1
00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:06,799
Speaker 1: The withered hand from the Turkish. One of the caliphs

2
00:00:06,839 --> 00:00:13,240
of theirbasids, named Mutasit blayansurbinur Ullah, was a sovereign of

3
00:00:13,359 --> 00:00:18,879
great good judgment and careful justice. He one day, in

4
00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,719
company with his attendants, visited a palace situated on the

5
00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,480
banks of the Tigris, where he observed an expert fisherman

6
00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,559
threw his net into the river, and after hauling it out,

7
00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,200
found only three or four fish in it. The caliph,

8
00:00:35,359 --> 00:00:38,960
remarking this, commanded the fisherman to throw it into the

9
00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,439
water again for his sake, and let us see, said

10
00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:47,079
he what my luck will be. The man did as

11
00:00:47,119 --> 00:00:50,920
he was ordered, and soon after hauling his net out,

12
00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,799
felt something weighty among its meshes. In consequence of the

13
00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,520
increased weight, the attendants of the caliph had to aid him,

14
00:01:00,079 --> 00:01:02,840
and when the net was on shore they found in

15
00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,040
it a leather bag tightly bound round the mouth. In

16
00:01:07,079 --> 00:01:10,040
this bag they at first perceived a number of tiles,

17
00:01:10,439 --> 00:01:14,000
and finally at its bottom the hand of a tender

18
00:01:14,079 --> 00:01:19,079
and young girl bent and shriveled. The caliph, on seeing

19
00:01:19,079 --> 00:01:23,719
the hand, exclaimed, poor creature, what work is this that

20
00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:28,079
the servants of God mussulmans should be thus cut to

21
00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,760
pieces and thrown to the river without our knowledge. We

22
00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:36,480
must find the committer of this wicked act. Now with

23
00:01:36,599 --> 00:01:40,519
a caliph was one of his cuddies judges, who spoke

24
00:01:40,599 --> 00:01:44,840
and said, oh, a mirror of the faithful, give your

25
00:01:44,879 --> 00:01:49,079
precious self no trouble about this matter, for by your

26
00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:53,680
favor we will investigate and with proper care and circumspection

27
00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,079
bring it to light. The Caliph at the same time

28
00:01:58,239 --> 00:02:01,519
called the governor of the city of bark, and, giving

29
00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,159
the bag into his hands, said go to the bazaar,

30
00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,159
show it to the sex seers and inquire whose work

31
00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:12,800
it is. They know each other's work. And if you

32
00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:15,879
find the individual who sued it, bring him to me.

33
00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,639
The Kadi had the sex shown to the sewers, and

34
00:02:20,719 --> 00:02:24,400
an old, grave looking man, on seeing it, exclaimed that

35
00:02:24,439 --> 00:02:28,719
it was his own work. Lately I sold it, added

36
00:02:28,719 --> 00:02:33,479
he and two others to one Yahi ya Illah, a

37
00:02:33,599 --> 00:02:39,080
native of Damascus, of the family of the Mahides. The Kadi,

38
00:02:39,199 --> 00:02:42,319
on hearing this, said, come with me to the Caliph.

39
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,159
Fear nothing. He has only a few questions to ask you.

40
00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,479
So the old man accompanied him into the presence of

41
00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,360
the Caliph, who demanded of him to whom he had

42
00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,639
sold it. The old man answered as before, adding, O

43
00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,159
Prince of the faith. He is a man of high rank,

44
00:03:02,599 --> 00:03:07,280
but very wicked and tyrannical, and continually does injury and

45
00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:12,560
vexation to true believers. Everyone fears him, and none dare

46
00:03:12,599 --> 00:03:17,120
complain against him to the Caliph. Lately, a lady named

47
00:03:17,199 --> 00:03:22,520
Inan Maginet purchased a female slave for one thousand dinars,

48
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,759
who was very fair and beautiful, and moreover a poetess.

49
00:03:29,199 --> 00:03:32,319
This man supposed her mistress would sell her to him,

50
00:03:32,759 --> 00:03:36,280
but receiving the lady's reply that she had already given

51
00:03:36,319 --> 00:03:39,520
her her freedom, he sent her word that there was

52
00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,560
to be a wedding in the house, and requested that

53
00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,639
the female should be loaned him for the occasion. The

54
00:03:46,759 --> 00:03:50,360
lady therefore sent her as a loan for three days,

55
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,719
and after four or five had elapsed, sending to demand

56
00:03:54,759 --> 00:03:58,280
her received for answer that she had already left his

57
00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,759
house two or three days ago, and nonewithstanding the lady's

58
00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,599
tears and complaints, she could not obtain her slave, not

59
00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,879
even hear any news of her. The lady, from fear

60
00:04:10,919 --> 00:04:14,400
of this man's violence held her peace and left the

61
00:04:14,479 --> 00:04:17,639
quarter wherein she had resided, for it is said he

62
00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:22,199
had already put several of his neighbors to death. When

63
00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,360
the old man was done speaking, the Caliph seemed greatly rejoiced,

64
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,040
and commanded that Yahi a Ilah should forthwith be brought

65
00:04:31,079 --> 00:04:34,959
before him. He came, and when he was shown the

66
00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,240
hand found in the back, his color changed, and he

67
00:04:38,399 --> 00:04:44,319
falsely endeavored to exculpate himself. The lady was likewise brought,

68
00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,600
and so soon as she saw the hand, she commenced weeping,

69
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,720
and exclaimed, Yes, indeed, it is the hand of my

70
00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:58,399
poor murdered slave. Speak, said the Caliph to the Mahidas,

71
00:04:59,199 --> 00:05:02,079
For by my I swear to know the truth of

72
00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,800
this affair. So the man acknowledged that he had killed

73
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:13,199
the slave, and the Caliph, in consideration of Hashim footnote

74
00:05:13,759 --> 00:05:18,000
Bni Hashim, one of the most ancient Arabian tribes from

75
00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:23,879
which the prophet descended eight and a footnote, sentenced him

76
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,000
to pay to the owner of the slave one thousand

77
00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,439
pieces of gold for the loss which she had sustained,

78
00:05:31,079 --> 00:05:35,519
and one hundred thousand more for the law of retaliation,

79
00:05:36,319 --> 00:05:39,079
after which he allowed him three days in which to

80
00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,920
settle his affairs in the city, and then leave it forever.

81
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,480
On learning this sentence, the public loudly praised the caliph's

82
00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:52,040
judgment and commended his justice in equity.