Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/178

154 I beseech Thee to turn these people into stones, for Thou art omnipotent, nor is aught impossible to Thee, and Thou art able unto all things!’ And God transformed the people of this city into stones; but, as for me, when I saw the manifest proof of His deity, I submitted myself to Him and was saved from that which befell the rest.

Then the stranger drew near unto me and said to me, ‘Felicity was fore-ordained to thee of God and He had a purpose in this.’ And he went on to instruct me and I took unto him the oath and covenant. I was then seven years of age and am now thirty years old. Then said I to him, ‘O my lord, all that is in the city and all its folk are become stones, by thine effectual prayer, and I am saved, for that I embraced Islam at thy hands. Wherefore thou art become my sheikh; so do thou tell me thy name and extend to me thy succour and provide me with that whereon I may subsist.’ Quoth he, ‘My name is Aboulabbas el Khizr;’ and he planted me a pomegranate-tree, which grew up forthright and putting out leaf, flowered and fruited and bore one pomegranate; whereupon quoth he, ‘Eat of that wherewith God the Most High provideth thee and worship Him with the worship that is His due.’

Then he taught me the tenets of Islam and the canons of prayer and the way of worship, together with the recital of the Koran, and I have now worshipped God in this place three-and-twenty years. Each day the tree yields me a pomegranate and I eat it and am sustained thereby from day to day. Moreover, every Friday, El Khizr (on whom be peace!) comes to me and it is he who acquainted me with thy name and gave me the glad