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Updated: August 24, 2024
Presently Abu al-Muzaffar saw a man seated, with many apes before him, and amongst them one whose hair had been plucked off; and as often as their owner's attention was diverted from them, the other apes fell upon the plucked one and beat him and threw him on their master; whereupon the man rose and bashed them and bound them and punished them for this; and all the apes were wroth with the plucked ape on this account and funded him the more.
So they cast off and set sail; and presently Abu al-Muzaffar said to them, 'O merchants, fulfil your promise to the monkey. 'We hear and we obey, answered they; and each one paid him one thousand dinars, whilst Abu al-Muzaffar brought out to him the like sum of his own monies, so that a great heap of coin was collected for the ape.
Then they fared on till they reached Bassorah-city where their friends came out to meet them; and when they had landed, the Shaykh said, 'Where is Abu Mohammed Lazybones? The news reached my mother, who came to me as I lay asleep and said to me, 'O my son, verily the Shaykh Abu al-Muzaffar hath come back and is now in the city; so rise and go thou to him and salute him and enquire what he hath brought thee; it may be Allah Almighty have opened to thee the door of fortune with somewhat. Quoth I, 'Lift me from the ground and prop me up, whilst I go forth and walk to the river bank. After which I went out and walked on, stumbling over my skirts, till I met the Shaykh, who exclaimed at sight of me, 'Welcome to him whose money hath been the means of my release and that of these merchants, by the will of Almighty Allah. Then he continued, 'Take this monkey I bought for thee and carry him home and wait till I come to thee. So I took the ape and went off, saying in my mind, 'By Allah, this is naught but rare merchandise! and led it home, where I said to my mother, 'Whenever I lie down to sleep, thou biddest me rise and trade; see now this merchandise with thine own eyes. Then I sat me down and as I sat, up came the slaves of Abu al-Muzaffar and said to me, 'Art thou Abu Mohammed Lazybones? 'Yes' answered I; and behold, Abu al-Muzaffar appeared behind them.
But when it was midnight, the ape arose and going up to Abu al-Muzaffar, loosed his bonds; and, as the others saw him free, they said, 'Allah grant our deliverance may be at thy hands, O Abu al-Muzaffar! But he replied, 'Know that he who delivered me, by leave of Allah Almighty, was none other than this monkey'" And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Second Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu al-Muzaffar declared, "None loosed me, by leave of Allah Al-mighty, save this monkey and I buy my release of him at a thousand dinars!" whereupon the merchants rejoined, 'And we likewise, each and every, will pay him a thousand dinars if he release us. With this the ape arose and went up to them and loosed their bonds one by one, till he had freed them all, when they made for the vessel and boarding her, found all safe and nothing missing from her.
Now when I heard her words, O Commander of the Faithful, I knew she would do as she threatened for her knowledge of my sluggishness; so I said to her, 'Help me to sit up. She did so, and I wept the while and said to her, 'Bring me my shoes. Accordingly, she brought them and I said, 'Put them on my feet. She put them on my feet and I said, 'Lift me up off the ground. So she lifted me up and I said, 'Support me, that I may walk. So she supported me and I continued to fare a foot, at times stumbling over my skirts, till we came to the river bank, where we saluted the Shaykh and I said to him, 'O my uncle, art thou Abu al-Muzaffar? 'At thy service, answered he, and I, 'Take these dirhams and with them buy me somewhat from the land of China: haply Allah may vouchsafe me a profit of it. Quoth the Shaykh to his companions, 'Do ye know this youth? They answered, 'Yes, he is known as Abu Mohammed Lazybones, and we never saw him stir from his house till this moment. Then said he to me, 'O my son, give me the silver with the blessing of Almighty Allah! So he took the money, saying, 'Bismillah in the name of Allah! and I returned home with my mother.
When Shaykh Abu al-Muzaffar saw this, he felt for and took compassion upon the plucked ape and said to his master, 'Wilt thou sell me yonder monkey? Replied the man, 'Buy, and Abu al-Muzaffar rejoined, 'I have with me five dirhams, belonging to an orphan lad.
Now when the ape saw them doing this, he loosed himself from his bonds and, jumping off the ship's side, plunged with them, whereupon quoth Abu al-Muzaffar, 'There is no Majesty and there is no Might, save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!
So they brought it and he said to me, 'O my son, Allah hath blessed thee with this wealth, by way of profit on thy five dirhams. Then the slaves set down the treasure in chests, which they had carried on their heads, and Abu al-Muzaffar gave me the keys saying, 'Go before the slaves to thy house; for in sooth all this wealth is thine. So I returned to my mother, who rejoiced in this and said to me, 'O my son, Allah hath blessed thee with all these riches; so put off thy laziness and go down to the bazar and sell and buy. At once I shook off my dull sloth, and opened a shop in the bazar, where the ape used to sit on the same divan with me eating with me when I ate and drinking when I drank.
The monkey is lost to us with the luck of the poor fellow for whom we bought him. And they despaired of him; but, after a while, the company of divers rose to the surface, and behold, among them was the ape, with his hands full of jewels of price, which he threw down before Abu al-Muzaffar.
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