The Theocrat: A Modern Arabic Novel (Modern Arabic Literature) (14 page)

The shaykh of the tribe and Shihab al-Din exchanged glances of agreement and support. They both went over to Abu Rakwa and embraced him warmly. Voices of acceptance, support, and welcome were raised, amplified by the ululations of womenfolk and yells from children. All this constituted a unanimous call for an irrevocable truce between the tribes and a preparation for acknowledging Abu Rakwa as imam. All this coincided with the muezzin’s call for noontime prayers. Everyone hurried to line up in rows behind their illustrious guest. They invited him to lead the prayer, and after some insistence on their part, they got their wish. The prayer that they all performed was marked by an aura of devotion and humility that they had never experienced before. They had hardly finished, greeted one another, and embraced before a group of them made preparations to slaughter a female camel in honor of Abu Rakwa and as a way of hallowing his felicitous advent. However, Abu Rakwa himself stopped them. He told them they should hold off doing that till the day when a real truce was signed between themselves and the neighboring tribes. Once he had convinced them, he made do with a piece of bread, a handful of dates, and a glass of fresh milk (all of which constituted his regular daily meal). When he had finished, he praised God and excused himself. He went to his tent and stayed there for a few hours, praying and performing extra devotions, reading the Qur’an, and writing out accounts of the Prophet’s life for meditation.

Toward day’s end the sunset was creating amazing light patterns that attracted Abu Rakwa’s attention. He sat there watching them through the tent flap and made use of them to forge one insight after another till night fell over the desert. Everyone, young and old, felt a special sense of involvement, an absorbing kind of release. This night seemed to them to be different from others, yet more serene than the doves of Mecca, and steeped in the sweet aroma of paradise itself. The heavens were studded with pearly stars; how close they looked and how sympathetic to human beings! The radiant full moon lavished on people’s hearts the fondest of hopes and premonitions! The very desert winds seemed to have agreed upon a truce and enveloped the assembly in a breeze that was soft, gentle and joyous. The tribesmen all gathered around the tent of their imam, forming circle upon circle. There were circles for children who frolicked and played games, each one of them more lively than a moon-struck gazelle. There were also circles for womenfolk who kept laughing and chanting their favorite songs. The men, middle- and old-aged, took turns in filling the air with sound, sometimes religious chants and at others songs of chivalry and defiance accompanied by dancing.

Everyone took part in the celebration for as long as their enthusiasm and energy allowed, and things continued well into the night. Activities only began to flag somewhat when the men noticed that Abu Rakwa and his horse were nowhere to be found in the encampment. Soon afterwards Shihab al-Din ibn Mundhir appeared with a document signed by the absent imam. It said the following: “My beloved ones, I did not wish to take formal leave of you since that would have interrupted your fun and celebrations. I am going to see my Lord to ask His help and counsel. I will be away no longer than my longing to see you again can tolerate and than my desire to see peace between you and your enemies demands. To God alone belongs success, and He is a good trustee.” As soon as this note had been read, the celebrations came to an end, and everyone returned to their own shelter to sleep or wait. A total quiet fell over the encampment, only broken by the barking of dogs and the pacing of guards.

Next morning people woke up to a sense of lack. Several days passed. The feeling of anxious anticipation they all had was exploited by a clique headed by a certain Hamad al-Madi. They started insulting Abu Rakwa, casting aspersions on both his origins and sayings and turning people against him. Hamad al-Madi himself seized every possible occasion to address the assembly in a way guaranteed to provoke their anger. Saying for example, “My fellow tribal kinsmen, by God I no longer recognize your faces, nor do I detect any prudence in your sages. You seem to have lost all common sense and shrewdness, so much so that you’re fumbling around like someone trying to collect firewood in the dark; you’re all as stupid as someone trying to chew water! You watch a mirage and assume it’s real; you adopt a vagrant and treat him as salvation and everlasting good. What is the matter with you, that you should react in this fashion to this stranger with his phony asceticism, eloquence, and piety? You’ve acknowledged him as your imam when, by all the right of our blood ties, he’s no more useful than a merchant of illusions. The fight he emits is highly dubious; it will be the cause of your downfall. The soft breezes of his aspirations and mission will prove to be gales with the direst of consequences. What power do you possess to be drawn into a light with the enormous Fatimid army? If you undertake such a task, you’ll look even more stupid than butterflies immolating themselves in fire, yet more blind than bats at noon-time. Beware, beware! By the blood that we share, your only escape from these pretensions is by ejecting this snake charmer and reverting to your blessed actions and petty wars.”

Hamad al-Madi’s words were having a more powerful impact on the tribesmen with every day that extended the wait for Abu Rakwa’s return. Were it not for assurances given by Shaykh Abu al-Mahasin and Shihab al-Din, they would have all revoked their allegiance and broken the ties of obedience. But then one Thursday, just as Hamad al-Madi was haranguing people in the market, a thick cloud loomed on the horizon; before long it turned out to be a group of horsemen led by Abu Rakwa. They had hardly reached the camp and dismounted before it became weal to everyone that the group included the notables of the Zanata,
Luwata, and Mizata tribes. The Banu Qurra regarded their arrival as a good sign and greeted their guests fulsomely. Meanwhile Hamad al-Madi and his clique hurried away ignominiously to their tents. The time for noon prayer arrived, and everyone performed it with Abu Rakwa as leader. They then sat down to share the prepared meal before the guests went away to have a rest in anticipation of the peace negotiations the next day, it being the first Friday of Rabi’ al-Awwal
A.H
. 395.

Next morning the visitors and the shaykhs of the Banu Qurra gathered in the imam’s tent. They performed the morning prayer behind him, then had breakfast and listened to some verses from the Qur’an, Once a spirit of harmony, humility, and exaltation had pervaded the group, Abu Rakwa appeared, sat on two cushions, and started talking in a mellow, affecting tone:

    “I praise God who provides my blessings and fills my pot with water.

    I have now washed and purified myself,

    High, high above my solitude I have burst into flame

    Hoping to bring hearts to unity and spread happiness,

    To work as a member, with a dream of progress and community …

    Like you I have termed this flame that bums us well-being.

    All of us have soaked our fever in the river-valleys.

    We have all wished—Oh how much we have wished!—to celebrate our loved ones who remain;

    We have made musk of our words and illumined dark corners!

    We have all wished for tears of joy and homes rejoicing.

    But how can this be when the thorn sticks to our flesh,

    When wounds are the norm and a life of poverty?

    How to proceed when true life has become an impossibility? …

    What you and I witness is true:

    The very veins in your bodies and those of your children are slowly drying up,

    And eyes still bulge when al-Hakim’s executioner flays them.

    And what of their life? Did the people of Islam but realize how their lives were spent,

    The oil in their jars would turn into blood and tears would flow on their lips.

    Ah! In your lands the sigh is truly the essence of life.

    Here a river-valley traverses your domain with paltry waters.

    While the seasons bring their harbingers of danger

    And the spindly ditches produce nothing from their soil.

    Everything you say is correct:

    The time is corrupt, and food is beyond the reach of the oppressed.

    True enough, and the love between you has nothing to support it.

    Mankind is in dire straits, and further migration is futile …

    So here you are, trapped between barren earth and armed men,

    Moving from one strait to another,

    From the clutches of destitution to the grave …

    True enough, but true also are the tales you tell of defiant bodies:

    those who, amidst the refuse, the fig-branches, and vagrant trees,

    manage to conquer death and go in quest of new moms.

With that Abu Rakwa fell silent for a while. It was obvious that every-one had been much affected by his words. The tent in which the assembly was being held had been encircled by the young men of the tribes, all of them with high hopes. Abu Rakwa now started talking again, although
this time it was in a determined tone aimed at bringing matters to a firm and swift resolution, “My brothers in piety and tolerant faith you are all well aware of the efforts I have made among you. Your only course now is to douse the embers of your enmities and unite in a campaign against the forces of tyranny and injustice. So what are your views, and what do you suggest be done?”

