The Breeze of Dusk with the Scent of Musk

Chapter 18: A Glimmer of Hope

In the Crown Kingdom in the Peace Province in the Jasmine City, Zixin Quon, the emperor of the Chinese Empire, is spending his happiest moments with his wife, Empress Xiulan Yongnian. Zixin wants to impress his wife with his generosity and care so he prepared a surprise for her. He ordered his subordinates to bring a special batch of stones that he wants to convert into gold with his magical stick. The purpose of this converted gold is not to cast golden taels as usual, but to prepare exquisite and bewitching jewelry for his beloved wife. The collection of ornaments that Zixin ordered his subordinates to mold out of this converted gold includes, but is not limited to: crowns, necklaces, bracelets, rings and other types of adornments. When the collection of ornaments became ready, Zixin invited his wife into the main hall of the Imperial Palace and shared his gifts with her. Here is a snapshot of the conversation between the two:

Zixin: Empress Xiulan, do you know what is inside these fine boxes?

Xiulan: Emperor Zixin, I do not know unless I open them.

Zixin: Open them one by one, I have prepared these exquisite presents for you, my sweetheart.

Xiulan: Really?! Thank you so much, my sweetheart. Certainly I will love what you have brought me.

Xiulan opened the boxes one by one and she started to examine each beautiful article of gold with interest and care. Everything dazzled her. The prepared jewelry were truly astounding. These are the most beautiful jewelry that she has ever seen. She started to wear some of these jewelry and strut out in front of Zixin and her maids and servants.

Xiulan: Zixin, you always captivate me with your fine gifts. My words cannot thank you enough.

Zixin: Do not mention it. You are the empress and deserve the best.

Xiulan: You always make me happy with your beautiful romance touches and memories.

Zixin: It is incumbent on me to make my sweetheart happy as much as I can. In the midst of busy politics, I need to spare some time for my family and take care of them and their needs.

Xiulan: I know how busy you are so I completely excuse you for your decreased interaction with me recently. As long as you have the right list of priorities in your mind, I am completely fine with whatever you do.

Zixin: I will do my best to give you the lion's share of my time from now on despite my busy schedule with the affairs of the state.

Xiulan: Do not worry, my beloved man. The state should be the center of your focus because you are now the supreme leader of the Chinese Empire and you need to juggle all the balls in the air.

Zixin: Thank you so much for your understanding and considerateness. I will try to balance things well to the best of my ability.

When Xiulan went to her bedroom with Zixin, she chatted with him about the source of the gold of her jewelry as follows:

Xiulan: Was the jewelry you gifted me made from true gold or from gold converted from stones by your magical stick?

Zixin: It was obtained from gold obtained from stones by my magical stick. Why? Does it make a difference? Both are the same.

Xiulan: You are right. Both are apparently the same. But if they were obtained from true gold, I know that more effort was exerted to obtain them.

Mohammad's Experience in Magic Nullification

In Bilad Ash-sham (Syria and its surroundings) in the city of Damascus, Mohammad Azzumurrud has become truly an erudite. Over the years, he has acquired a great wealth of Islamic knowledge and deep understanding of Arabic literature. Mohammad remarkably excelled in learning the Holy Koran and the Honorable Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, the two major sources upon which Islam is built. One fruit of learning the Holy Koran and the Honorable Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad is the ability to carry out verbal prayers or supplications (الأذكار). These verbal prayers or supplications has many benefits such as making the Muslim come nearer to Allah and keeping him safe from many evils such as the evils of the devils. In other words, a Muslim who recites verbal prayers or supplications wards off many evils that surrounds him/her by Allah's Leave. The verbal prayers or supplications consists of specific verses from the Holy Koran and specific Hadeeths from the Honorable Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. One particular application of verbal prayers or supplications in Islam is the ability to nullify magic via the Islamic Incantation (الرقية الإسلامية). The linguistic meaning of incantation here is: "a written or recited formula of words designed to produce a particular effect" [W-4]. The Islamic Incantation is usually recited by a righteous pious Muslim who has strong connection with Allah. The Islamic Incantation can consist of only verses from the Holy Koran, only Hadeeths from the Honorable Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad or both. Once this Islamic Incantation is recited upon a bewitched person or object, it nullifies magic by the Will of Allah. It is very important at this stage to classify magic into two main categories: benign magic and malevolent magic. Benign magic includes magic practices that rely purely on the exercise of the sleight of hand. Malevolent magic relies on talismans, spells, charms and interactions with the jinn or the devils and it is intended to inflict harm on the bewitched person. Islam permits benign magic and forbids malevolent magic. One way to combat malevolent magic in Islam is via the Islamic Incantation that nullifies the magic of an evil magician. The Islamic Incantation is preferably recited in Arabic, the native language of the Holy Koran.