "I have seen horses broken all my life long, and have even broken them myself, but I have never seen any horse broken in such a barbarous manner as by you yesterday. Every one who looked on was indignant, and blamed you loudly. As for myself, I was so angry that I was very nearly disclosing who I was, and putting a stop to it at once. Still, you have not the air of a cruel man, and I would gladly believe that you did not act in this way without some reason. As I am told that it was not the first time, and indeed that every day you are to be seen flogging and spurring your horse, I wish to come to the bottom of the matter. But tell me the whole truth, and conceal nothing."

Sidi-Nouman changed colour as he heard these words, and his manner grew confused; but he saw plainly that there was no help for it. So he prostrated himself before the throne of the Caliph and tried to obey, but the words stuck in his throat, and he remained silent.

The Caliph, accustomed though he was to instant obedience, guessed something of what was passing in the young man's mind, and sought to put him at his ease. "Sidi-Nouman," he said, "do not think of me as the Caliph, but merely as a friend who would like to hear your story. If there is anything in it that you are afraid may offend me, take courage, for I pardon you beforehand. Speak then openly and without fear, as to one who knows and loves you."

Reassured by the kindness of the Caliph, Sidi-Nouman at length began his tale.

"Commander of the Faithful," said he, "dazzled though I am by the lustre of your Highness' presence, I will do my best

to satisfy your wishes. I am by no means perfect, but I am not naturally cruel, neither do I take pleasure in breaking the law. I admit that the treatment of my horse is calculated to give your Highness a bad opinion of me, and to set an evil example to others; yet I have not chastised it without reason, and I have hopes that I shall be judged more worthy of pity than punishment."

Commander of the Faithful, I will not trouble to describe my birth; it is not of sufficient distinction to deserve your Highness' attention. My ancestors were careful people, and I inherited enough money to enable me to live comfortably, though without show.

Having therefore a modest fortune, the only thing wanting to my happiness was a wife who could return my affection, but this blessing I was not destined to get; for on the very day after my marriage, my bride began to try my patience in every way that was most hard to bear.

Now, seeing that the customs of our land oblige us to marry without ever beholding the person with whom we are to pass our lives, a man has of course no right to complain as long as his wife is not absolutely repulsive, or is not positively deformed. And whatever defects her body may have, pleasant ways and good behaviour will go far to remedy them.

The first time I saw my wife unveiled, when she had been brought to my house with the usual ceremonies, I was enchanted to find that I had not been deceived in regard to the account that had been given me of her beauty. I began my married life in high spirits, and the best hopes of happiness.

The following day a grand dinner was served to us but as my wife did not appear, I ordered a servant to call her. Still she did not come, and I waited impatiently for some time. At last she entered the room, and she took our places at the table, and plates of rice were set

before us.

I ate mine, as was natural, with a spoon, but great was my surprise to notice that my wife, instead of doing the same, drew from her pocket a little case, from which she selected a long pin, and by the help of this pin conveyed her rice grain by grain to her mouth.

"Amina," I exclaimed in astonishment, "is that the way you eat rice at home? And did you do it because your appetite was so small, or did you wish to count the grains so that you might never eat more than a certain number? If it was from economy, and you are anxious to teach me not to be wasteful, you have no cause for alarm. We shall never ruin ourselves in that way! Our fortune is large enough for all our needs, therefore, dear Amina, do not seek to check yourself, but eat as much as you desire, as I do!"

In reply to my affectionate words, I expected a cheerful answer; yet Amina said nothing at all, but continued to pick her rice

as before, only at longer and longer intervals. And, instead of trying the other dishes, all she did was to put every now and then a crumb, of bread into her mouth, that would not have made a meal for a sparrow.

I felt provoked by her obstinacy, but to excuse her to myself as far as I could, I suggested that perhaps she had never been used to eat in the company of men, and that her family might have taught her that she ought to behave prudently and discreetly in the presence of her husband. Likewise that she might either have dined already or intend to do so in her own apartments. So I took no further notice, and when I had finished left the room, secretly much vexed at her strange conduct.

The same thing occurred at supper, and all through the next day, whenever we ate together. It was quite clear that no woman could live upon two or three bread-crumbs and a few grains of rice,

and I determined to find out how and when she got food. I pretended not to pay attention to anything she did, in the hope that little by little she would get accustomed to me, and become more friendly; but I soon saw that my expectations were quite vain.

One night I was lying with my eyes closed, and to, all appearance sound asleep, when Amina arose softly, and dressed herself without making the slightest sound. I could not imagine what she was going to do, and as my curiosity was great I made up my mind to follow her. When she was fully dressed, she stole quietly from the room.

The instant she had let the curtain fall behind her, I flung a garment on my shoulders and a pair of slippers on my feet. Looking from a lattice which opened into the court, I saw her in the act of passing through the street door, which she carefully left open.

It was bright moonlight, so I easily managed to keep her in sight,

till she entered a cemetery not far from the house. There I hid myself under the shadow of the wall, and crouched down cautiously; and hardly was I concealed, when I saw my wife approaching in company with a ghoul--one of those demons which, as your Highness is aware, wander about the country making their lairs in deserted buildings and springing out upon unwary travellers whose flesh they eat. If no live being goes their way, they then betake themselves to the cemeteries, and feed upon the dead bodies.

I was nearly struck dumb with horror on seeing my wife with this hideous female ghoul. They passed by me without noticing me, began to dig up a corpse which had been buried that day, and then sat down on the edge of the grave, to enjoy their frightful repast, talking quietly and cheerfully all the while, though I was too far off to hear what they said. When they had finished, they threw back the body into the grave, and heaped back the earth upon it.

I made no effort to disturb them, and returned quickly to the house, when I took care to leave the door open, as I had previously found it. Then I got back into bed, and pretended to sleep soundly.

A short time after Amina entered as quietly as she had gone out. She undressed and stole into bed, congratulating herself apparently on the cleverness with which she had managed her expedition.

As may be guessed, after such a scene it was long before I could close my eyes, and at the first sound which called the faithful to prayer, I put on my clothes and went to the mosque. But even prayer did not restore peace to my troubled spirit, and I could not face my wife until I had made up my mind what future course I should pursue in regard to her. I therefore spent the morning roaming about from one garden to another, turning over various plans for compelling my wife to give up her horrible ways; I thought of using violence to make her submit, but felt reluctant

to be unkind to her. Besides, I had an instinct that gentle means had the best chance of success; so, a little soothed, I turned towards home, which I reached about the hour of dinner.

As soon as I appeared, Amina ordered dinner to be served, and we sat down together. As usual, she persisted in only picking a few grains of rice, and I resolved to speak to her at once of what lay so heavily on my heart.

"Amina," I said, as quietly as possible, "you must have guessed the surprise I felt, when the day after our marriage you declined to eat anything but a few morsels of rice, and altogether behaved in such a manner that most husbands would have been deeply wounded. However I had patience with you, and only tried to tempt your appetite by the choicest dishes I could invent, but all to no purpose. Still, Amina, it seems to me that there be some among them as sweet to the taste as the flesh of a corpse?"

I had no sooner uttered these words than Amina, who instantly understood that I had followed her to the grave-yard, was seized with a passion beyond any that I have ever witnessed. Her face became purple, her eyes looked as if they would start from her head, and she positively foamed with rage.

I watched her with terror, wondering what would happen next, but little thinking what would be the end of her fury. She seized a vessel of water that stood at hand, and plunging her hand in it, murmured some words I failed to catch. Then, sprinkling it on my face, she cried madly:

"Wretch, receive the reward of your prying, and become a dog."

