The whole city was plunged into darkness. The sunhad poured down its fire on the life of the city throughout the day, and wasnow sleeping quietly behind the mountain. The air no longer held the burningheat of the day. The people of Samera wereresting at home after a tiring day of work.

Six armed agents were passing quietly and on foot throughthe narrow and silent streets of the city. Their leader, who was taller andbigger than the others, walked among the other five. One of them, who hadcovered his face with a cloth pulled it up and with a laugh which was mixedwith fear and excitement, said: "We must surprise him in such a way thathe finds no chance to hide the weapons and letters."

Another agent who walked next to the leader, glanced at himand said: "Sir…. If it is not too presumptuous, why has Mutawakil, thecaliph, allowed this man, who is against the government, to stay alive for solong? If God forbid…."

The leader interrupted him with a sharp look and said:"You fool! It is too soon for us to know why his holyship Mutawakil actsas he does!"

"You mean…. You mean that….."

"Yes…. AbulHasan is respected by the people. He can noteasily be eliminated. This is why his holiness Mutawakil has sent us to arresthim at this time of night."

Another agent, fastening a red shawl round his waist, said:"From the beginning, too, the banishment of Abul Hasan from Medina was dueto the same reason. He is deeply loved by the people of Mecca and Medina…. Itis really hard to get rid of such a person!"

The leader of the agents, seeming to remember some thing,suddenly grumbled: "That is enough …. Say no more….. We may be attacked inthis darkness from behind the palms or from on the roofs! Put some spacebetween yourselves in walking. Be quick!"

The agents pressed their swords and sticks in their handsand passed through several empty streets until they reached a house. The fiveagents made a ring around their leader. They listened utterly to what he said:

 "Quiet! Listen carefully! When I give the signal, youthree must rush into the house at once from above the wall. You other two and Iwill keep watch outside so that if anyone wants to escape, we will killhim."

"Sir! Would three of us be enough for this importanttask?"

"Oh, you coward! Three men to arrest one man, and yetyou say…. Nonsense! Be quick!"

The leader fastened his head cover, and stroked the hilt ofhis sword. He and the other two besieged the house. The faint lights of thehouses were being extinguished one by one. Silence had thrown its shadow overthe city in the hours before sunset.

A few moments later the leader gave a signal by splittingthe air with the downward stroke of his sword. All at once three dark shapesclimbed the wall, and leapt down into the yard of the house. The three of them,sword in hand, stood back to back, and slowly circling round, began to search thespace around them. It was all dark except a small room from which a yellowishlight emerged. Silence reined everywhere except in the same room from which asoft murmur could be heard.

On hearing this sound the three agents dropped their handsfrom the hilt of their swords and looked at each other in surprise, as if theydid not know what to do. At last one of them whispered cautiously: "Youkeep watch for every movement. I will let the others in."

Then he fastened his sword, and taking stealthy half- steps,opened the door of the house and went out. A moment later the sound of stepsechoed in the yard, and the leader, looking excited and satisfied, walked aheadof the other two. He made a signal and then led the way for the others and theyrushed into the room.

There a man, with a scarf a round his head and dressed in acoarse garment, was sitting on a floor covered with sand, facing the Qiblah andquietly reciting the Quran. He was neither old, nor young. He had a white andreddish face and large eyebrows. As he was murmuring the verses, tears floweddown his bony cheeks from his big eyes. Although three armed agents werestanding above him, he calmly continued his recitation of the Quranic verses inthe same sitting position, the verses which spoke of the painful of the wickedand the happy future of the good.

The leader of the agents wondered what to do. Two of themwent in shame to the window, and one of them gazed at the blue and starry skywith his dull and perplexed eyes. The other one took off his head cover, andsquatted on the floor.

When the leader saw these things, he swallowed his yell andangrily ran towards the two agents, and kicked the knee of the one who wassitting and said:

- "You fool! What are you doing? Have you forgottenwhere you are?"

