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hobbling in his shackles. There none saw him but wept for him, and the women lifted up their voices in lamentation. The Cadi bade silence the women and said to the prisoner, ‘These folk avouch that thou didst enter their dwelling and steal their goods: belike thou stolest less than a quarter dinar?’[1] ‘Nay,’ replied he, ‘I stole more than that.’ ‘Peradventure,’ rejoined the Cadi, ‘thou art partner with them in some of the goods?’ ‘Not so,’ replied the young man; ‘it was all theirs. I had no right in it.’ At this Khalid was wroth and rose and smote him on the face with his whip, applying this verse to his own case:
Man wisheth and seeketh his wish to fulfil, But Allah denieth save that which He will.
Then he called for the executioner, who came and taking the prisoner’s hand, set the knife to it and was about to cut it off, when, behold, a damsel, clad in tattered clothes, pressed through the crowd of women and cried out and threw herself on the young man. Then she unveiled and showed a face like the moon; whereupon the people raised a mighty clamour and there was like to have been a riot amongst them. But she cried out her loudest, saying, ‘I conjure thee, by Allah, O Amir, hasten not to cut off this man’s hand, till thou have read what is in this scroll!’ So saying, she gave him a scroll, and he took it and read therein the following verses:
O Khalid, this man is love-maddened, a cave of desire, Transfixed by the glances that sped from the bows of my eye.
The shafts of my looks ’twas that pierced him and slew him; indeed, He a bondsman of love, sick for passion and like for to die.
Yea, rather a crime, that he wrought not, he choose to confess Than suffer on her whom he cherished dishonour to lie.
Have ruth on a sorrowful lover; indeed he’s no thief, But the noblest and truest of mortals for passion that sigh.
- ↑ “The hand of a thief shall not be cut off for stealing less than a quarter of a dinar.”—Mischat ul Masabih.