The words were not out of her mouth when, without feeling conscious that any change was passing over me, I suddenly knew that I had ceased to be a man. In the greatness of the shock and surprise--for I had no idea that Amina was a magician--I never dreamed of running away,

and stood rooted to the spot, while Amina grasped a stick and began to beat me. Indeed her blows were so heavy, that I only wonder they did not kill me at once. However they succeeded in rousing me from my stupor, and I dashed into the court-yard, followed closely by Amina, who made frantic dives at me, which I was not quick enough to dodge. At last she got tired of pursuing me, or else a new trick entered into her head, which would give me speedy and painful death; she opened the gate leading into the street, intending to crush me as I passed through. Dog though I was, I saw through her design, and stung into presence of mind by the greatness of the danger, I timed my movements so well that I contrived to rush through, and only the tip of my tail received a squeeze as she banged the gate.

I was safe, but my tail hurt me horribly, and I yelped and howled so loud all along the streets, that the other dogs came and attacked me,

which made matters no better. In order to avoid them, I took refuge in a cookshop, where tongues and sheep's heads were sold.

At first the owner showed me great kindness, and drove away the other dogs that were still at my heels, while I crept into the darkest corner. But though I was safe for the moment, I was not destined to remain long under his protection, for he was one of those who hold all dogs to be unclean, and that all the washing in the world will hardly purify you from their contact. So after my enemies had gone to seek other prey, he tried to lure me from my corner in order to force me into the street. But I refused to come out of my hole, and spent the night in sleep, which I sorely needed, after the pain inflicted on me by Amina.

I have no wish to weary your Highness by dwelling on the sad thoughts which accompanied my change of shape, but it may interest you to hear that the next morning my host went out early to do his marketing,

and returned laden with the sheep's heads, and tongues and trotters that formed his stock in trade for the day. The smell of meat attracted various hungry dogs in the neighbourhood, and they gathered round the door begging for some bits. I stole out of my corner, and stood with them.

In spite of his objection to dogs, as unclean animals, my protector was a kind-hearted man, and knowing I had eaten nothing since yesterday, he threw me bigger and better bits than those which fell to the share of the other dogs. When I had finished, I tried to go back into the shop, but this he would not allow, and stood so firmly at the entrance with a stout stick, that I was forced to give it up, and seek some other home.

A few paces further on was a baker's shop, which seemed to have a gay and merry man for a master. At that moment he was having his breakfast, and though I gave no signs of hunger, he at once

threw me a piece of bread. Before gobbling it up, as most dogs are in the habit of doing, I bowed my head and wagged my tail, in token of thanks, and he understood, and smiled pleasantly. I really did not want the bread at all, but felt it would be ungracious to refuse, so I ate it slowly, in order that he might see that I only did it out of politeness. He understood this also, and seemed quite willing to let me stay in his shop, so I sat down, with my face to the door, to show that I only asked his protection. This he gave me, and indeed encouraged me to come into the house itself, giving me a corner where I might sleep, without being in anybody's way.

The kindness heaped on me by this excellent man was far greater than I could ever have expected. He was always affectionate in his manner of treating me, and I shared his breakfast, dinner and supper, while, on my side, I gave him all the gratitude

and attachment to which he had a right.

I sat with my eyes fixed on him, and he never left the house without having me at his heels; and if it ever happened that when he was preparing to go out I was asleep, and did not notice, he would call "Rufus, Rufus," for that was the name he gave me.

Some weeks passed in this way, when one day a woman came in to buy bread. In paying for it, she laid down several pieces of money, one of which was bad. The baker perceived this, and declined to take it, demanding another in its place. The woman, for her part, refused to take it back, declaring it was perfectly good, but the baker would have nothing to do with it. "It is really such a bad imitation," he exclaimed at last, "that even my dog would not be taken in. Here Rufus! Rufus!" and hearing his voice, I jumped on to the counter. The baker threw down the money before me, and said, "Find out if there is a bad coin." I looked at each in turn, and then laid my paw on the false one, glancing at the same time at my master, so as to point it out.

The baker, who had of course been only in joke, was exceedingly surprised at my cleverness, and the woman, who was at last convinced that the man spoke the truth, produced another piece of money in its place. When she had gone, my master was so pleased that he told all the neighbours what I had done, and made a great deal more of it than there really was.

The neighbours, very naturally, declined to believe his story, and tried me several times with all the bad money they could collect together, but I never failed to stand the test triumphantly.

Soon, the shop was filled from morning till night, with people who on the pretence of buying bread came to see if I was as clever as I was reported to be. The baker drove a roaring trade, and admitted that I was worth my weight in gold to him.

Of course there were plenty who envied him his large custom, and many was the pitfall set for me, so that he never dared to let me out of his sight. One day a woman, who had not been in the shop before, came to ask for bread, like the rest. As usual, I was lying on the counter, and she threw down six coins before me, one of which was false. I detected it at once, and put my paw on it, looking as I did so at the woman. "Yes," she said, nodding her head. "You are quite right, that is the one." She stood gazing at me attentively for some time, then paid for the bread, and left the shop, making a sign for me to follow her secretly.

Now my thoughts were always running on some means of shaking off the spell laid on me, and noticing the way in which this woman had looked at me, the idea entered my head that perhaps she might have guessed what had happened, and in this I was not deceived.

However I let her go on a little way, and merely stood at the door watching her. She turned, and seeing that I was quite still, she again beckoned to me.

The baker all this while was busy with his oven, and had forgotten all about me, so I stole out softly, and ran after the woman.

When we came to her house, which was some distance off, she opened the door and then said to me, "Come in, come in; you will never be sorry that you followed me." When I had entered she fastened the door, and took me into a large room, where a beautiful girl was working at a piece of embroidery. "My daughter," exclaimed my guide, "I have brought you the famous dog belonging to the baker which can tell good money from bad. You know that when I first heard of him, I told you I was sure he must be really a man, changed into a dog by magic. To-day I went to the baker's, to prove for myself the truth of the story, and persuaded the dog to follow me here.

Now what do you say?"

"You are right, mother," replied the girl, and rising she dipped her hand into a vessel of water. Then sprinkling it over me she said, "If you were born dog, remain dog; but if you were born man, by virtue of this water resume your proper form." In one moment the spell was broken. The dog's shape vanished as if it had never been, and it was a man who stood before her.

Overcome with gratitude at my deliverance, I flung myself at her feet, and kissed the hem of her garment. "How can I thank you for your goodness towards a stranger, and for what you have done? Henceforth I am your slave. Deal with me as you will!"

Then, in order to explain how I came to be changed into a dog, I told her my whole story, and finished with rendering the mother the thanks due to her for the happiness she had brought me.

"Sidi-Nouman," returned the daughter, "say no more about the obligation you are under to us. The knowledge that we have been of service to you is ample payment. Let us speak of Amina, your wife, with whom I was acquainted before her marriage. I was aware that she was a magician, and she knew too that I had studied the same art, under the same mistress. We met often going to the same baths, but we did not like each other, and never sought to become friends. As to what concerns you, it is not enough to have broken your spell, she must be punished for her wickedness. Remain for a moment with my mother, I beg," she added hastily, "I will return shortly."

Left alone with the mother, I again expressed the gratitude I felt, to her as well as to her daughter.

"My daughter," she answered, "is, as you see, as accomplished a magician as Amina herself, but you would be astonished at the amount of good she does by her knowledge. That is why I have never interfered, otherwise I should have put a stop to it long ago." As she spoke, her daughter entered with a small bottle in her hand.

