Stories of Arabian Nights

Once a man from West Africa called Abd Al-Rahman, alias the Moorman or the Chinaman, had travelled far and wide. One day, he brought a quill of a young Rukh that could even contain a goat skin of water. His folk were amazed to see it whom he then narrated the adventure of his voyage […]

Once a certain King disguised himself to oversee the affairs of his lieges in a village, and stopped by a house for water. A fair woman attended him and he got mesmerized by her beauty. When she realized this, she handed him a book that read the Divine prohibition against adultery and punishments set by

Once there was a man doing menial jobs in a mosque and had never been to school. One day he wished to run a school for children. He started wearing big turbans, bought some papers and writing tablets and posed like a learned man. People passing by thought him to be a master and started

Once a man of letters visited a school master. During the course of conversation, he found the master to be well versed in all subjects such as theosophy, grammar, poetry and more. He wondered why a school master should be so very intelligent in so many subjects. As the man started to leave, the master

A learned man was reciting a strange story of a school teacher. When the man passed by a school, he saw a very good-looking man teaching in the classroom, whom he wished to test the knowledge of the holy Quran. He asked him many questions to which the teacher answered brilliantly. Subsequently, he started visiting

Once Haroon Al-Rashid’s son, Caliph Al-Maamun, thought of bringing down the Pyramids of God-guarded city of Cairo. He spent large sums of money in trying to bring down the Pyramids but in vain, but out of which he could only open a small tunnel wherein he found enough treasure that could be spent on trying

Once Haroon Al-Rashid set out into the desert along with his drinking friends–Abu Yaqoob, Jaafar-the Barmecide and Abu Nowas. In the desert, they saw an old man Badawi resting against his ass. When they asked him from where he came, the old man replied he was from Basrah and was going to Baghdad to get

Long ago, there was an honest, devout Israeli woman who used to offer prayers inside a garden every day. Two garden keepers, both Sheikhs, fell in love with her and tried to persuade her to surrender herself, but she strictly refused. They threatened her; they would hold her against fornication. But the lady did not

On Friday, a man brought a fish and asked his wife to cook it at the end of the congregational prayers. Saying so, he left home for business.  A few minutes later, her friend visited her and invited her to her wedding at her house, to which she agreed but forgot the fish in the

During the days of Haroon Al-Rashid, Saeed bin Salim Al-Bahili ran into unspeakable debt from all sides and he saw no relief coming from any quarters. Every day, creditors would gather at his residence and demand for the settlement of debts. He took the advice of Abdullah bin Malik Al-Khuza who told him that none

Jaafar Musa Al-Hadi had a slave-girl called Al-Badr Al-Kabir who played upon the flute greatly and was, in fact, perfect in every discipline one could think of. Mohammed Al-Amin, the son of Zubaidah, requested Jaafar to sell her to him. Jaafar clarified he never intended to sell off his slave-girls or set prices on them.

Yahya bin Khalid, the Barmecide, was once coming back from the palace of the Caliph to his mansion. As he entered inside, a man waiting for him arose and said that he was in need of what Yahya had in his possession and took the Allah’s name. Immediately Yahya ordered the man to be given

King Khusrau of Persia and his Queen Shirin were fond of fish. Once a fisherman brought a big fish for the King and was rewarded four thousand dirhams. But Shirin told the King that the fisherman had been rewarded excessively, and so his reward should be revised. She continued that if the fish was a

A water-carrier in Bokhara held the duty of carrying water to the goldsmith’s house for thirty years. His wife had a perfect blend of beauty and brilliance, apart from modesty and piousness. One day when the water-carrier customarily poured the water into the cisterns at their house, he suddenly caught the lady’s hand, squeezed it

One day when Caliph Al-Hakim bin Amrillah was riding through the state procession, he came across a garden wherein a man was surrounded by eunuchs and negro-slaves. He came forward and asked the man for a draught of water, which he was more than happy to give him and requested the Caliph to grace his