Naseem Hijazi's "Shaheen" (English Translation)

Chapter 13: One Crore

(1)

After dismissing the Prime Minister, Abu Abdullah entered the harem in a very perturbed condition. As he approached his wife's chamber a bondmaid respectfully offered her salutations and said, "The Great Queen and Your Majesty's mother are in the tower of Al-Hamra's big gate. They had received the information that Your Majesty would be busy for a long time. They have gone there just now."

Abu Abdullah stood there in bewilderment for a while and then said, "They could have heard the protesters from here too." Abu Abdullah's words had helplessness more than bitterness in them.

The bondmaid said, "If your Majesty so commands, should they be informed of your arrival?"

Abu Abdullah replied, "No, we will go there ourself."

Abu Abdullah stepped out of the harem with his head bowed down in deep thought. The guards at the door followed behind him as a matter of routine but he turned around and said while looking at them, "We would like to be left alone."

The guards returned. Abu Abdullah took gradual step on the marble floor and proceeded towards the big gate.

He began to hear the slogans of the protesters outside even more clearly. He stopped at the steps of the tower and stood there for a long time in bewilderment. He wanted to apprise his wife about his life's most important and bitter decision and so far he himself was not sure to what degree he would be able to fulfill the decision. There were very few moments of his life that he had spent out of the four walls of Al-Hamra. This was his world, this was his heaven and now circumstances were asking him to bid farewell to this heaven. He said to himself, "Will it be possible for me to leave Al-Hamra while I'm living? Is it possible that the gates of Al-Hamra would reopen for me once they are closed? I would have to seek Ferdinand's help for this purpose. There is no other way apart from this and he would be happy to help me. But now i would have to take the help of Ferdinand's sword not only against my uncle and father but also against my rebellious subjects. But after these defeats will he be willing to fight a war solely for my sake whose consequences can be dangerous for him as well? Won't his final defeat be a exemplary destruction for me and my comrades? And even if he wins, will he consider me in having the rights to all of the rewards of his victory?"

He was replying to the answers to those queries himself. "Abu Abdullah! You are a cursed star on the sky of Granada. Reopening the closed gates of Granada for yourself at the hands of Ferdinand would mean to crush the entire deterrent force of the Muslims. To have piles of Muslims corpses at the gates of Al-Hamra. These people who are currently protesting won't respect the throne that you would gain with Ferdinand's help.

Corpses of Muslims agonizing under that throne would always call you a traitor. But now the only issue in front of me is to save my own life. I cannot stay here for more a day or two. My uncle will certainly attack Granada. These agitating people will support him and then he will make my paralyzed father a puppet and rule over Granada himself. To achieve this objective isn't it possible that he could make peace with Ferdinand? Will Ferdinand refuse his hand of friendship just for my sake? Wouldn't he surrender me to Al-Zeghel for the sake of his interest? Have I not sacrificed even my father for the sake of my wishes? What would be my worth in front of Ferdinand after my defeat at Malaga by a meagre force?"

To divert such disturbing thoughts, he used to take the aid of Abu Dawood's magical eloquence. With Abu Dawood present, he never felt the need to think deeply. So far the blunders he had committed were mostly because Abu Dawood never gave him the chance to think about their ugly consequences. Whenever he saw him a bit serious, he would immediately say that the Crown of Andalus should not entertain such thoughts. "Kings have to go through these phases. A ruler's heart should be very strong." It was this very Abu Dawood that hoisted a sail to the boat of Abu Abdullah's peaceful life and pushed it into a sea of mishaps. And it was this very Abu Dawood who consoled him in every whirlpool and now this boat was near the dangerous rock which Abu Dawood had always kept oblivious from the eyes of his student.