The shaykh of the visiting tribes—an august warrior—stood up, gave the entire assembly a look full of affection and amity, and then addressed Abu Rakwa, “Man of courage and virtue, you have spoken the truth. As far as we are concerned, your blessed efforts are enveloped in glory and success. We people of the tribes in whose name I now speak at this illustrious gathering will make mention of your name generation after generation for your discriminating ideas and laudable conduct. How could it be otherwise when you have managed to bring about between us and our neighbors, the Banu Qurra, that one thing that we ourselves have failed to achieve and have despaired of ever attaining: unity instead of discord, a spirit of brotherhood in piety and faith in place of a tribal fanaticism based on ties of blood. Once we have abandoned our stupid wars against each other, we can make preparations to launch a sacred campaign against cruel tyrants. May God grant you a just reward!”

This shaykh returned to his place accompanied by a chorus of voices of approval and blessing. He was followed by the shaykh of the Banu Qurra, “The illustrious shaykh of the Zanata has spoken well. You people, all praise be to God who has guided Abu Rakwa to us and used his sound ideas to direct our course of action! Praise Him too for bringing an end to our enduring feud, by depriving us of what has led to conflict and showing us the way to unity and agreement. We praise Him also for enabling us, through our new spirit of unity and aggregation, to fight in the cause of right, undaunted by tyrants and oppressors. The best opinions are those that emerge from consultation. What Abu Rakwa has asked us to do is to review our methods and resources now that the outline of our objectives have been defined.”

For some time Shihab al-Din had been fidgeting restlessly, eager to display his views and talents. As soon as Abu al-Mahasin had taken his seat, he stood up. “Brothers in our tolerant faith,” he said, “dwellers in peace and concord, we render boundless praise to God. Our joy at this spirit of unity knows no bounds. What greater goal can there be than to combine in focusing all our wrath on the root cause of our suffering and ignominy rather than on each other! But we will never get to appreciate the benefits and merits of this goal of ours if we do not commit ourselves to implement it. What we must do is to put the idea into concrete form by giving due thought to modes and conditions of implementation. We must put our trust in God and rely on the enlightened guidance of our courageous leader.”

Abu Rakwa realized that now was the time to pose the implicit questions that were on everyone’s mind: fixing territorial targets and the relative balance in the distribution of booty.

“Good men,” he said, “for me the ultimate joy and happiness lies in your absolute conviction that my only objective is to elevate the name of God and to make justice and right triumph over tyranny. If that is what you want of me, then I am with you all through thick and thin. I will fight with you, I will bless your ranks, and will watch over you as you embark upon all the elaborate activity needed to prepare your forces for action. I see that you regard your new unity as a boon, and intend to consolidate it by undertaking a campaign in God’s cause.”

From among the Zanata there rose a gruff voice that demanded clarification, “Dear saint of God, God’s cause to which you call us is infinite. So give us some specific principles and goals.”

Abu Rakwa’s reply was firm and authoritative, “We shall move by way of Barqa, with Egypt and Syria as our goal.”

These words spread among the people present, “We shall move by way of Barqa, with Egypt and Syria as our goal!” At this point Shihab al-Din stood up to underline the point, “You people, what our leader says is right. If you decide to make do with Barqa, your period of power will be no more than a summer cloud. If you really want your unity to radiate outward
and your power to be converted to state authority, then you will have to deal with Egypt and Syria. You must eradicate the rule of the Fatimid tyrant and in its place set up a just regime based on the laws of God.”

“Champion guide.” asked a man from the Banu Qurra, “let us suppose that, with our swords united, we manage to achieve the goals we seek, how will we divide up and administer the country?

Abu Rakwa realized that, in responding to this tricky question, he had to show some initiative, “On this topic I can see no alternative but what reason dictates. The land belongs to God. Should we be granted victory, then the land of Egypt will belong first of all to you and me. We will need to rule it justly and through consultation, guided only by the twin lights of forethought and consensus. Syria will be governed by whomever we delegate from among the people campaigning along with us.”