nawayah. He used to pour wine into it and drink as much of it as he
liked, and the spate of drinking showed no sign of abatement. A Kurd
asked him for this stone. He could not refuse, as this Kurd had cut off
the head of his enemy. When people began to murmur among themselves and speculate, he clove the stone into two to prise open its secret.
He saw two persons squeezing grapes made of gold, and both figurines
had their foreheads tied. The Kurd tried to join the two parts, but
failed, and the stone lost its peculiar attraction.
Ibn Zakariyyah writes in the Kitab al-Khawas (The Book of Characteristics or Attributes) that there is a temple in Egypt. Two corpses recline on the throne, and an endless supply of olive oil trickles down from
underneath the throne. Having indited this, ibn Zakariyyah prays for
mercy.
Among these legends is the story of the burnt treasure. It is said that
the treasury of an emperor of Iran was stuffed with jewellery, perfumes,
and oils on the soil of Persia itself. Lightning struck the treasure and because of its odour, animals within a vicinity of 40 farsangs 58 succumbed
to its effects. No one dared to inform the emperor, as they knew that
when such accidents occurred, he did not spare those connected with the
treasury easily. When the fire burnt out on its own to ashes, the ash of
the burnt-out treasure was sifted to reveal a flooring of the red ruby
variety. The king was pleased beyond all measure, as the price of such a
floor exceeded the total price of all his worldly goods. He surpassed all
the kings of the world because of this ruby flooring. The king ordered
sixteen tablets to be made out of the stones of the floor. Each tablet
was to weigh a thousand mithqals. He drank wine in the cups from the
wreck.
Such is the state of man. If he displays patience and bears the misfortunes of the world, then all that is high above in the vault of Heaven is
less than man. But those who cannot distinguish between right and
wrong, generosity and extravagance, what would they know about munificence.
They do not ponder over the Precept of God:
And those who will not witness vanity, but when they pass
near senseless play, pass by with dignity. 59
This is in order that they may get real pleasure and be able to distinguish
between the good and the evil. They would then turn away from evil,
and go after the things which God has earmarked for them. And God
has said:
The (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk
upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address
them answer: Peace. 60
Another tale worth laughing described in the books concerning Con-
