Bensalem Himmich - The Theocrat

Next morning people woke up to a sense of lack. Several days passed. The feeling of anxious anticipation they all had was exploited by a clique headed by a certain Hamad al-Madi. They started insulting Abu Rakwa, casting aspersions on both his origins and sayings and turning people against him. Hamad al-Madi himself seized every possible occasion to address the assembly in a way guaranteed to provoke their anger. Saying for example, “My fellow tribal kinsmen, by God I no longer recognize your faces, nor do I detect any prudence in your sages. You seem to have lost all common sense and shrewdness, so much so that you’re fumbling around like someone trying to collect firewood in the dark; you’re all as stupid as someone trying to chew water! You watch a mirage and assume it’s real; you adopt a vagrant and treat him as salvation and everlasting good. What is the matter with you, that you should react in this fashion to this stranger with his phony asceticism, eloquence, and piety? You’ve acknowledged him as your imam when, by all the right of our blood ties, he’s no more useful than a merchant of illusions. The fight he emits is highly dubious; it will be the cause of your downfall. The soft breezes of his aspirations and mission will prove to be gales with the direst of consequences. What power do you possess to be drawn into a light with the enormous Fatimid army? If you undertake such a task, you’ll look even more stupid than butterflies immolating themselves in fire, yet more blind than bats at noon-time. Beware, beware! By the blood that we share, your only escape from these pretensions is by ejecting this snake charmer and reverting to your blessed actions and petty wars.”

Hamad al-Madi’s words were having a more powerful impact on the tribesmen with every day that extended the wait for Abu Rakwa’s return. Were it not for assurances given by Shaykh Abu al-Mahasin and Shihab al-Din, they would have all revoked their allegiance and broken the ties of obedience. But then one Thursday, just as Hamad al-Madi was haranguing people in the market, a thick cloud loomed on the horizon; before long it turned out to be a group of horsemen led by Abu Rakwa. They had hardly reached the camp and dismounted before it became weal to everyone that the group included the notables of the Zanata, Luwata, and Mizata tribes. The Banu Qurra regarded their arrival as a good sign and greeted their guests fulsomely. Meanwhile Hamad al-Madi and his clique hurried away ignominiously to their tents. The time for noon prayer arrived, and everyone performed it with Abu Rakwa as leader. They then sat down to share the prepared meal before the guests went away to have a rest in anticipation of the peace negotiations the next day, it being the first Friday of Rabi’ al-Awwal A.H. 395.

Next morning the visitors and the shaykhs of the Banu Qurra gathered in the imam’s tent. They performed the morning prayer behind him, then had breakfast and listened to some verses from the Qur’an, Once a spirit of harmony, humility, and exaltation had pervaded the group, Abu Rakwa appeared, sat on two cushions, and started talking in a mellow, affecting tone:

“I praise God who provides my blessings and fills my pot with water.

I have now washed and purified myself,

High, high above my solitude I have burst into flame

Hoping to bring hearts to unity and spread happiness,

To work as a member, with a dream of progress and community …

Like you I have termed this flame that bums us well-being.

All of us have soaked our fever in the river-valleys.

We have all wished — Oh how much we have wished! — to celebrate our loved ones who remain;

We have made musk of our words and illumined dark corners!

We have all wished for tears of joy and homes rejoicing.

But how can this be when the thorn sticks to our flesh,

When wounds are the norm and a life of poverty?

How to proceed when true life has become an impossibility? …

What you and I witness is true:

The very veins in your bodies and those of your children are slowly drying up,

And eyes still bulge when al-Hakim’s executioner flays them.

And what of their life? Did the people of Islam but realize how their lives were spent,

The oil in their jars would turn into blood and tears would flow on their lips.

Ah! In your lands the sigh is truly the essence of life.

Here a river-valley traverses your domain with paltry waters.

While the seasons bring their harbingers of danger

And the spindly ditches produce nothing from their soil.

Everything you say is correct:

The time is corrupt, and food is beyond the reach of the oppressed.

True enough, and the love between you has nothing to support it.

Mankind is in dire straits, and further migration is futile …

So here you are, trapped between barren earth and armed men,

Moving from one strait to another,

From the clutches of destitution to the grave …

True enough, but true also are the tales you tell of defiant bodies:

those who, amidst the refuse, the fig-branches, and vagrant trees,

manage to conquer death and go in quest of new moms.

With that Abu Rakwa fell silent for a while. It was obvious that every-one had been much affected by his words. The tent in which the assembly was being held had been encircled by the young men of the tribes, all of them with high hopes. Abu Rakwa now started talking again, although this time it was in a determined tone aimed at bringing matters to a firm and swift resolution, “My brothers in piety and tolerant faith you are all well aware of the efforts I have made among you. Your only course now is to douse the embers of your enmities and unite in a campaign against the forces of tyranny and injustice. So what are your views, and what do you suggest be done?”

The shaykh of the visiting tribes — an august warrior — stood up, gave the entire assembly a look full of affection and amity, and then addressed Abu Rakwa, “Man of courage and virtue, you have spoken the truth. As far as we are concerned, your blessed efforts are enveloped in glory and success. We people of the tribes in whose name I now speak at this illustrious gathering will make mention of your name generation after generation for your discriminating ideas and laudable conduct. How could it be otherwise when you have managed to bring about between us and our neighbors, the Banu Qurra, that one thing that we ourselves have failed to achieve and have despaired of ever attaining: unity instead of discord, a spirit of brotherhood in piety and faith in place of a tribal fanaticism based on ties of blood. Once we have abandoned our stupid wars against each other, we can make preparations to launch a sacred campaign against cruel tyrants. May God grant you a just reward!”

This shaykh returned to his place accompanied by a chorus of voices of approval and blessing. He was followed by the shaykh of the Banu Qurra, “The illustrious shaykh of the Zanata has spoken well. You people, all praise be to God who has guided Abu Rakwa to us and used his sound ideas to direct our course of action! Praise Him too for bringing an end to our enduring feud, by depriving us of what has led to conflict and showing us the way to unity and agreement. We praise Him also for enabling us, through our new spirit of unity and aggregation, to fight in the cause of right, undaunted by tyrants and oppressors. The best opinions are those that emerge from consultation. What Abu Rakwa has asked us to do is to review our methods and resources now that the outline of our objectives have been defined.”

For some time Shihab al-Din had been fidgeting restlessly, eager to display his views and talents. As soon as Abu al-Mahasin had taken his seat, he stood up. “Brothers in our tolerant faith,” he said, “dwellers in peace and concord, we render boundless praise to God. Our joy at this spirit of unity knows no bounds. What greater goal can there be than to combine in focusing all our wrath on the root cause of our suffering and ignominy rather than on each other! But we will never get to appreciate the benefits and merits of this goal of ours if we do not commit ourselves to implement it. What we must do is to put the idea into concrete form by giving due thought to modes and conditions of implementation. We must put our trust in God and rely on the enlightened guidance of our courageous leader.”