"Sidi-Nouman," she said, "the books I have just consulted tell me that Amina is not home at present, but she should return at any moment. I have likewise found out by their means, that she pretends before the servants great uneasiness as to your absence. She has circulated a story that, while at dinner with her, you remembered some important business that had to be done at once, and left the house without shutting the door. By this means a dog had strayed in, which she was forced to get rid of by a stick. Go home then without delay, and await Amina's return in your room. When she comes in, go down to meet her, and in her surprise, she will try to run away. Then have this bottle ready, and dash the water it contains over her, saying boldly, "Receive the reward of your crimes." That is all I have to tell you."

Everything happened exactly as the young magician had foretold.

had not been in my house many minutes before Amina returned, and as she approached I stepped in front of her, with the water in my hand. She gave one loud cry, and turned to the door, but she was too late. I had already dashed the water in her face and spoken the magic words. Amina disappeared, and in her place stood the horse you saw me beating yesterday.

This, Commander of the Faithful, is my story, and may I venture to hope that, now you have heard the reason of my conduct, your Highness will not think this wicked woman too harshly treated?

"Sidi-Nouman," replied the Caliph, "your story is indeed a strange one, and there is no excuse to be offered for your wife. But, without condemning your treatment of her, I wish you to reflect how much she must suffer from being changed into an animal, and I hope you will let that punishment be enough. I do not order you to insist upon the young magician finding the means to restore your wife to her human shape, because I know that when once women such as she begin to work evil they never leave off, and I should only bring down on your head a vengeance far worse than the one you have undergone already."

Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla

2009-11-06T20:26:00.008+08:00

a story from one thousands and one nights - -- Iraq

I was born, Commander of the Faithful, in Bagdad, and was left an orphan while I was yet a very young man, for my parents died within a few days of each other. I had inherited from them a small fortune, which I worked hard night and day to increase, till at last I found myself the owner of eighty camels. These I hired out to travelling merchants, whom I frequently accompanied on their various journeys, and always returned with large profits.

One day I was coming back from Balsora, whither I had taken a supply of goods, intended for India, and halted at noon in a lonely place, which promised rich pasture for my camels. I was resting in the shade under a tree, when a dervish, going on foot towards Balsora, sat down by my side, and I inquired whence he had come and to what place he was going. We soon made friends, and after we had asked each other the usual questions, we produced the food we had with us, and satisfied our hunger.

While we were eating, the dervish happened to mention that in a spot only a little way off from where we were sitting, there was hidden a treasure so great that if my eighty camels were loaded till they could carry no more, the hiding place would seem as full as if it had never been touched.

At this news I became almost beside myself with joy and greed, and I flung my arms round the neck of the dervish, exclaiming: "Good dervish, I see plainly that the riches of this world are nothing to you, therefore of what use is the knowledge of this treasure to you? Alone and on foot, you could carry away a mere handful. But tell me where it is, and I will load my eighty camels with it, and give you one of them as a token of my gratitude."

Certainly my offer does not sound very magnificent, but it was great to me, for at his words a wave of covetousness had swept over my heart, and I almost felt as if the seventy-nine camels that were left were nothing in comparison.

The dervish saw quite well what was passing in my mind, but he did not show what he thought of my proposal.

"My brother," he answered quietly, "you know as well as I do, that you are behaving unjustly. It was open to me to keep my secret, and to reserve the treasure for myself. But the fact that I have told you of its existence shows that I had confidence in you, and that I hoped to earn your gratitude for ever, by making your fortune as well as mine. But before I reveal to you the secret of the treasure, you must swear that, after we have loaded the camels with as much as they can carry, you will give half to me, and let us go our own ways. I think you will see that this is fair, for if you present me with forty camels, I on my side will give you the means of buying a thousand more."

I could not of course deny that what the dervish said was perfectly reasonable, but, in spite of that, the thought that the dervish would be as rich as I was unbearable to me. Still there was no use in discussing the matter, and I had to accept his conditions or bewail to the end of my life the loss of immense wealth. So I collected my camels and we set out together under the guidance of the dervish. After walking some time, we reached what looked like a valley, but with such a narrow entrance that my camels could only pass one by one. The little valley, or open space, was shut up by two mountains, whose sides were formed of straight cliffs, which no human being could climb.

When we were exactly between these mountains the dervish stopped.

"Make your camels lie down in this open space," he said, "so that we can easily load them; then we will go to the treasure."

I did what I was bid, and rejoined the dervish, whom I found trying to kindle a fire out of some dry wood. As soon as it was alight, he threw on it a handful of perfumes, and pronounced a few words that I did not understand, and immediately a thick column of smoke rose high into the air. He separated the smoke into two columns, and then I saw a rock, which stood like a pillar between the two mountains, slowly open, and a splendid palace appear within.

But, Commander of the Faithful, the love of gold had taken such possession of my heart, that I could not even stop to examine the riches, but fell upon the first pile of gold within my reach and began to heap it into a sack that I had brought with me.

The dervish likewise set to work, but I soon noticed that he confined himself to collecting precious stones, and I felt I should be wise to follow his example. At length the camels were loaded with as much as they could carry, and nothing remained but to seal up the treasure, and go our ways.

Before, however, this was done, the dervish went up to a great golden vase, beautifully chased, and took from it a small wooden box, which he hid in the bosom of his dress, merely saying that it contained a special kind of ointment. Then he once more kindled the fire, threw on the perfume, and murmured the unknown spell, and the rock closed, and stood whole as before.

The next thing was to divide the camels, and to charge them with the treasure, after which we each took command of our own and marched out of the valley, till we reached the place in the high road where the routes diverge, and then we parted, the dervish going towards Balsora, and I to Bagdad. We embraced each other tenderly, and I poured out my gratitude for the honour he had done me, in singling me out for this great wealth, and having said a hearty farewell we turned our backs, and hastened after our camels.

I had hardly come up with mine when the demon of envy filled my soul. "What does a dervish want with riches like that?" I said to myself.

"He alone has the secret of the treasure, and can always get as much as he wants," and I halted my camels by the roadside, and ran back after him.

I was a quick runner, and it did not take me very long to come up with him. "My brother," I exclaimed, as soon as I could speak, "almost at the moment of our leave-taking, a reflection occurred to me, which is perhaps new to you. You are a dervish by profession, and live a very quiet life, only caring to do good, and careless of the things of this world. You do not realise the burden that you lay upon yourself, when you gather into your hands such great wealth, besides the fact that no one, who is not accustomed to camels from his birth, can ever manage the stubborn beasts. If you are wise, you will not encumber yourself with more than thirty, and you will find those trouble enough."

"You are right," replied the dervish, who understood me quite well, but did not wish to fight the matter. "I confess I had not thought about it. Choose any ten you like, and drive them before you."

I selected ten of the best camels, and we proceeded along the road, to rejoin those I had left behind. I had got what I wanted, but I had found the dervish so easy to deal with, that I rather regretted I had not asked for ten more. I looked back. He had only gone a few paces, and I called after him.

"My brother," I said, "I am unwilling to part from you without pointing out what I think you scarcely grasp, that large experience of camel-driving is necessary to anybody who intends to keep together a troop of thirty. In your own interest, I feel sure you would be much happier if you entrusted ten more of them to me, for with my practice it is all one to me if I take two or a hundred."

As before, the dervish made no difficulties, and I drove off my ten camels in triumph, only leaving him with twenty for his share.

I had now sixty, and anyone might have imagined that I should be content.

But, Commander of the Faithful, there is a proverb that says, "the more one has, the more one wants." So it was with me. I could not rest as long as one solitary camel remained to the dervish; and returning to him I redoubled my prayers and embraces, and promises of eternal gratitude, till the last twenty were in my hands.

