ISKANDAR ZU AL-KARNAYN[FN#460] AND A
CERTAIN TRIBE OF POOR FOLK.
It is related that Iskandar Zu al-Karnayn[FN#461] once came, in
his journeyings, upon a tribe of small folk, who owned naught of
the weals of the world and who dug their graves over against the
doors of their houses and were wont at all times to visit them
and sweep the earth from them and keep them clean and pray at
them and worship Almighty Allah at them; and they had no meat
save grasses and the growth of the ground. So Iskandar sent a man
to summon their King, but he refused to come, saying, "I have no
need of him." Thereupon Iskandar went to him and said, "How is it
with you and what manner of men are ye?; for I see with you
forsooth naught of gold or silver, nor find I with you aught of
the weals of the world." Answered the King, "None hath his fill
of the weals of the world." Iskandar then asked "Why do you dig
your graves before your house-doors?"; and the King answered,
"That they may be the prospective of our eye-glances; so we may
look on them and ever renew talk and thought of death, neither
forget the world to come; and on this wise the love of the world
be banished from our hearts and we be not thereby distracted from
the service of our Lord, the Almighty." Quoth Iskandar, "Why do
ye eat grasses?"; and the other replied, "Because we abhor to
make our bellies the tombs of animals and because the pleasure of
eating outstrippeth not the gullet." Then putting forth his hand
he brought out a skull of a son of Adam and, laying it before
Iskandar, said, "O Zu al-Karnayn, Lord of the Two Horns, knowest
thou who owned this skull?" Quoth he, "Nay;" and quoth the other,
"He who owned this skull was a King of the Kings of the world,
who dealt tyrannously with his subjects, specially wronging the
weak and wasting his time in heaping up the rubbish of this
world, till Allah took his sprite and made the fire his
abiding-site; and this is his head." He then put forth his hand
and produced another skull and, laying it before Iskandar, said
to him, "Knowest thou this?" "No," answered the conqueror; and
the other rejoined, "This is the skull of another King, who dealt
justly by his lieges and was kindly solicitous for the folk of
his realm and his dominions, till Allah took his soul and lodged
him in His Garden and made high his degree in Heaven." Then
laying his hands on Iskandar's head he said, "Would I knew which
of these two art thou." Whereupon Iskandar wept with sore weeping
and straining the King to his bosom cried, "If thou be minded to
company with me, I will commit to thee as Wazir the government of
my affairs and share with thee my kingdom." Cried the other,
"Well-away, well-away! I have no mind to this." "And why so?"
asked Iskandar, and the King answered, "Because all men are thy
foes by reason of the wealth and the worlds thou hast won: while
all men are my true friends, because of my contentment and
pauperdom, for that I possess nothing, neither covet aught of the
goods of life; I have no desire to them nor wish for them,
neither reck I aught save contentment." So Iskandar pressed him
to his breast and kissed him between the eyes and went his
way.[FN#462] And among the tales they tell is one concerning
