Volume One
Once upon a time, there was a caliph who had enslaved Hatem’s generosity. He championed the banners of beneficence and justice, eradicating poverty and need from the world. Treasures and pearls seemed insignificant compared to his generosity, which spread from horizon to horizon.
This ruler was like cloud and rain upon the earth – a source of bounty and grace blessed by Allah’s giving. Seas and mines trembled before his beneficence, and caravans arrived in droves drawn to his generosity.
His door was a haven for those in need. His fame spread throughout the world through acts of kindness. The people of Persia (Acem) were astonished by his generosity, as were the Romans (Rum). The Turks marveled, and the Arabs were awestruck. He was a sea of grace; his generosity revived both the Persians and the Arabs.
One night, a Bedouin woman, exaggerating her complaints to her husband, said, “We bear all this hardship and poverty. The world enjoys ease and comfort, while we suffer greatly.”
“Our bread is gone; our sustenance is sorrow and envy. Our cup has no water, only tears. The sunlight is our clothing during the day, and moonlight our bedding at night. We are so hungry that we attack the sky with our hands, mistaking the moon for a loaf of bread.”
“The poor feel pity for our poverty and worry about food day and night. Relatives and strangers alike avoid us, as if we were Samiri’s people fleeing from him. If we ask even a handful of lentils, they say to us, ‘Be silent, perish!’