"Make a good use of them, my brother," said the holy man. "Remember riches sometimes have wings if we keep them for ourselves, and the poor are at our gates expressly that we may help them."

My eyes were so blinded by gold, that I paid no heed to his wise counsel, and only looked about for something else to grasp. Suddenly I remembered the little box of ointment that the dervish had hidden, and which most likely contained a treasure more precious than all the rest. Giving him one last embrace, I observed accidentally, "What are you going to do with that little box of ointment? It seems hardly worth taking with you; you might as well let me have it. And really, a dervish who has given up the world has no need of ointment!"

Oh, if he had only refused my request! But then, supposing he had, I should have got possession of it by force, so great was the madness that had laid hold upon me. However, far from refusing it, the dervish at once held it out, saying gracefully, "Take it, my friend, and if there is anything else I can do to make you happy you must let me know."

Directly the box was in my hands I wrenched off the cover. "As you are so kind," I said, "tell me, I pray you, what are the virtues of this ointment?"

"They are most curious and interesting," replied the dervish.

"If you apply a little of it to your left eye you will behold in an instant all the treasures hidden in the bowels of the earth. But beware lest you touch your right eye with it, or your sight will be destroyed for ever."

His words excited my curiosity to the highest pitch. "Make trial on me, I implore you," I cried, holding out the box to the dervish. "You will know how to do it better than I! I am burning with impatience to test its charms."

The dervish took the box I had extended to him, and, bidding me shut my left eye, touched it gently with the ointment. When I opened it again I saw spread out, as it were before me, treasures of every kind and without number. But as all this time I had been obliged to keep my right eye closed, which was very fatiguing, I begged the dervish to apply the ointment to that eye also.

"If you insist upon it I will do it," answered the dervish, "but you must remember what I told you just now--that if it touches your right eye you will become blind on the spot."

Unluckily, in spite of my having proved the truth of the dervish's words in so many instances, I was firmly convinced that he was now keeping concealed from me some hidden and precious virtue of the ointment. So I turned a deaf ear to all he said.

"My brother," I replied smiling, "I see you are joking. It is not natural that the same ointment should have two such exactly opposite effects."

"It is true all the same," answered the dervish, "and it would be well for you if you believed my word."

But I would not believe, and, dazzled by the greed of avarice, I thought that if one eye could show me riches, the other might teach me how to get possession of them. And I continued to press the dervish to anoint my right eye, but this he resolutely declined

to do.

"After having conferred such benefits on you," said he, "I am loth indeed to work you such evil. Think what it is to be blind, and do not force me to do what you will repent as long as you live."

It was of no use. "My brother," I said firmly, "pray say no more, but do what I ask. You have most generously responded to my wishes up to this time, do not spoil my recollection of you for a thing of such little consequence. Let what will happen I take it on my own head, and will never reproach you."

"Since you are determined upon it," he answered with a sigh, "there is no use talking," and taking the ointment he laid some on my right eye, which was tight shut. When I tried to open it heavy clouds of darkness floated before me. I was as blind as you see me now!

"Miserable dervish!" I shrieked, "so it is true after all!

Into what a bottomless pit has my lust after gold plunged me. Ah, now that my eyes are closed they are really opened. I know that all my sufferings are caused by myself alone! But, good brother, you, who are so kind and charitable, and know the secrets of such vast learning, have you nothing that will give me back my sight?"

"Unhappy man," replied the dervish, "it is not my fault that this has befallen you, but it is a just chastisement. The blindness of your heart has wrought the blindness of your body. Yes, I have secrets; that you have seen in the short time that we have known each other. But I have none that will give you back your sight. You have proved yourself unworthy of the riches that were given you. Now they have passed into my hands, whence they will flow into the hands of others less greedy and ungrateful than you."

The dervish said no more and left me, speechless with shame and confusion, and so wretched that I stood rooted to the spot, while he collected the eighty camels and proceeded on his way to Balsora. It was in vain that I entreated him not to leave me, but at least to take me within reach of the first passing caravan. He was deaf to my prayers and cries, and I should soon have been dead of hunger and misery if some merchants had not come along the track the following day and kindly brought me back to Bagdad.

>From a rich man I had in one moment become a beggar; and up to this time I have lived solely on the alms that have been bestowed on me. But, in order to expiate the sin of avarice, which was my undoing, I oblige each passer-by to give me a blow.

This, Commander of the Faithful, is my story.

When the blind man had ended the Caliph addressed him: "Baba-Abdalla, truly your sin is great, but you have suffered enough. Henceforth repent in private, for I will see that enough money is given you day by day for all your wants."

At these words Baba-Abdalla flung himself at the Caliph's feet, and prayed that honour and happiness might be his portion for ever.

The Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad

2009-11-06T20:15:00.005+08:00

a story from Iraq.

The Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid sat in his palace, wondering if there was anything left in the world that could possibly give him a few hours' amusement, when Giafar the grand-vizir, his old and tried friend, suddenly appeared before him. Bowing low, he waited, as was his duty, till his master spoke, but Haroun-al-Raschid merely turned his head and looked at him, and sank back into his former weary posture.

Now Giafar had something of importance to say to the Caliph, and had no intention of being put off by mere silence, so with another low bow in front of the throne, he began to speak.

"Commander of the Faithful," said he, "I have taken on myself to remind your Highness that you have undertaken secretly to observe for yourself the manner in which justice is done and order is kept throughout the city. This is the day you have set apart to devote to this object, and perhaps in fulfilling this duty you may find some distraction from the melancholy to which, as I see to my sorrow, you are a prey."

"You are right," returned the Caliph, "I had forgotten all about it. Go and change your coat, and I will change mine."

A few moments later they both re-entered the hall, disguised as foreign merchants, and passed through a secret door, out into the open country. Here they turned towards the Euphrates, and crossing the river in a small boat, walked through that part of the town which lay along the further bank, without seeing anything to call for their interference. Much pleased with the peace and good order of the city, the Caliph and his vizir made their way to a bridge, which led straight back to the palace, and had already crossed it, when they were stopped by an old and blind man, who begged for alms.

The Caliph gave him a piece of money, and was passing on, but the blind man seized his hand, and held him fast.

"Charitable person," he said, "whoever you may be grant me yet another prayer. Strike me, I beg of you, one blow. I have deserved it richly, and even a more severe penalty."

The Caliph, much surprised at this request, replied gently: "My good man, that which you ask is impossible. Of what use would my alms be if I treated you so ill?" And as he spoke he tried to loosen the grasp of the blind beggar.

"My lord," answered the man, "pardon my boldness and my persistence. Take back your money, or give me the blow which I crave. I have sworn a solemn oath that I will receive nothing without receiving chastisement, and if you knew all, you would feel that the punishment is not a tenth part of what I deserve."

Moved by these words, and perhaps still more by the fact that he had other business to attend to, the Caliph yielded, and struck him lightly on the shoulder. Then he continued his road, followed by the blessing of the blind man. When they were out of earshot, he said to the vizir, "There must be something very odd to make that man act so--I should like to find out what is the reason. Go back to him; tell him who I am, and order him to come without fail to the palace to-morrow, after the hour of evening prayer."

So the grand-vizir went back to the bridge; gave the blind beggar first a piece of money and then a blow, delivered the Caliph's message, and rejoined his master.

They passed on towards the palace, but walking through a square, they came upon a crowd watching a young and well-dressed man who was urging a horse at full speed round the open space, using at the same time his spurs and whip so unmercifully that the animal was all covered with foam and blood. The Caliph, astonished at this proceeding, inquired of a passer-by what it all meant, but no one could tell him anything, except that every day at the same hour the same thing took place.

