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Go down to the prison and fetch him, and I will strike off his head." "To hear is to obey," replied Al-Mu'in: then he stood up and said, "I will make proclamation in the city: Whoso would solace himself with seeing the beheading of Nur al-Din bin al-Fazl bin Khakan, let him repair to the palace!
'tis ever Nature's test * That nobles born of nobles shall excel in noble deed: And shun the mean of soul, meanly bred, for 'tis the law, * Mean deeds come of men who are mean of blood and breed." And as much as the people loved and fondly loved Al-Fazl bin Khakan, so they hated and thoroughly hated the mean and miserly Mu'in bin Sawi.
It befel one day by the decree of the Decreer, that King Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Zayni, being seated on his throne with his officers of state about him, summoned his Wazir Al-Fazl and said to him, "I wish to have a slave-girl of passing beauty, perfect in loveliness, exquisite in symmetry and endowed with all praiseworthy gifts."
Quoth Al-Fazl, "O my son, I hope that Allah Almighty may grant me acceptance!" The palace was filled with crying and lamentation and the news of his death reached the King, and the city-people wept, even those at their prayers and women at household cares and the school-children shed tears for Bin- Khakan.
Said the courtiers, "Such a girl is not to be bought for less than ten thousand gold pieces:" whereupon the Sultan called out to his treasurer and said, "Carry ten thousand dinars to the house of Al-Fazl bin Khakan."
Quoth the Wazir, "Know, O my lord, that I went out this day to the slave-market to buy me a cookmaid, when I saw there a damsel, never in my life long saw I a fairer; and I designed to buy her for our lord the Sultan; so I asked the broker of her and of her owner, and he answered, "She belongeth to Ali son of Al-Fazl bin Khakan.
His name was King Mohammed bin Sulayman al-Zayni, and he had two Wazirs, one called Al-Mu'in, son of Sawi and the other Al-Fazl son of Khakan.
Now Al-Fazl was the most generous of the people of his age, upright of life, so that all hearts united in loving him and the wise flocked to him for counsel; whilst the subjects used to pray for his long life, because he was a compendium of the best qualities, encouraging the good and lief, and preventing evil and mischief. "Hold to nobles, sons of nobles!
Now the Wazir Al-Fazl had a son like the full moon when sheeniest dight, with face radiant in light, cheeks ruddy bright, and a mole like a dot of ambergris on a downy site; as said of him the poet and said full right, I bear no blame: 'tis all my hear and eyne; * So leave thy blaming, let me yearn and pine."
Quoth he, 'Thou wouldst do well to abide with us this day, that we may see what Allah Almighty will decree. So I sat with him awhile, when lo! up came my servant, who said to me, 'O my lord, there are at our door many laden mules and with them a man, who says he is the agent of Al-Fazl and Ja'afar bin Yahya. Quoth Abdallah, 'I trust that relief is come to thee: rise up and go see what is the matter. So I left him and, hastening to my house, found at the door a man who gave me a note wherein was written the following: 'After thou hadst been with us and we heard thy case, we betook ourselves to the Caliph and informed him that ill condition had reduced thee to the humiliation of begging; where upon he ordered us to supply thee with a thousand thousand dirhams from the Treasury.
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