Then Asmae’e began reciting the poetry...

Then Asmae’e began reciting the poetry, which comprised of difficult and uncommon words and intricate and complex sentences.[^6] Mansur with all his acumen, and the slave and the slave-girl with all their sharpness of mind, were unable to memorize it and for the first time appeared bewildered and taken aback. With no alternative left, Mansur said to him, “O’ Brother! It appears that the poetry is your own work.

Bring me your scroll so that I can reward you according to its weight.” Asmae’e said, “I could not find any paper and so I have written my poem on a stone pillar, which presently lies on my camel.” He brought the stone pillar and placed it before Mansur, who was totally baffled. He realized that even if he were to place his entire treasury on one side of the scale, it would not match up to the weight of the stone pillar. Turning to the poet and he inquired, “O’ Arab!

Are you not Asmae’e?” Asmae’e took off the covering from his face and everyone observed that the poet was indeed Asmae’e.[^7] The Four Arab Misers It has been said that there were four Arab misers. The first of them was Hatiah. It has been narrated that one day, Hatian was standing at his doorstep with his staff in his hand when a person, passing by, said to him: “O’ Hatiah!

I am your guest today.” Pointing to his staff, Hatiah tersely answered, “I use this staff to welcome and entertain my guests!” The second of the misers was Hameed Arqat . In connection with him, it has been reported that once, he invited a few people to be his guests and offered them dates to eat. The guests, while eating the dates, also consumed the seeds whereupon Hameed created uproar by rebuking them for eating his seeds as well.

The third of the misers was a person by the name of Abul Aswad Duali . It has been related that one day, he gave one date to a pauper, who said: “ May God give you one date in Paradise.” Hearing this, Abul Aswad Duali commented, “If we give our things to the miserable ones, we shall become more miserable than them!” The fourth of the misers was Khaalid Ibn Safwaan, about whom it has been reported that whenever a dirham would come into his hands, he would say to it: “O’ Money!

How much you have wandered and travelled before coming into my hands. But (now that you have reached me,) I shall drop you into my safe and your captivity shall be a long and protracted one”. Saying this, he would drop the money into his chest and lock it.