10
TO ALLOW MYSELF TIME TO THINK, I decided to take a stroll. I walked along the banks of the River Segura, which was uncharacteristically full at the time, then made my way to the park, which was still in flower even though it had been sadly neglected for some time. On this particular morning I was especially eager to look at the palm, cypress, and pine trees that were still standing, even to hug them if I could. Other types of tree-walnuts, pomegranates, figs, and olives-had all shed their leaves and looked as though they were ready either to depart or to die.
All of a sudden I felt strangely petrified. Immediately cutting my walk short, I returned home. Nor was this merely a passing whim on my part, for no sooner did I approach my house than a group of my Muslim students surrounded me. They told me that my horse had been stolen; they had found Salman in the stable with his mouth gagged and his legs and arms trussed. They had untied him and put him to bed so he could recover his breath and get over the shock. I ask `Abd al-'Ali about `Amr, and he told me that he was still in custody at the police station. I gave him some money to buy me a mule, but he refused, pointing out that the very same thing might happen as had already occurred with my horse. There were now organized gangs specializing in the theft of riding animals; they would either sell them in other cities or else sell the meat to the indigent population. Even so I insisted that he buy me a mule. With that I sent him on his way along with his companions, enjoining them to delve into a set of books that I specified by both name and topic, to which I added some others as well. I then went in to see Salman and found him ashen-faced and downcast; he looked as though he had just lost a relative or been defeated in a fierce battle. Sitting down beside him, I told him not to bother recounting what had happened and to forget about the wonderful and reliable horse that had been as dear to him as it was to me.
Next evening 'Abd al brought me a white mule, although some of its limbs were tinged with black just like my horse that had been stolen. It looked fit and healthy. He handed it over to Salman and gave me back the rest of the money. I thanked him and sat him down next to me.
"Things are going from bad to worse, 'Ali," I said, noting how distressed and anxious he looked. "Tell me about Amr."
"Well, Sir," he replied, doing his best to keep his anxiety under control, "yesterday he was transferred to a prison in an unknown location. His mother has gone on the pilgrimage and hasn't returned. His eldest brother has quit Murcia without leaving so much as a trace. For our part, my companions and I have no idea what to do to get him released. They've accused him of assaulting a police officer and inciting people to resist the Castilians, thus breaking the truce between them and our own Muslim leaders."
I lowered my head, realizing full well that what they were doing to 'Amr was in fact their way of getting back at me and forcing me to act. Once I started asking for his release, they would start haggling and specify their conditions and demands for compensation.
"Don't worry about it," I told him. "I will do my utmost to get him freed. How are you?"
"My parents have moved south to Granada. Once they had both despaired of convincing me to go with them, they left me enough to live on. I am in exactly the same position as everyone else who is resisting the thought of handing over the rest of Muslim lands to the Christians. I praise God who guided me to you, my master. It is your gatherings and your words that have restored my sense of resolve and purpose."
"And what about your marriage to Rachel (or is it Fatima)?"
"I forgot to tell you that I let her go. She became very angry. She's remained a Muslim, in the hope that either I'll take her back or she can work out some ruse. Just a few days ago the people around her were claiming that you were the one who turned me away from her. Don't pay any attention to this talk, Sir!"
I did not dwell on the topic so as not to force my interlocutor to reveal any secrets, by which I mean Rachel's pretexts by claiming that I had seduced her and wanted her for myself. It occurred to me to inquire after her elder sister too, but instead I decided to change the subject and discuss matters that seemed more broad-scaled and significant.
"Bring me details about your companions," I said. "I need their names, details of their professions, their talents, and their personal circumstances. Written documents are easier to memorize and refer to later on."
"I'll do the best I can," he replied, "even though the number of your devotees keeps on growing apace. By now they're calling themselves the `Sab`inites.' They're longing to have another session with you."
"And I fully reciprocate the love they feel, my dear brother," I replied. "That goes without saying. But when it comes to providing them with some satisfaction and ideas about positive outcomes, I have no tricks up my sleeve. This is a much troubled, fractious era we're living in. Quite apart from schools, even God's own mosques have been shut in my face by the sultan. Those utterly corrupt pseudolegists keep on launching scurrilous attacks against me. From now on, I'll have to meet my devotees in secret, either behind firmly locked doors or else outside the city."
"My master, those very circumstances only amplify their affection toward you. Your sayings reach them by way of auditors who are part of your coterie. Their hearts and minds are deeply affected by the transcendent light emanating from the very structure of those sayings and the eloquence of their sentiments. As they are compelled to confront the catastrophes and malfeasances of this dreadful era, they find themselves fortified."
Just then Salman appeared to announce in a coarse, broken voice that my eldest brother was at the door, requesting to speak to me on an urgent matter. No sooner had my visitor heard my permission to enter than he rushed in and greeted me with a hug. I returned his greeting, taking a sideways glance all the while at his expensive clothes. I asked him what brought him to my house on such a dark night. He paused for a while, looking warily at the third member of our company, `Abd al The student immediately understood the situation, so he stood up, said farewell, and left.
I invited my brother to sit down so he could catch his breath. I asked how he and the family were. He thanked me and assured me that everyone was well.
"My dear brother, Abu Talib," I said, "don't beat about the bush. Tell me now what it is that has brought you here under cover of darkness. These walls do not have ears; God alone can see us at this point."
He adjusted his position and roused a smile in order to keep his embarrassment under control. "The first reason why I've come," he said, "is to renew our filial acquaintance and bring you our greetings."
"After a gap of two years or more?" I asked. "What's the second reason?"
"By now the authorities have despaired of your ever joining their service," he said. "These days it's a far better and safer idea to come to terms with them."
"I refuse to acknowledge the authority of such people," I replied. "Between them and me lies a steep slope, just like the one that the ascetic saint Uways al-Qarni* saw when he said, `Only a skinny man will ever climb up there.' Your would-be authority figures have decided to stay on one side of this gap, indulging in all kinds of luxury and comfort, till they have lost all sight and insight. They simply spend their time wallowing in frivolity and debauchery. Heaven preserve us!"
My brother simply stared at me, his mouth agape, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing.