The Theocrat: A Modern Arabic Novel (Modern Arabic Literature) (16 page)

“Exactly so, Shihab al-Din! Either we win, or we’ll die. True? If we lose, we won’t be the first people duped by a mirage. Now what type of command is it that you wish?”

“You possess the status of imam and all spiritual powers, seen and unseen, connected with it. I’ll take charge of the government. I’ll run things under your inspiration and use as many or as few assistants as the situation requires. Give me your hand and let us seal our pact!”

“If we get as far as Egypt, I will grant you this division of duties. I will remain as imam to provide you with supervision and counsel. I will only accept true followers in these roles, and I’ll be keeping both eye and sword at the ready if I detect in you any tendency toward exclusive control or untoward conduct.”

The two men stood up, shook hands, and embraced each other warmly. They went their separate ways in the expectation of another secret meeting before long.

By the end of Rabi’ al-Thani the Banu Qurra had completed all their training and preparations and were eager for battle. The shaykhs decided to pay an exploratory visit to the Zanata tribe. They sent an advance group ahead to warn people they were coming and asked Abu Rakwa to go with them. He welcomed the idea and rode out with them. No sooner had they arrived than they found themselves warmly welcomed; the elders of the tribe assured their visitors that they were fully prepared. Abu Rakwa sensed that now was the time for him to seize the moment and bolster his followers’ enthusiasm.

“Tribesmen,” he said without elaboration, “today we’re on the threshold of a great event, as we depart for Barqa. We are going to wrest it from the claws of tyranny and injustice. Even greater will be that preordained day when we conquer Egypt itself, the source of all the pestilence. So
prepare yourselves and preserve your energies for that great day may God Himself support you all! Let none of us seek victory or martyrdom save on that decisive day. As for Barqa, I have begged God to grant it to us as a gift. Twice in dreams I have witnessed us entering it safe and sound through the power of the Almighty, all without spilling a drop of our own blood or that of those who oppose us.”

The assembled company looked at each other in amazement.

“But what if they unsheathe their swords and try to fight us?” people asked.

“That’s very unlikely,” Abu Rakwa replied, shouting over the host of voices that were all asking the same question. “If that happens, kill just a few of them. We will do better to capture them alive and exchange them for the Kutamis who are prisoners in al-Hakim’s jails.”

“Why should we bother about the Kutamis and their prisoners?” asked someone from the Banu Qurra tribe.

“By doing such a good turn we will win over to our cause the Kutamis in Egypt who are working for the Fatimid government and army. At the same time we will be able to prove that we are accepting help from the Kutami tribes in Tunisia. All those who oppose al-Hakim, openly or covertly, will be our allies on the decisive day. We will pave their path toward us with roses and affection and provide them with all the help and support we can. Is that clear?”

No one moved or said a word, as though they were all reassessing the situation. Then the voice of Abu al-Mahasin arose behind them like a clap of thunder. “What’s the matter with you all? Why are you all dumbstruck when you should be welcoming what you’ve just heard! Say what you’re thinking so we can sec clearly where we are.”

Two groups spoke up, one after the other. “In Barqa we should be shedding as much blood as possible, so that al-Hakim the Fatimid will panic.”

Another voice said, “How are we supposed to convince our fighters that we’re going to enter Barqa safe and sound, when Abu Raqwah’s dream is all we have to go on?”

And, ‘“We’re strong and well equipped. We don’t need the Kutamis. As far as we’re concerned, the more people involved, the smaller

Now Abu al-Mahasin spoke again, but this time his tone was mute and tired, “Oh dear, I see that nothing’s changed! I feel so sorry for Abu Rakwa, standing there and seeing you still stimulated only by the idea of bloodshed and booty. There you all are, trivializing complex matters and cheapening things that cost dearly. Isn’t it about time you changed your attitudes? Don’t you feel the need for loftier virtues?”

Abu Rakwa and Shihab al-Din exchanged pleading looks. The latter realized that Abu Rakwa should be the one to speak.

