Bensalem Himmich - The Polymath

“Just a minute more before we finish. It’s not correct to attribute all the earthly causes of the plague to foul, humid air alone. Another factor involves symptoms of senility in a political regime, circumstances that are often characterized by unjust taxation and levies that oppress farmers and result in reduced activity and then total collapse. That in turn leads to food shortages, inflation, and rebellion, followed by famines and plagues. Politicians bear a large responsibility for this chain of events. That’s why human beings should, to the extent that they can, take all possible precautions.”

With that, ‘Abd al-Rahman stretched out on a cushion, repeating his last phrase “take all possible precautions” over and over again. To that he added:

The world is a garden, with the regime as its fence. The regime consists of a ruler appointed according to custom. Custom is a policy controlled by the king, who is a kind of shepherd supported by the army. The army in turn consists of helpers who are compensated with money. Money takes the form of income collected by the people. The people are people of God served by justice. Justice is a known quantity, it being the mainstay of the world. The world is a garden, with the regime as its fence.

There was now an abrupt silence, and it lasted for a while. Sitting there on the roof, the two men were being wafted by the warm night air; their canopy was the entire firmament with its gleaming stars. Al-Hihi made sure that his master had fallen asleep, then called for Sha‘ban and asked him to help carry their master down into the house. Sha‘ban informed him that his master had given him instructions to leave him on the roof whenever he fell asleep there. The two men wrapped up ‘Abd al-Rahman in a blanket, then went downstairs where for the first time ever they had a quiet conversation.

“Are you happy, Sha‘ban, working for the Master?’

“Happy and satisfied. Thank God, he is the best of men!”

“Take this as an expression of gratitude for looking after my wife.”

“My master pays me for that. I won’t accept any more.”

“But it’s just between the two of us.”

“And that’s another reason for my not accepting it.”

“As you wish, Sha‘ban. But please tell the Master that I’ll come to see him again before he leaves on the pilgrimage.”

The two men bade each other a warm farewell, then parted company.

Two Notes

Note One: By dawn on the fourteenth day of Ramadan, preparations for the master’s pilgrimage were all in place. His servant Sha‘ban was sparing no effort rushing around and offering assistance. It was almost as though he were giving advanced expression to his delight because his master had promised to send him on the pilgrimage the following year.

Two hours after breakfast ‘Abd al-Rahman had the idea of packing some books in his baggage, but he abandoned the idea, contenting himself with a copy of the Qur’an and of Stations of Pilgrims on the Path to the Clear Truth by al-Harawi al-Ansari. Just as he was thinking of choosing a third book, he heard a light tapping on the door and hurried over. As he opened it, ‘Abd al-Rahman found himself face to face with Umm al-Banin, with Sha‘ban standing just behind her looking aggravated and worried. Before even exchanging greetings with her, he asked how her husband was. Handing him two full baskets, she answered by saying that all she wanted was to give him some food for the journey and to ask him to pray during the course of his blessed pilgrimage that she might have a child. She also managed to stammer out that Hammu would not object if he knew that she had come to see him.

‘Abd al-Rahman stood there, not knowing what to do. One moment he was looking at this veiled woman who clearly wanted to come inside, then he was glancing at his servant as though asking him for advice. When she grabbed his hand and kissed it fervently, he allowed her to come inside for fear that his neighbors might notice. He told his servant to take the gift and to stay close by.

‘Abd al-Rahman now sat down on his bench, reciting verses as he did so, while his visitor sat on the carpet close to his knees. In a single rapid gesture she removed her veil.

“I have learned,” she said, “that our Master is going on the pilgrimage. For that reason I have taken over the role of your late wife by providing you with some food for the journey: some local butter, honey, salted meat, and some sweets. Were I able to do so, I would have brought my Master all the gifts in the world.”

“Umm al-Banin, may you be well rewarded for your thoughtfulness and may God guide you to what pleases Him.”

As ‘Abd al-Rahman mouthed these words, he had to make an enormous effort to keep his emotions under control. He kept snatching glances at the uncovered face of this beautiful and delicate woman. All of a sudden she grabbed hold of his hand and started kissing it on both sides with tremendous fervor. He told her to stop and begged her to do so, but nothing had any effect. When he gave up and surrendered to the reality of the situation, he had the strong impression that his hand was actually complying with the woman’s wishes and enjoying the long, continuous kisses and the strokes of lips and cheeks it was receiving, mingled as they were with copious warm tears.

“Why are you weeping, Umm al-Banin?” he asked.

“Because, sir, my name is really not appropriate; I am called Umm al-Banin, mother of sons, and yet I have children only in my dreams. My desire for children has grown stronger than ever and occupies my every living moment. Neither distractions nor hugging other people’s children are of any use when it comes to lessening the yearning I feel. Sometimes, sir, when I’m on my own, you’ll see me grab a pillow to my lap and sing this nursery rhyme, crying like an idiot:

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baby ,

Bringing baby nice din-dins ,

Dada comes from the garden ,

With peaches and pomegranates .

“I’ve been childless for so many years, it makes me worried. I’m scared I’ll still be without children when menopause strikes — heaven forbid.”

The woman was speaking in genuine pain. Once in a while she would raise her teary eyes to look at ‘Abd al-Rahman who was lending a sympathetic ear to her tale.

“I beseech you, sir,” she went on pleadingly, “in the name of the blessed aura of your scholarship and your love for God and His Prophet, please pray during the course of your pilgrimage that I may give birth. Do not forget me while you are clasping the grillework of the shrine, performing the circumambulation of the Ka‘ba, running between Safa and Marwa, and standing on Mount ‘Arafat. Ask the Generous Provider to give me a child, just one baby who will enter the world from my womb and suckle my own milk. If I have no chance to produce a child and bring it up, my nipples and womb will wither to nothing. Tell me, sir, am I begging God to do something of which He is incapable?”

‘Abd al-Rahman grabbed the opportunity afforded by his annoyance at this inappropriate question and swiftly withdrew his hand so that nothing untoward should happen to him during this fasting month.

“Be reconciled to God, woman,” he said, “and never despair of His mercy. I hereby promise to devote much prayer to achieving your wishes. Now go home to your husband and prepare his morning meal. Tell him that you have been to see me.”

Umm al-Banin stood up, wiped away her tears, and put her veil on again. Eyes lowered, she left the room, compliant, yet happy. At first, Sha‘ban hesitated to say anything, but when his master encouraged him, he spoke.

“Having accompanied this woman on her walks, I am convinced — and God knows best — that she is undoubtedly both devout and loyal. But she likes to show herself in public and enjoys listening to the admiring comments and flirtatious gestures aimed at her. On our walks she has often told me not to stop the young men by the Nile or in the streets when they say such things to her. Her excuse has always been that in such places the breezes soon waft away such amorous expressions. There’s something else as well. All the time she keeps asking me for news about you and your activities. As God can attest, I only respond in the most general of terms, nothing specific. I tell her that you steer well clear of any involvement with women. But when she insisted that I escort her to your house tonight, there was absolutely no way of stopping her.”