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ʾILÂM-EN-NÂS.
of a traveller's provision-bag that he had with him, and said, "Take this. Verily it contains a prayer of deliverance. Whoso prays it in the morning and dies that day, dies a martyr; and whoso prays it in the evening, and dies that night, dies a martyr."[1] And he added further of its great excellence and rich reward.
So the chief of the guard took it and came with it to el-Mansûr. And when the latter saw him, he cried, "Woe upon thee! Dost thou understand magic?"[2]
He replied, "No, by Allâh! O Commander of the
- ↑ According to Muhammadan belief, there are two kinds of martyrs, viz., martyrs of this world, and martyrs of the world to come. The former are those who die in battle, or are slain for the truth's sake. Their souls depart at once to Paradise, where they inhabit the crops of green birds. The soul itself enjoys not, but as the bird eats, and drinks, and enjoys, the soul partakes of and feels enjoyment. The latter are saints and holy men who through purity of life are exempted from the terrors and torments of the tomb. Their souls also go direct to Paradise, where they exist in a state of calm though negative enjoyment; that is to say, they wander amongst the trees and shrubs of the beautiful gardens, but taste not of their fruits, and drink not of the limpid streams.
- ↑ It is to be understood (so my Sheikh informed me) that el-Mansûr had wished to kill him, but found himself unable to do so.