“Tribesmen,” he said, “the thing that distresses me is that some of you still don’t really understand what I have in mind for you all. So, before you follow me into battle, I want you all to be well aware that my goal is not what you imagine. I have no intention of competing with al-Hakim the Fatimid in bloodshed, something forbidden by God, nor in gratuitous acts of violence and murder. It is no part of my purpose to expose you all to injury and destruction. Your souls are in God’s hands, not mine. God who will grant you victory wants you to win, not to lose. So lend me your support in what I aim to achieve. For us Barqa is just a transit point; Egypt and Syria are our goals. Do not forget what we have agreed. Do not invest in the transitional stage energies that you cannot muster for the final goal. About Barqa I am only sharing with you the information that I have. I myself have traveled through it; I have tilled its fallow soil along with vagrants and others who suffer under the Fatimid tyranny, and I have sown among its folk some seeds of expectation, hope, and a longing for deliverance. Today Barqa is an easy crop to pick; I picture you enveloping it in a warm embrace of peace. However, it will require real conflict to conquer Egypt, but those wars will not be like any you have experienced before. By God, your only means of success will be to enter the territory in numbers to rival the Fatimid hordes and to use the same weapons and skills. They will have horsemen, infantry, and lancers, and you will need the same. They can wage war on land, sea, and in trenches, and you must be their equals. They have supporters and allies, and you
must have them too. If you are aware of all these facts, then you’ll be even more eager than the Kutama tribe to form an alliance with them and accept their proposals. On the borders of Egypt and within its boundaries they will be our very best helpers and supporters.”

Abu Rakwa had hardly finished speaking before shouts of support and agreement could be heard, strongly encouraged by both Abu al-Mahasin and Shihab al-Din. The imam looked relieved and happy.

“Praise be to God,” he said, “who shows us the best path to our welfare and salvation in both this world and the next! Now in His name I hereby proclaim the first day of Jamadi al-Akhira in this blessed year as the day we will invade Barqa the auspicious, safe and victorious. Those of you present here should inform those who are not.”

These words were a cue for the Banu Qurra to say farewell to their partners. To the sound of fond farewells they all agreed to meet on the great day. Mounting their horses and led by Abu Rakwa, they sped joyfully away to their own encampment.

At dawn on the agreed day, all Abu Rakwa’s followers gathered at the southern entry to Barqa as a single force under joint command. They hastened to implement Abu Rakwa’s directives by investing the city and sending agents to infiltrate the city with propaganda. By the end of the first day the besieging forces had been bolstered by soldiers running away from the army of al-Hakim the Fatimid and also by large numbers of citizens. The next day the stranglehold on Barqa’s troops and its commander, Yanal al-Tawil the Turk, was tightened. Abu Rakwa himself led an assault on the city in an attempt to get the defenders to abandon their lines and fortifications, but he was unsuccessful. He called off the attack and returned to camp disillusioned because his plan had not worked. He retired to his tent to rest and think things through. On the third day, the Banu Qurra and their allies started to get restless and annoyed because they had been ordered just to keep watch and not to attack, whereas Hamad al-Madi was secretly inciting them to action. Abu Rakwa was still cloistering himself in his tent, but word of these developments reached him in the form of protests and
tough questions. Abu al-Mahasin helped matters by intervening to cool tempers; he threw his entire weight behind a recommendation for restraint and patience until such time as Abu Rakwa broke his silence and made some new proposals. Just before nightfall people noticed that Shihab al-Din was not in camp. Cries of protest and disapproval were heard, and the atmosphere turned tense. Hamad al-Madi seized this golden opportunity.

“Men of the Banu Qurra,” he said, “are you supposed to be real men or not? Here you gather behind an imam who vanishes when the going gets rough and let yourselves be fooled by one of your own. Is this supposed to be a campaign or a huge joke? If it’s Barqa you want, then unsheathe your swords and attack it. Don’t sit here waiting, hoping, and barking. But if you’re scared of the outcome and realize the kind of vengeance that al-Hakim the Fatimid will exact, then return to your tents and abodes. As far as I can see, that’s the best plan.”

Barely had Hamad al-Madi finished before a redoubtable cavalier from his own tribe started cuffing and kicking him. “You vile wretch!” he yelled, “you provocateur and coward, you look so despicable when times are good and strut obstinately around when things turn bad!”

This cavalier would have killed al-Madi if Abu al-Mahasin had not rushed over to stop him.

“My fellow tribesmen,” he said, “I have just talked to Abu Rakwa in his tent. He tells me that Shihab al-Din has neither turned traitor nor withdrawn. Abu Rakwa has sent him on a mission, the happy results of which will soon be known. Please be patient. As for you, Hamad al-Madi, you’ve made your choice. You are not of our number, nor we of yours. By dawn tomorrow you and your group will imitate Umm ‘Amr’s donkey and disappear.”