Still wondering, he passed on, and for the moment had to content himself with telling the vizir to command the horseman also to appear before him at the same time as the blind man.

The next day, after evening prayer, the Caliph entered the hall, and was followed by the vizir bringing with him the two men of whom we have spoken, and a third, with whom we have nothing to do. They all bowed themselves low before the throne and then the Caliph bade them rise, and ask the blind man his name.

"Baba-Abdalla, your Highness," said he.

"Baba-Abdalla," returned the Caliph, "your way of asking alms yesterday seemed to me so strange, that I almost commanded you then and there to cease from causing such a public scandal. But I have sent for you to inquire what was your motive in making such a curious vow. When I know the reason I shall be able to judge whether you can be permitted to continue to practise it, for I cannot help thinking that it sets a very bad example to others. Tell me therefore the whole truth, and conceal nothing."

These words troubled the heart of Baba-Abdalla, who prostrated himself at the feet of the Caliph. Then rising, he answered: "Commander of the Faithful, I crave your pardon humbly, for my persistence in beseeching your Highness to do an action which appears on the face of it to be without any meaning. No doubt, in the eyes of men, it has none; but I look on it as a slight expiation for a fearful sin of which I have been guilty, and if your Highness will deign to listen to my tale, you will see that no punishment could atone for the crime."

-- to continue.. read on the story of blind Baba Abdalla

2009-10-15T16:18:00.003+08:00

Video

United Arab Emirates - الأمارات العربية المتحدة

2009-10-06T16:51:00.002+08:00

The 7 Emirates

The UAE-A Constellation of 7 Stars
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates or states, each with its own unique character and personality but yet united with a common goal and destiny. The seven emirates are :

*Abu Dhabi* The largest of the 7 Emirates with Abu Dhabi city as the capital of the UAE. Architecturally, Abu Dhabi is a fascinating place where the domes and minarets of traditional mosques sit comfortably in the shade of gleaming futuristic skyscrapers. tree-lined boulevards, manicured roundabouts, dazzling fountains and extensive parks soften the modern cityscape.
Burj Al-Arab Hotel	*Dubai* The city has a laid-back, easy going attitude and is described as a 'shangrila in the desert'. More than 2 million tourists visit yearly and it is easy to see why. There aren't many places where you can experience desert safaris, sand skiing, sailing, cruises, camel rides and amazing shopping bargains while you stay in world-class hotels.	gold souk
	*Sharjah* Sharjah city, the main administrative and commercial centre, has some fine design, and the many elegant mosques. In 1998 Sharjah city was designated by UNESCO as the cultural capital of the Arab world for its commitment to art, culture and the preservation of its heritage.
	*Ajman* located a short distance north-east of Sharjah's capital city, is the smallest of the seven emirates in terms of its physical size. The capital city, Ajman, has an historic fort at its centre. The emirates is blessed with a natural harbour in which the Port of Ajman is situated. Fishing and dhow building are still important industries.
*Umm Al-Qaiwain* In this 777 square kilometers emirate, traditional occupations of fishing and date cultivation are still important, but a mariculture research centre and a free zone have helped to develop the emirate whose main attraction lies in its small size, relatively remote location, and long clean beaches. Sinayah island, lying a short distance offshore, has important mangrove areas together with a breeding colony of endangered Socotra carmorants.		Al Siniyyah island, a sanctuary for birds
	*Ra's Al-Khaimah* Ra's Al-Khaimah, the most northerly emirate on the UAE's west coast, has an impressive coastline bordering the Arabian Gulf. This is backed by a fertile palm-filled plain which is overshadowed by the precipitous Hajar Mountains to the east. in the north, close to the emirate's border with the Sultanate of Oman, the sheer rocky slopes seem to rise straight out of the sea.	National Museum
	*Fujairah* Fujairah's natural beauty features jagged mountains and valleys sweeping down to the palm-fringed coastal plain. there are some stunning beaches and good diving locations along the coast, whilst both the coastal strip and the hinterland contain many cultural and historic sites. Agriculture and fishing, two traditional mainstays of the economy, still feature prominently. Fujairah city is an attractive town and a rapidly developing commercial and tourist centre. Its strategic location outside the Straits of Hormuz, which provides easy access to international shipping routes, has played a key role in its development as one of the world's top oil-bunkering ports.

عزيــز و عزيــــزة

2009-10-06T16:43:00.001+08:00

(هذا الله يسلمچ)

اثنان من الإخوة اتفقا على أن يتزوج ابن أحدهما بنت الآخر. وسُمّي الولد "عزيز" والبنت "عزيزة. توفى والد عزيزة، ثم والدتها، وهي بعد صغيرة السن. فكفلها عمها وأسكنها بيته وشملها بعطفه ورعايته، فنشأت وترعرعت مع عزيز تحت سقف واحد إلى أن بلغا سن الرشد.

وعندئذ تحدث الأب مع ابنه حول الوفاء بالعهد القديم الذي قطعه على نفسه بتزويجه من ابنة عمه. وطلب منه الاستعداد للزواج. وحدد يوم الجمعة لإقامة العرس. وراح يدعو وجهاء البلد والأقارب والأصدقاء لحضور حفل الزواج، وهيأ الطعام للمدعوين بعد صلاة الجمعة.

غير أن عزيز، بعد أن خرج من المسجد عصر ذلك اليوم، قادته قدماه إلى وسط البلدة. وفيما هو يتجول في شوارعها ظهرت له صبية جميلة في نافذة أحد البيوت فخلبت لبه بجمالها، وأخذت تومئ له بيدها، ثم أخرجت مرآة صغيرة راحت تحركها في عدة اتجاهات فتلتمع. غير أنه لم يفهم مقصدهـــا. وظل منشغلاً بها ما تبقى من ساعات النهار. وعندما رجع إلى البيت كان المدعوون قد ملّوا الانتظار وانفضّ أكثرهم دون أن يتناولوا طعامهم أو يشهدوا عقد القران.

كان عزيز في غاية الحرج عندما وصل إلى البيت. وتحمل التأنيب والتقريع من والده على إهماله وذهوله عن حفل زواجه. وتذرّع بحجة واهية زاعماً أنه جلس في أحد الأركان في وسط البلد ليستريح فأخذته سِنَةٌ من النوم ولم يتنبه إلا بعد فوات الأوان. غير أنه - رغم ذلك - لم يستطع كتمان الأمر عن عزيزة. فصارحها بما حدث معه. فقالت له:

يبدو لي أن هذه الصبية قد وقعت في هواك يا عزيز، والإشارات التي أصدرتها لك بمرآتها تعني أنها تود لقاءك بعد الغروب في يوم غد.

ولما كان الغد ذهب عزيز في الموعد المحدد إلى المكان نفسه وانتظر، فظهرت له الفتاة من النافذة وفي يدها بيضة ظلت تحركها يمنة ويسرةً

حتى حل الظلام، ثم أغلقت النافذة وظلت بالداخل. فعاد عزيزمهموماً إلى البيت وحكى لعزيزة ما حدث ، ففسرت له معنى البيضة التي ظلت تحركها الفتاةبأن موعد اللقاء سيكون في الخربة المهجورة.

