Page:The New Monthly Magazine - Volume 099.djvu/101

Rh And the robber made answer, "I have never met with a more foolish person than you; nor since I have been a thief have I seen any one travelling with such (fine) clothes, at such an hour of the night; but this arises from your small sense and great ignorance, so dismount and strip, and escape with your life in safety. Have you not heard the saying of the Prophet, 'Whoso explains the Koran without understanding it, truly his abode shall be in the fire of hell?' and know that theft is a means of subsistence, and if I abandon it, know that I shall be more foolish than you, for truly the blessed Prophet has said, 'He who does not turn his knowledge to account reaps loss from his ignorance.' And He saith, 'The sleep of the wise is a pious action;' and again, 'The sleep of the learned is better than the good works of the ignorant,' and if you, oh worshipful cadi, had slept in your bed and prayed on your musjid, or in your closet, it would have been better for you; but come, dismount and strip, and cease talking, for time presses."

And the cadt was unable to reply, so he said, "There is nothing good, in theft."

And the robber laughed, and said, "Oh venerable magistrate, how can yon pretend to be a cadi, who are so defective in wisdom as to know nothing? If you had said, 'The blessing of Allah is not with theft, you would have spoken truly;' but how, oh cadi, am I not to steal, when every year I need thirty-six yards of cloth? If I had any money to purchase it, I would never steal."

The cadi replied, "Allah does not bless the deeds of the wicked."

And the robber said, "It is you who are a sinner, and a great one, for coming out alone in the night and injuring your own self, and Allah has thrown yon into my net, and were you to repeat to me a thousand sayings and a thousand verses, from the Koran, the Pentateuch, the Gospel, and the Psalms, I would not leave you your clothes or your mule."

And when the cadi saw his vehemence, he knew that he would infallibly take his clothes and his mule, so he said to him, "Well then, by the blessing of Allah, come with me."

And the robber said, "Where do yon wish me to go?"

The cadi replied, "I wish you to come with me to the garden-gate, that I may give you my clothes and my mule."

And the robber said, "Cut short such language to me, oh reverend cadi, for you desire to make game of me by leading me to the garden-gate, since you would call out to your slaves and domestics to seize me and guard me till the morning, and then you would sit down on your seat of judgment, and would pronounce sentence against me, according to the words of Allah, 'And as for thieves, both male and female, thou shalt cut off their hands;' for I, oh cadi, have read the Koran, and have sat in the assemblies of the learned. Have you not heard the saying of the Most High, 'Do not go to meet your own destruction?'"

"I swear to you," said the cadi, "that I will give you a solemn pledge and make a faithful compact, and never break it."

The robber answered, "My father told me that my grandfather told him, on the authority of Abu Horairah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet said, 'Whoso changeth my commandments, my curse and the curse of Allah shall be upon him, and I will not answer for him.