CALIPH AL-MAAMUN AND THE STRANGE
SCHOLAR.
It is said of Al-Maamun that, among the Caliphs of the house of
Abbas, there was none more accomplished in all branches of
knowledge than he. Now on two days in each week, he was wont to
preside at conferences of the learned, when the lawyers and
theologians disputed in his presence, each sitting in his
several-rank and room. One day as he sat thus, there came into
the assembly a stranger, clad in ragged white clothes, who took
seat in an obscure place behind the doctors of the law. Then the
assembly began to speak and debate difficult questions, it being
the custom that the various propositions should be submitted to
each in turn, and that whoso bethought him of some subtle
addition or rare conceit, should make mention of it. So the
question went round till it came to the strange man, who spake in
his turn and made a goodlier answer than any of the doctors'
replies; and the Caliph approved his speech.----And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
Al-Maamun approved his speech and ordered him to come up from
his low place to a high stead. Now when the second question came
to him, he made a still more notable answer, and Al-Maamun
ordered him to be preferred to a yet higher seat; and when the
third question reached him, he made answer more justly and
appropriately than on the two previous occasions, and Al-Maamun
bade him come up and sit near himself. Presently the discussion
ended when water was brought and they washed their hands after
which food was set on and they ate; and the doctors arose and
withdrew; but Al-Maamun forbade the stranger to depart with them
and, calling him to himself, treated him with especial-favour and
promised him honour and profit. Thereupon they made ready the
séance of wassail; the fair-faced cup-companions came and the
pure wine[FN#252] went round amongst them, till the cup came to
the stranger, who rose to his feet and spake thus, "If the
Commander of the Faithful permit me, I will say one word."
Answered the Caliph, "Say what thou wilt." Quoth the man "Verily
the Exalted Intelligence (whose eminence Allah increase!) knoweth
that his slave was this day, in the august assembly, one of the
unknown folk and of the meanest of the company; and the Commander
of the Faithful raised his rank and brought him near to himself,
little as were the wit and wisdom he displayed, preferring him
above the rest and advancing him to a station and a degree where
to his thought aspired not. But now he is minded to part him from
that small portion of intellect which raised him high from his
lowness and made him great after his littleness. Heaven forfend
and forbid that the Commander of the Faithful should envy his
slave what little he hath of understanding and worth and renown!
Now, if his slave should drink wine, his reason would depart far
from him and ignorance draw near to him and steal-away his good
breeding, so would he revert to that low and contemptible degree,
whence he sprang, and become ridiculous and despicable in the
eyes of the folk. I hope, therefore, that the August
Intelligence, of his power and bounty and royal-generosity and
magnanimity, will not despoil his slave of this jewel." When the
Caliph Al-Maamun heard his speech, he praised him and thanked him
and making him sit down again in his place, showed him high
honour and ordered him a present of an hundred thousand silver
pieces. Moreover he mounted him upon a horse and gave him rich
apparel; and in every assembly he was wont to exalt him and show
him favour over all the other doctors of law and religion till he
became the highest of them all in rank. And Allah is All
knowing.[FN#253] Men also tell a tale of