في اليوم التالي ذهب عزيز لملاقاة الفتاة في الخربة المهجورة. وما أن دخلها حتى وجد مائدة وُضعت عليها أنواع الأطعمة الشهية وإلى جانبها فِراش تفوح منه رائحة المسك والعنبر. فجلس وأكل حتى شبع ولعبت برأسه روائح الطعام والعطور المنبعثة من المكان، واضطجع ليستريح فغلبه سلطان النوم. وعندما جاءت الصبية ووجدته على هذه الحال، رجعت من حيث أتـت. واستيقظ عزيز، ولما لم يجد الفتاة حنق على نفسه وعاد خائباً إلى البيت. وفي صباح اليوم التالي ذهب الى نفس المكان ليستطلع الأمر، فأظهرت له اشارة أخرى. فعاد وأخبر عزيزة بما حدث، فقالت له:

إن ذلك يعني أن الفتاة تنتظرك في اليوم التالي تحت شجرة في بستان.

وفي الموعد المحدد في البستان تكررت الواقعة نفسها. إذ وجد عزيز سريراً وبجواره الطعام والفراش المعطر فأكل وانتشى وتخدر وغفى. وعندما أفاق كانت الفتاة قد حضرت ووجدته نائماً، فوضعت كرة وسوطاً بجواره وعادت أدراجها دون أن يراها أو يحادثها.

رجع عزيز إلى البيت وقـــد ضاق صدره ونفد صبره مما يلاقي من الفتــاة. وشكى همّه لابنة عمه عزيزة. فوعدته بأن تدبر له في الغد حيلة تجعله يغالب النوم بعد أن يتناول الطعام، فيبقى يقظاً متنبهاً لئلا يفوته لقاء الفتاة المراوغة عندما تجئ. وكانت عزيزة تأمل من وراء مساعدتها لعزيز أن يكتشف حقيقة البنت المخادعة وينثني عن غيِّه ويعود إلى رشده.

في اليوم التالي وقبل أن يتوجه عزيز إلى اللقاء المنشود وضعت عزيزة في جيبه كيساً مليئاً بالحشرات اللاسعة، وطلبت منه أن يفتحه حالما ينتهي من طعامه. ففعل. وعندما بدأ النعاس يغالبه بعد أن تناول الوجبة الشهية وعَبَقَ المكان بالطيوب الفّواحة من الفراش، فتح الكيس وأبقاه في جيبه فانطلقت منه الحشرات، وراحت تلسعه في جميع أنحاء

جسمه لسعات خفيفة فظل في يقظة كاملة. وما أن أطلت الفتاة حتى أمسك بها فوجدها زينب بنت دليلة المحتالة. ولم يملك إلا أن يصارحها بحبه وطلب منها الزواج فوافقت على الفور.

تزوج عزيز من الفتاة، وكان من عادته بعد زواجه من زينب أن يزور ابنة عمه بين الفينة والفينة. فلاحظ أنها كانت تذبل وتزداد شحوباً كل يوم مما تعانيه بعد أن سارت الأمور على غير ما كانت تقدِّر.

وذات ليلة أنشدته زينب بيتاً من الشعر يقول:

ألا أيها العشاق بالله خَبِّروا

اذا حلَّ عشقٌ بالفتى كيف يصنعُ ؟

فاحتار عزيز في تفسير البيت، ولم يجِد جواباً. وذهب في الغداة إلى عزيزة وأنشدها البيت. فردت عليه قائلة:

يداري هواه ، ثـم يكتم سرَّه

ويصبــر في كل الأمور ويخضعُ

عاد عزيز إلى زوجته وأنشدها البيت. فتعجبت من فطنته. ولما كان الصباح قالت له قبل أن يخرج من البيت:

فكيف يداري والهوى قاتل الفتى

وفي كل يوم قلبُه يتقطّـعُ ؟

لم يجبها عزيز بشئ وفي طريق عودته إلى البيت، عرّج على ابنة عمه وأنشدها بيت زوجته. فأجابته قائلة:

اذا ما لَهُ صبرٌ بكتمان سـرِّهِ

فليس له شئ سوى الموت أنفعُ

وطلبت منه أن ينشد زوجته هذا البيت من الشعر في الصباح قبل أن

يغادر المنزل. ففعل. وظلت زينب واقفة بالباب وقد ساورها القلق وداخلتها الهواجس مما يعنيه هذا الشعر.

وفي طريق عودة عزيز إلى البيت مر على ابنة عمه وحادثها فقالت له:

سمعنا، أطَعْنا، ثـم مِــتْنا، فبلغوا

سلامي على من كان بالوصل يمنعُ

فعاد إلى زينب وأنشدها ما سمعه من ابنة عمه، فاستوقفته زينب وتشبّثت به تستوضحه ما يقصده من هذا البيت، وسألته عمن أنشده إياه، فقال لها:

هذا البيت والأبيات الأخرى التي رويتها لك رداً على أبياتك إنما هي من نظم ابنة عمي عزيزة. وقد كانت خطيبتي منذ الصغر إلا أنني صادفتك في اليوم الذي كان محدداً لزواجنا. فكان ما كان. وعندما كاشفتها بتعلقي بك، ساعدتني في الوصول إليك والتعرف بك، وكانت هي التي تفسر إشاراتك لي. ولم تجد بعد زواجنا وسيلة تبوح بها بسرها إلا بنظم الألغاز الشعرية.

استمعت زينب لما قاله عزيز وتولاَّها الغضب والحسرة. إلا أنها تذكرت البيت الأخير الذي أنشدها إياه بعد عودته إلى المنزل فصاحت به:

كان يجدر بك أيها المغفل أن تخبرني بأمرك مع عزيزة قبــل أن نتزوج! لقد كانت تحبك قبلي وظلت على وفائها لك بعد أن تزوجْتَني وخنت عهدك معها. إن بيت الشعر الأخير ينذر بشرّ مستطير، فاذهب الآن وانظر ماذا جرى لها.

انطلق عزيز مذعوراً إلى عزيزة يستطلع الخبر. وما أن اقترب من الحي حتى شاهد جمعاً من الناس يسيرون في جنازة والنساء يبكين. فاندفع الفتى الملتاع يسأل الناس فأبلغوه أنهم يحملون جثمان ابنة عمه عزيزة إلى مثواه الأخير.

راح عزيز ينتحب ويلوم نفسه على ما سبّبه لعزيزة. وعاد إلى بيته حزيناً كسير الخاطر. وقبل أن يجتاز عتبة الباب برزت له زينب مهددة متوعدة: لن تدخل هذا البيت بعد اليوم يا عديم الوفاء. إن من يخدع ابنة عمه ويخون عهده معها لابد أن يخدع غيرها في المستقبل!

وراحت تعنفه وتنهره. وأمرت الخادم أن يمنعه من دخول البيت. فاستدار عزيز، وهام على وجهه لا يلوي على شئ وقد استبد به الألم في وقت لا ينفع فيه الندم.

الحصــــــــاة

2009-10-06T16:40:00.001+08:00

(هذاك سلطان من السلاطين، ولعن الله الشياطين)

اعتاد رجل أن يحبس زوجاته وأهل بيته في المنزل ، ويأمرهن ألا يختلطن بأحد ، وألا يزرن ذويهن وأهلهن، وألا يسمحن لأحد أن يزورهن أو يتحدث معهن. وكان الرجل كثير الأسفار والترحال ما أن يعود من رحلة حتى يبدأ رحلة أخرى.

وكانت الزوجة تمضي شهوراً في منزلها وحيدة لا تحدث أحداً ولا تلتقي بأحد، وتظل تكتم غيظها وتعاني من وحدتها حتى تموت، وكلما عاد الرجل من رحلته، فتح الباب فوجد الزوجة قد ماتت، فيدفنها ليتزوج بأخرى، وقد شاع صيته بهذا الصنيع وذاع بين الناس.. فكرهت النساء الاقتران به خوفاً على حياتهن.