- Both agents suddenly came to themselves and moved awayfrom the window.

- When the men who was reciting the Quran, finished hisrecitation, he quietly turned his head and looked at the agents. The leadermoved his body, stroked his moustache, and stepped forward with a frown. He wasangry at the calmness and indifference of the man, but this same coolnessprevented him from being sharp. At last, with a slight cough, he said: "Itis said that you….. you keep weapons here, and have collected some papers against…..against the government of the caliph, Mutawakil. We …. We ask permission tosearch the house."

- When he heard no answer, he made a sign to his companions.They scattered everything about searching for weapons, papers and letters, butfound nothing. The leader spoke his last words and said: "O Abul Hasan!You must come with us to his holiness Mutawakil. There is no time to changeclothes…. Come as you are!"

 ***

Abul Hasan, dressed in that same simple and coarse garmentand looking composed, walked with short but firm steps in front of the row ofservants and stood by Mutawakil's throne. At first Mutawakil shifted his bodywhere he sat, but finally he felt compelled to rise in respect for Abul Hasan.

The agents narrated for Mutawakil all that had happened. Mutawakil,who seemed to be looking for something to do, reflected for a moment andstroked the large rings on his fingers. Then all of a sudden he offered the cupof wine to Abul Hasan. One of Mutawakil's advisers laughed quietly and said toanother: "Do you see the tenth Imam of the Shi'ites? He is now facing thedemand of such a strong ruler as the caliph. One day his falsehood musteventually be proved."

Abul Hasan said calmly: "No wine has ever mingled withmy blood and flesh!"

Mutawakil tried another tactic, and said:

"Then, Abul Hasan, recite a poem that will pleaseme!"

"A poem? I rarely recite poetry."

"You have no alternative but to recite!"

Heavy silence fell on the hall of the palace. All glanceswere turned to the dialog between Mutawakil and Abul Hasan. The advisor laughedagain and said to another: "This time his holiness's demand is muchsmarter than the first one."

"why do you say that?"

"Hm…. Our Emir has demanded Abul Hasan to dosomething which is not forbidden like wine from Abul Hasan's viewpoint.Reciting a poem is something easy for him and he can not evade it. But…… ha…!the reciting of a man like him in a gathering of wine – bibbers will humiliatehim."

As Mutawakil was looking at his courtiers and friends, heraised the corner of his eyebrow and a smile of victory appeared on his lips.Meanwhile Abul Hasan seemed to be ready to recite a poem. He looked Mutawakilup and down, and then glanced at the whole hall and its silent crowd. Then in afirm voice he began to recite the following lines:

"Do you know how kings spent the night?

In palaces and strong forts,

Above lofty peaks,

While valiant men

All night till dawn

Take watch over them.

But…..

Alas! That palaces, forts and peaks proved of no avail!

For, they were lowered to the graves from those

Forts after all that power and pomp!

Oh! What an awful descent!

After they were buried in the grave,

A cry descended upon them like a whip,

Saying: O' you! Where are those crowns

And thrones and rich garments of yours?

Where are those faces which were

Finally covered with laces and screens?

This was a cry.

Which they were asked by the grave.

The grave said:

These are the same handsome faces on

Which worms roll about now.

Indeed, those who ate and drank

For such a long time in those palaces,

Are now all eaten

After all those eating."

The poem ended, and it seemed as if Mutawakil, too, hadreached the end. On hearing the poem he shed so many tears that they seemed toshake the columns of the hall and make the lofty roof of the palace collapse.The walls seemed to grow closer together, squeezing the human bodies.

That night the palace resembled a grave!

• 14/07/2010 08:53 - Angry man and Imam Sajjad
• 14/07/2010 07:04 - Slave girl and Imam Hussain

• 14/06/2010 07:08 - Coins of Victory
• 06/08/2009 12:57 - Those who meets Imam Mahdi, The meeting of Ali Ibn Mahziyar