A Tale of Four Dervishes (Penguin Classics) by Amman Mir

Author:Amman, Mir [Amman, Mir]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2006-11-30T05:00:00+00:00

Adventures of Khwaja the Dog-Worshipper

The Khwaja began, “Your Majesty, these men are my brothers. The one on the right is the eldest. I am younger than both of them. Our father was a merchant in Persia. When I was fourteen he passed away. After the burial ceremonies and other rites were over, both these brothers said to me, ‘Let us now divide our father’s property and let each do with his share what he likes.’ I said, ‘My dear brothers, why do you utter such words? I am like your servant. I do not claim equal rights with you. Our father is dead but I take you both in his place. What I need is a little to sustain myself only to be able to remain in your service. What shall I do with my share? I will rather live on your charity and remain with you. I am just a boy and have not yet learnt to read and write. Look after me, please. This is all I want.’ They said, ‘So you want us also to be wronged and ruined with you!’ Quietly I retired to a corner and wept. I said to myself, They are my elder brothers, after all. They show anger so that I may learn something and improve myself.’ With these thoughts I fell asleep. In the morning a bailiff of the Qazi came and took me with him to his court. Both these brothers were already there. The Qazi asked me, ‘Why don’t you agree to divide your father’s property?’ I repeated to him what I had said to my brothers at home. They said to me, ‘If you really mean what you say, let us have a release from you stating that you have no claim, whatsoever, on our father’s property.’ Even then I said to myself, ‘As they are my elders, whatever they say will be for my good. Perhaps they apprehend that I might waste all my share.’ So I gave them the release with the Qazi’s seal. They were satisfied and we returned home.

‘“The next day they said to me, ‘O brother, dear, we require the apartment where you live. You better hire another place.’ It was then that I realized they did not even want me to live in my father’s house. I was helpless and so I decided to leave the house. Your Majesty, as everyone loves the youngest child most, my father used to give me some of the presents and rarities he brought with him from the different lands he visited. I sold those presents and raised a small capital of my own, With that sum I ran a small business. Once my father had brought a slave-girl for me from Turkey whom I kept. And once he gave me a colt which I used to feed out of my own pocket. I sold the colt and bought a house and shifted there. I bought some household goods and two slaves to serve me. With the remaining amount and with trust in God, I started running a cloth shop.

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