أخذ الرجل يبحث له عن زوجة جديدة، وكلما طرق باباً جوبه بالرفض إلا واحدة قبلت به.

قالت لها أمها: ستموتين كما ماتت الأخريات .. لكنها أصرت.

اجتمع أهلها وصديقاتها يحذرونها من نهاية هذا الزواج، لكنها صممت على رأيها وقبلت بالزواج من ذلك الرجل.

فأخذ الرجل زوجته إلى البيت، وحذرها كعادته من الاتصال أو الالتقاء بأحد، وشدد عليها، وأنذرها بأنه سيعاقبها إن هي فعلت ذلك في أثناء غيابه.

قالت الزوجة: توكل على الله، ولا تخف، وسأفعل ما تريد وكما تشاء.

بعد أن سافر الزوج بحثت المرأة في أرجاء البيت لعلها تجد ما يؤنس وحدتها ويسليها أثناء غياب زوجها.

خرجت الزوجة إلى فناء المنزل فوجدت حصاة كبيرة فأخذتها ووضعتها على خشبة في وسط الدار ، وأخذت تجلس أمامها كل يوم تخاطبها وتحادثها وتبث لها شكواها. تارة تضحك وتارة تبكي إلى أن يحين وقت النوم فتذهب إلى فراشها سعيدة فتنام.

وهكذا تصحو الزوجة في الصباح وتجلس أمام الحصاة فترة... ثم تبدأ في عمل البيت تكنس وتنظف ثم تجهز الطعام، وتعود إلى الحصاة تحادثها.. هكذا كانت تفعل كلما خرج زوجها في رحلة عمل، وبقيت على قيد الحياة، ولم تمت كالأخريات.

تعجب الجميع من بقائها حية معافاة، وكذلك تعجب زوجها... وكان في كل مرَّة يعود إلى البيت يعتقد أنها ماتت ولكنه يجدها صحيحة معافاة كما تركها.

تعب الزوج من أمر زوجته وسألها ذات مرة: ما سر بقائك واستمرارك على قيد الحياة؟

فأخذته إلى حيث الحصاة وقصت عليه ما كانت تفعله خلال غيابه، فأمسك الرجل بالحصاة ليكسرها، وما إن وضع يده عليها حتى تفتتت وخرج منها دود كثير.

قالت الزوجة: هكذا ماتت زوجاتك، أما أنا فكلما شعرت بالضيق أو الوحدة كنت أجلس أمام هذه الحصاة وأشكو لها وهي صامتة لا ترد.

أعجب الزوج بذكائها وحسن تصرفها، وحزن على زوجاته ، ولام نفسه على ما فعله معهن وتسببه في قتلهن، ووعد زوجته ألا يتركها بعد اليوم كما كان يفعل سابقاً.

(وييت منهم ما عطوني شي)

الصديقـــان

2009-10-06T15:14:00.002+08:00

هذاك سلطان من السلاطين لعن الله الشياطين ..نرش بالطيب والترتيب حتى گلوب العاشگين تطيب ويا عاشگين النبي صلوا عليه :

كان هناك تاجر عنده ابن وحيد يحبه كثيراً ، وكان التاجر كثير السفر إلى الهند وفي كل مرة يعود محملاً بالهدايا والعطايا لابنه الوحيد، لكن الابن كان يحس بالوحدة ويتمنى لو أن له أخاً أو صديقاً يرافقه في حياته ، وذات يوم طلب الابن من أبيه أن يدله على أفضل طريقه.. للحصول على صديق مخلص ووفي .

قال الأب :

احضر من تختاره صديقاً إلى البيت واعطه ماء وطعاماً ، فإذا شرب أو أكل قبلك فلا ترتجي من صداقته خيراً ، وابحث عن صديق آخر .

أخذ الابن في كل يوم يحضر شخصاً إلى البيت ويقدم له الماء والطعام ، ولكنه لم يتمكن من الحصول على صديق مخلص ، فكلهم كانوا يأكلون ويشربون قبله ، حتى جاء الدور على صبي بدوي يقاربه سناً .

قال الابن للبدوي :

هل تقبل دعوتي لتناول الإفطار معي ؟ .

قبل البدوي وذهب معه إلى البيت فأعطاه الماء قائلاً :

اشرب يا أخي .

قال البدوي :

لا والله لن اشرب قبلك .

شرب ابن التاجر الماء.

ثم أشار على الطعام قائلاً :

تفضل يا أخي .

قال البدوي :

لا والله لن آكل قبلك .

ولم يأكل البدوي الا بعد أن أكل ابن التاجر .

وحين جاء الغداء دعاه إلى الطعام وطلب منه أن يأكل فقال البدوي :

لا والله لن آكل قبلك .

وأكل ابن التاجر، فأكل البدوي بعده، وذهب بعد ذلك إلى أبيه ليخبره بما حدث.

فقال له أبوه :

هذا سيكون صديقك المخلص .

وهكذا توطدت بين ابن التاجر وبين البدوي صداقة قوية امتدت لعدة سنوات.

وفي يوم من الأيام وعد التاجر ابنه بحصان يشبه الحصان الذي أرسله له من قبل، فكان الابن ينتظر قدوم الحصان، وطلب من صديقه البدوي أن يخرجا للتنزه، وفي أثناء ذلك توقفا للراحة، ونام الابن تحت ظل شجرة بينما بقى البدوي يقظاً، فسمع ثلاث حمامات فوق الشجرة يتحاورن .

قالت الحمامة الأولى:

سيرسل التاجر لابنه حصاناً.

وقالت الحمامة الثانية:

إذا امتطى ابن التاجر هذا الحصان فسوف يموت.

وقالت الحمامة الثالثة:

ومن يكشف له هذا السر سيتحول إلى حصان.

دهش البدوي مما سمع واحتار فيما يمكن أن يفعله فهو إن صمت سوف يموت صديقه وإن تكلم فسيتحول إلى حصان.

أحضروا الحصان إلى ابن التاجر، فحاول أن يمتطيه ، ولكن البدوي حمل سيفه وضرب الحصان ضربة قوية فقتله ، فاستغرب ابن التاجر وسأل البــــدوي:

لم فعلت ذلك؟.

فلم يجبه البدوي على سؤاله وتركه وجلس تحت الشجرة ، وهناك سمع الحمامات الثلاث يتحاورن.

قالت الحمامة الأولى:

سيرسل التاجر إلى ابنه ثياباً غالية الثمن.

وقالت الحمامة الثانية:

سيموت ابن التاجر إذا لبس هذه الثياب.

وقالت الحمامة الثالثة:

ومن يكشف له هذا السر سيتحول إلى حصان.

احتار البدوي فيما يمكن أن يفعله.

وعندما أحضروا الثياب إلى ابن التاجر فرح بها، وقال لصديقه البدوي:

انظر إلى هذه الثياب الفاخرة التي أرسلها لي أبي.

فأخذ البدوي الثياب من يد صديقه وأحرقها.

قال ابن التاجر متعجباً:

لم أحرقت الثياب؟

فلم يرد البدوي على سؤاله بشئ.

وذات يوم كان ابن التاجر يسير مع صديقه البدوي، واستراحا تحت ظل الشجرة، فنام ابن التاجر، وسمع البدوي الحمامات الثلاث وهن يتحاورن.

قالت الحمامة الأولى:

إن التاجر سيزوج ابنه.

وقالت الحمامة الثانية:

إذا تزوج ابن التاجر ودخل على زوجته فإن ثعباناً سيقع من السقف في حضن ابن التاجر ويلدغه ويموت.

