Radwa Ashour - Granada

The women who stuck their heads out timidly from the doors were oblivious to their feet rustling them off, one step, two, three at a time, before holding ground. They stopped at the lattice-wood arcade that surrounded the courtyard. The trunks of the trees were strong and sturdy, and the branches swayed back and forth creating stretches of shade under which the men sat cross-legged.

“Among all his disciples the Prophet chose Khalid Ibn El-Waleed to carry his message to Muhalhal. ‘My brother, Khalid, if you climb a mountain, mention God’s name. If you forge a stream, say God is great! And if darkness casts its shadow over your heart, then recite from the Quran, since it is the cure for the grief-stricken heart. If you reach these people, do not be alarmed and fear them not!’

“When Khalid departed from the gates of the city, he sped away and never stopped for one moment, night or day, until he reached deserted, hostile terrain. The one who enters it is lost, and the one who leaves is reborn. It was a land devoid of water and cultivation. His horse fell from severe hunger and thirst. Khalid cried out to his stallion:

“‘O, my companion, are you going to abandon me and leave this world?) stallion looked at him with sad eyes and Khalid patted him on the head and belly. He took his clothes and put them in his pouch and lifted his saddle over his shoulders. He bid the stallion farewell and went off. He walked for two miles, but feeling sorry for his horse, he returned. He found his horse with eyes closed and in the throes of death. Once again, he cried out: ‘O, Angel of Death, don’t you know that I’m carrying a message from the prophet of God? Leave my horse be and depart! Stand up, my beloved horse!’ No sooner had these words reached his lips than the angel of death disappeared and the horse stood up on all fours, tapped the ground with its hooves, and started to move. Khalid walked behind as they continued their way until they came to a steep mountain. They ascended slowly and cautiously until they reached the top. They looked down and saw a big valley with many trees and rivers flowing through it. Then they made their way down, again, ever so slowly. When they reached the bottom, Khalid said, ‘O, my horse, eat,for this is sustenance from God.’ After the horse ate and drank, it regained its strength and neighed a powerful neigh.

“‘Watch over me, my companion, for I must rest awhile.’ He removed his coat of mail and placed his sword close to his chest. In a swoon of fatigue, he fell asleep. But when he felt the vibrations of the horse’s tapping on the ground, Khalid awoke. Alarmed, he put his feet into the stirrups, mounted his horse, and balanced himself securely onto the saddle… He saw a thousand horsemen advancing toward him… giving their horses free rein as they brandished their swords in the air.”

Abu Ibrahim sang on about the encounter between the knight and the horsemen, how the sharp swords glistened and the colors of their clothing turned a dark, crimson red as the horses neighed in the tumultuous confusion of battle.

“But they surrounded Khalid and captured him and tied him in ropes. The king said, ‘Take his horse, slaughter and skin it. Then put him into the skin and tie him to a tree. Prepare the firewood, and tomorrow we’ll roast him, thus burning the heart of Abu Qasim, [19] “Abu Qasim” is a nickname of the Prophet Muhammad. and one of the pillars of the Hejaz.’

“Such was the condition in which Khalid remained. When night fell, he raised his eyes to the heavens and looked at the stars. When the world closed its eyes and no one and nothing stirred except the Creator who never sleeps, a breeze from the west blew in his direction, and he began to chant…”

Abu Ibrahim raised his voice and sang his sad song while the crowd listened in rapture, never taking their eyes off of him. They wondered where such a voice had come from. Was he not mortal like themselves, one who walks through the marketplace and feeds his children like every man? So what was it about this voice that stirred their souls in such a way? Their roving eyes tried to conjure images for this voice. Their faces, like the waters of the river that flow in ripples, were shiny mirrors that reflected at once the sunlight and their own reflected images.

“It was Al i who heard the voice and who came to save Khalid. It was the young Ali who took up his sword, Dhul-Fiqar, and mounted his stallion, Sarhan, and raced on to Khalid’s rescue. He followed the sounds of his cries for help until he found him. He shook the tree from which he was hanging.

“‘Who is it that shakes my gallows?’

“‘O Khalid, God stands by the destitute.’

“Ali plucked out the tree from its roots and Khalid came tumbling down into his arms without hitting the ground. Ali pulled out a dagger he was carrying and cut the rope that bound him. He carried him over to the river and washed off the scraps of skin and blood of his slaughtered horse. Ali then took one of his robes and tore his head scarf in half and gave them to Khalid. When God blessed them with an awakening to a benevolent morning,Ali and Khalid reached the top of the mountain as the day had broken and the sun shone bright. All of creation was astir and the accursed enemy was on the march, as the horses, the military command, and the infantry and cavalry followed King Muhalhal in procession. Then Ali spurred his horse and sprinted toward them as though he were an eagle descending from heaven.When the insignia of his Hashemite lineage was revealed, Muhalhal addressed him:

“‘O Ali, not everything white is the purely driven snow, nor everything black is coal. Whatever appears green isn’t necessarily sweet basil, nor is every horse fit for battle.’

“‘O Ali, I am King Muhalhal Ibn EI-Fayyad. No woman has ever given birth to the likes of me. If you wish to save yourself from a fate worse than death, then I will give you what will save you.’

“‘What do you want, accursed enemy of God?’ asked Ali.

“‘Dismount from your horse, kiss my stirrups, and pay me great homage before my men.’

“Ali dashed toward his horse shouting, ‘O, my horse, May God give you the strength and power to move quickly.’ He balanced himself securely on its back and switched his sword from the right hand to the left. With both arms he swung his sword just beneath the armpit of the enemy of God and plucked him from the saddle like a tiny bird in the clutches of an eagle. He threw him to the ground and dealt him a fatal blow with his sword.

“At that moment Al i went back to Khalid crying out his thanks to God. Then, like a pair of ferocious lions, they went on the attack, each from one side, as the infidel enemy fell in droves. The sun was still shining that day when the last of the enemy ceased to stand.”

A long, resounding, robust ululation exploded from inside the house. The men looked in its direction and the women turned their heads. It was Umm Jaafar, standing in the interior courtyard, who was making that joyous trilling sound.

As sure as the days were passing Naeem grew certain that he was struck by an evil eye, one so potent that its effect would last a long time. How else, then, could he explain how his heart could be stolen by a young girl whose name he didn’t know, or from where she came and where she lived, that he might go and knock on her door and ask for her hand in marriage? A year or two, perhaps three years went by and he couldn’t look at any girl without seeing her face, whether in the light of day or the dark of night. He was tortured by this void in his life to the point of feeling anger toward his absent lover and rage at himself. He swore by everything sacred that he would marry, and so he chose the first radiant face that passed through the neighborhood.