With that a degree of tranquility was restored among the troops, and they were more prepared to wait. As they were getting ready for sleep, they heard their guards announcing the approach of three men, with a fourth in front carrying a torch and a white cloth. With that Abu Rakwa came out of his tent.

“Good news, my fellow tribesmen,” he shouted, “good news! God willing, that will be Shihab al-Din, bringing us Yanal, the enemy commander, alive. Before the morrow you will enter Barqa safe and sound!”

They did not believe him till they saw Shihab al-Din for themselves. With that all their doubts vanished.

“Tribesmen,” said Shihab al-Din, “Here I am returning to you. With God’s own support I have carried out our imam’s idea by arresting the garrison commander, Yanal al-Tawil the Turk. I was helped and guided by this Kutami soldier; he disguised me in clothes like his own and was one of the first to join our number.”

With that Abu Rakwa went back to his tent, followed by Shihab al-Din with his captive. They both had to decide what to do with this man who would be able to surrender the Fatimid positions inside the city without any bloodshed.

“I’m sure you would rather stay alive,” Shihab al-Din said to Yanal.

“As long as I’m a prisoner of yours,” he stuttered in dismay, “I’ve no desire to stay alive.”

“If you send instructions to your soldiers to lay down their arms, we’ll release you.”

“The only way to convince my soldiers to do that would be to send them my fresh-cut head. If you prefer to release me, al-Hakim will have me killed.”

“Issue the order, and you can stay here under our protection.”

“A huge gap separates you and me, one that’s loaded with perils.”

“How so, you obstinate man!”

“You’re Maghribi and I’m a Turk. Like Turks, you all want power and authority. I cannot envisage coming out victorious on your side, but rather with my Turkish colleagues who are on their way.”

“Ill spoken, you purveyor of bad news! Do you want my hand to take the initiative and slay you now?”

“I wish you had done so already! Shall I slap your master or spit on him so you can dispatch me quickly?”

Abu Rakwa now broke his silence. “I saw no slaps and spit in my
dreams,” he said with a frown. And with that, he grabbed Shihab al-Din’s sword and struck off Yanal’s head right in front of the people standing by the tent’s exit. Everyone stood there thunderstruck, Shihab al-Din most of all.

“Did you really do what we have just seen?” he stammered. “How could you use such unprecedented violence to cut off his head with your own noble hands? By God, I never expected such behavior of you. From now on I’ll make sure that our acquaintance only involves non-aggressive issues.”

Abu Rakwa wiped the sword and handed it back to its owner. “I shall behave this way and even more so with anyone who closes doors in my face and leaves me no way out. Now take this damned head back so the Fatimid soldiers in the garrison can see it. Take with it a proposal for them to consider: either they surrender or anticipate certain death.”

“What you and we desire will come to pass before morning breaks.”

That was Shihab al-Din’s response as he staggered his way out of the tent to carry out the imam’s instructions. He consulted the shaykhs, and they suggested asking for two volunteers to carry out the task along with the Kutami soldier who would serve as their helper and guide. Many men volunteered, and it fell to Shihab al-Din to choose two who were both strong and astute, one from his own tribe and the other from the Zanata.

Only a few hours went by before they returned accompanied by the Fatimid soldiers; they were holding their arms above their heads and carrying a white flag as a plea for safe passage. Their surrender came at dawn; the news spread through the camp just as the sun’s rays were beginning to appear above the horizon. Everyone gathered around the imam’s tent, and an infectious joy pervaded the scene. One group banged on drums and played the flute, another chanted and sang, and a third danced and played with swords and canes. This total chaos only quieted down when they all noticed Abu Rakwa getting on his horse and yelling, “God is great!” They all repeated, “God is great!” many, many times in a ringing unison and then stopped to listen humbly to what he had to say.

“Tribesmen,” he said, “all praise and thanks be to God who has realized my vision and granted us our first victory as a gift (may He be exalted!),
Today we are yet greater than yesterday, “Men who have fulfilled their pact with God.” Barqa is our transit point, and we will now enter it in safety and devotion, neither raiding nor pillaging. Barqa will be a mirror of us, the place where we will show to those near and far the true extent of our justice and piety. Enter the town in groups. Once settled on its reddish soil, organize yourselves to offer the people help and assistance. Behave properly, take good care of its oil supply and its rusty earth. As far as possible, prepare yourselves for the decisive battle against the Fatimid tyrants in Egypt. Any prisoners who agree to join us and fight are free; those who don’t will be used as hostages to be exchanged for the people in al-Hakim’s prisons who wish to join us.”