وقالت الحمامة الثالثة:

ومن يكشف له هذا السر فسيتحول إلى حصان.

احتار البدوي فيما يمكن أن يفعله.

وعندما تزوج ابن التاجر، ذهب صديقه البدوي إلى حجرة العروس واختبأ تحت السرير ومعه سيفه المسموم.

وما أن دخل ابن التاجر وعروسه الحجرة حتى وقع الثعبان من السقف وحاول لدغ ابن التاجر ، فخرج البدوي وقتل الثعبان وقذفه خارجاً.

اغتاظ ابن التاجر من تصرفات صديقه البدوي وقال له:

لقد تغاضيت من قبل عن كل أفعالك الغريبة ، ولكن لن أسكت هذه المرة عن دخولك حجرة زوجتي على هذا النحو.. لابد أن تخبرني بحكايتك.

رفضالبدوي أن يخبره بشئ.

قال ابن التاجر:

سأقتلك إن لم تخبرني.

فكر البدوي وقال لنفسه إذا لم أتكلم قتلني وإذا تكلمت تحولت إلى حصان.. وليس أمامي الآن إلا الحديث.

قال البدوي:

سأحكي لك كل شئ. هل تذكر ذلك اليوم الذي علمت فيه أن أباك سيرسل لك حصاناً. في ذلك اليوم سمعت ثلاث حمامات يتحاورن، قالت الأولى إن التاجر سيرسل إلى ابنه حصاناً، وقالت الثانية سيموت ابن التاجر اذا امتطى الحصان، وقالت الثالثة ومن يكشف له هذا السر سيتحول إلى حصان، لذا قتلت حصانك.

وعند ذاك تحولت رجلا البدوي إلى رجلي حصان.

قال ابن التاجر:

وماذا حدث بعد ذلك؟

قال البدوي والدموع تطفر من عينيه:

وفي اليوم الذي كنت أنت نائماً فيه تحت الشجرة بينما كنت أنا جالساً إلى جوارك استمعت إلى الحمامات الثلاث وهن يتحاورن، قالت الأولى ان التاجر سيرسل ثياباً فاخرة إلى ابنه ، وقالت الثانية سيموت ابن التاجر إذا لبس هذه الثيــاب، وقالت الثالثة ومن يكشف له هذا السر فسيتحول إلى حصان، ولهذا أحرقت الثياب. وعند ذاك تحولت يدا البدوي إلى يدي حصان.

قال ابن التاجر:

وما سبب دخولك اليوم إلى غرفة زوجتي ؟

قال البدوي والدموع تغطي وجهه: وعندما تقرر زواجك سمعت الحمامات الثلاث يتحاورن ، قالت الأولى إن التاجر سيزوج ابنه، وقالت الثانية إذا دخل ابن التاجر على زوجته فإن ثعبانا سيقع من السقف في حضنه ويلدغه فيموت، وقالت الثالثة ومن يكشف له هذا السر فسيتحول إلى حصان ، ولهذا اختبأت تحت السرير كي أقتل الثعبان قبل أن يلدغك.

وما أن أنهى البدوي كلامه حتى تحول إلى حصان، وعندئذ حزن ابن التاجر حزناً شديداً علي مصير صديقه المخلص.

وفي يوم من الأيام جاء إلى بيت ابن التاجر عابر سبيل يجيد أعمال السحر، فأخبره ابن التاجر بحكاية صديقه، فقال له:

إذا أردت أن يعود صاحبك آدمياً كما كان فأقتل أول ولد تنجبه وامسح بدمه هذا الحصان.

فقال ابن التاجر مستنكراً: أليس عندك حل غير هذا؟

قال: هذا هو الحل الوحيد.

انتظر ابن التاجر حتى حملت زوجته ووضعت طفلاً، فأخذ ابن التاجر ابنه وقتله ومسح الحصان بدمه، فانتفض وتحول إلى صديقه البدوي. وقال له: كيف تقتل ابنك؟

قال ابن التاجر: إن الله سيعوضني عن هذا الولد ، لكن أين أجد صديقاً مخلصاً مثلك

الطيــــرة

2009-10-06T15:06:00.001+08:00

عاش رجل وزوجته في ضيق من العيش. وذات يوم دخل عليهما طائر فأدخلاه في قفص وأطعماه مــــا بقى لديهما من فتات، وأحاطاه بالرعاية والاهتمام.

وما أن مضت أيام قلائل حتى وجد الرجل عملاً يؤمّن له الرزق. وتجمع لديه بعض المال، فقرر أن يسافر ويتاجر ليحقق المزيد من الربح. ونادى زوجته قبل سفره وقال:

تعلمين أن هذا الطير فأل خير وبركة علينا. فاحرصي عليه واحرسيه من كل أذى، وحاذري أن يترك قفصه أو يغادر البيت.

فوعدته زوجته خيراً وودعته. غير أنها بعد بضعة أيام فتحت القفص لتطعم الطائر فغافلها وانطلق خارجاً وهرب من البيت.

تكدرت الزوجة من هروب الطائر، وظلت حائرة لا تعرف أين تبحث عنه. وعندما عاد زوجها من رحلته وعلم بالأمر اغتاظ غيظاً شديداً من غفلتها وإهمالهــا. ثم غادر البيت على الفور للبحث عن الطائر الضائع.

ظل الرجل يدور باحثاً عن الطائر في جميع أنحاء البلدة، ولكن دون جدوى حتى وصل إلى دكان يملكه أحد البانيان(1)، فوجد الطائر حبيساً في أحد الأقفاص هناك. فاندفع داخل الدكان وطالب البانيان برد الطائر إليه. إلا أن صاحب الدكان أنكر عليه ذلك زاعماً أن الطائر يخصه وأنه اشتراه منذ وقت بعيد . ورفض أن يعيد الطائر لصاحبه.

في صباح اليوم التالي توجه الرجل إلى بيت الشيخ وشكا إليه أمره وطلب إحقاق الحق وإعادة طائره إليه. إلا أن الشيخ طلب البيّنة والبرهان، فاستبقى الرجل عنده ونادى الشرطة وأرسلهم لإحضار البانيان والطائر الذي لديه في دكانه.

وعندما مثل ثلاثتهم بين يدي الشيخ قال للرجل والبانيان:

سنحكم بينكما الآن بالعدل، ولكن بعد أن نسمع رأي الطائر، فهو بلا ريب سيتحدث مع صاحبه، وسيصمت إذا ما خاطبه شخص آخر. والآن دورك يا صاحب الدكان، فتحدث معه.

نظر الرجل إلى الطائر، وحاول استدراجه للحديث بكلام مبهم. وظل يردد عبارات لا معنى لها عدة دقائق دون أن يعيره الطائر التفاتاً. فنظر إليه الشيخ متشككاَ، وقال:

كف عن الكلام يا هذا، وتقدم أنت أيها الرجل وتكلم مع الطائر إن استطعت.

اقترب الرجل من الطائر وقال له : نك كَنَا.

فبادره الطائر بقوله:

... عونَكْ أنا... وإذا بغضتك الناس حبيتك أنا...

دهش الشيخ من جواب الطائر. وعنف البانيان على استيلائه على طائر ليس له وعدم رده إلى صاحبه حينما طالبه بذلك وإنكاره للحق، وطلب منه أن يعيد الطائر إلى الرجل قبل أن يوقع به عقوبة أشد.

فحمل الرجل طائره سعيداً.. مسروراً وعاد به إلى البيت.

الطيرة : الطائر

1- البانيان: هم فئة من الهنود يعرفون بهذا الإسم ولايدينون بأي ديانة سماوية

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