The Theocrat: A Modern Arabic Novel (Modern Arabic Literature) (19 page)

“So we must make haste and move toward the decisive engagement. Isn’t that so?”

“Yes indeed, Abu Rakwa! At this point time is a formidable weapon in our hands. We can either make full use of it to achieve our goals, or else waste it, in which case we’ll be the ones who’ll be eliminated.”

“What about the rest of the prisoners? What do you think we should do with them?”

‘They’re all leaning toward your cause, they’d prefer to bolster our numbers rather than go back to Egypt where they’re sure to die.”

“Nevertheless release all the wounded who want to return home. Now go back to our camp and tell the shaykhs that after today’s evening prayer I shall await them in my tent. We will discuss our forthcoming battle. Don’t forget to invite Hammu and Yahya. Now go and find Shaykh Zaydan the Mazati.”

Shihab al-Din had only been gone a short while before the Mazati shaykh entered the tent to see the imam. He warmly greeted Abu Rakwa, and in return was welcomed and honored by his host. The two men sat on mats, sipping cups of green tea and chatting about a variety of issues: Sunni jurisprudence, Shi‘ism and Isma’ilism, and whether the Fatimid ruler al-Hakim could be legally anathematized. Once in a while the two men disagreed on a point. For example, the Mazati shaykh, who by inclination adhered to the Hanafi school of law, expressed his regret that Sunni Islam should be divided up into schools and sects.

“Abu Rakwa,” he said, “the imams of Islam are men just like us. We have to interpret the law just as they did. Since Abu Hanifa Nu‘man himself made that statement, I agree with it. It is the disciples and followers of those imams who went wrong. When they all split up into different sects and schools, they allowed the unity of the religion to be compromised. Worse than that, they introduced heresies and innovations by indulging in varieties of sin and unbelief and sowing discord. I ask you, Abu Rakwa, is it conceivable that there should be a single truth, and yet those who receive it are divided into a number of different schools?”

“The truth is indeed one, Zaydan,” Abu Rakwa replied, “and God’s messages are unchanging, However humanity is numerous and varied, and its circumstances are continually in a process of transformation. That explains their division into different religious communities and creeds. Every community is subdivided into sects and groups. There are different modes of interpretation and schisms. All that is God’s practice with His servants.”

“If that’s your view, then why don’t you leave al-Hakim the Fatimid Caliph alone?”

“Because he won’t leave us alone. But, even if fear and religious piety did cause him to leave us alone, it would still be the solemn obligation of
every Muslim to fight him and his dominion. How can we possibly ignore the fact that he has ruined the lives and destroyed the souls of countless human beings whom God has honored; that he has transcended the limits of interpretation into the realms of schism, and from there into murder? He has become insane enough to deify himself and become enmired in the direst perdition. No, no, by Him who is Lord of East and West, there being no other god but He, I will fight al-Hakim till God’s servants are rid of him and restore to them the signs of justice and honor. Should I fail, then God is my steward who will wreak His promised revenge on heretics.
Whoever associates with God anything, as is as though he has fallen from Heaven and the birds snatch him away, or the wind sweeps him headlong into a place far away.”

“Yes indeed, Abu Rakwa, your struggle is indeed the right one. May God come to your aid and grant you victory. I pledge all the support that my own dwindling powers can provide for you, sometimes giving you my own opinion and at others listening to your moments of joy and concern.”

“May God bless you and give you long life, illustrious shaykh! Now let’s talk about Barqa for a while.”

“If al-Hakim’s army left us alone and ended the conflict, we could be the happiest of people in our own territory, It’s a blessed land. God has provided it with qualities found nowhere else. In some parts you can find oil that is an antidote for scabies, cough, and skin rash. Everywhere is tinged by a gentle red color; I notice, Abu Rakwa, that your own clothes bear some traces of it, as happens with all its inhabitants. You only get rid of it when you leave the region of Barqa.”

“The red color is most welcome! Let it be red till victory!”

“And then there’s the green that surrounds us on all sides. That mountain that you see enveloping the city has a thick forest of juniper trees, and the slopes provide rich pasturage where our flocks can graze safely as they praise their God.”

“Yes indeed, Zaydan, ever since I took up residence on this roof, those very junipers and green pastures have always been with me in my hours of solitude.”

“The verdure extends as far as the open spaces to the north where there’s a profusion of fruit trees, citron, quince, and walnut. They provide us with different kinds of fruit throughout the year.”

“Dear colleague, if we weren’t going to embark on the crucial confrontation with al-Hakim the Fatimid, I’d ask you to take me to those open spaces tomorrow so we could spend the day there relaxing and strolling around. So let’s make that a promise for the future if God grants us victory!”

“Should God grant you victory, Abu Rakwa, it’s a promise. And if not, then you have an even greater reward dwelling in the gardens of eternal life.”

“True enough, Zaydan! And what of the other boons of this land?”

“There’s good, fresh animal meat, pure honey, tar, wool, and cotton. They’re all taken away for al-Hakim’s troops, either for a paltry price or else by sheer plunder and aggression. The tribes of the Barqa region, Bedouin of the Banu Qurra, Berbers of Zanata and al-Hakim, and Arabized Mizata Berbers, had no name for their common enemy nor for the fruits of their land till God sent you to us in order to unite us in His religion and to grant His word triumph over the forces of tyranny.”

With those words the shaykh stood up to take his leave. Abu Rakwa stood up too and escorted his guest to the tent entrance, clasping his arm.

“Don’t forget that walk we are going to take, Zaydan, if God grants us victory. Beyond that I promise that you will serve as prayer-leader whenever I have to be away. Also don’t forget to come to the meeting of tribal shaykhs this evening.”

Zaydan nodded his head in agreement as he patted Abu Rakwa’s shoulders and wished him all success.

Shortly after the evening prayer the tribal shaykhs started gathering at Abu Rakwa’s tent. They shook his hand and sat down in their places; they were sipping cups of tea and exchanging small talk and compliments. The last to arrive were Shihab al-Din, Hammu. and Yahya, accompanied by ‘Ali ibn Jawhar and Shaykh Zaydan the Mazati. No sooner had they greeted the imam and the assembled shaykhs and taken their places than Abu Rakwa addressed them all, “Greetings, illustrious lords,” he said,
his facial expression a beacon of good news. “By God, this is indeed a great night! As you all know, we’re gathered here to consider the final measures to be taken before our worthy warriors enter Egypt. They will arrive as conquerors, not raiders; they will bring glad tidings of justice and unified faith, not of tyranny and oppression. More than ever before we are now embarked on a decisive campaign during which we are going to rely completely on Him who alone possesses the glory and majesty. Dispatches keep arriving from Egypt filled with accounts of people’s complaints against al-Hakim the tyrant, of pleas that we come and rescue them, and of heartfelt prayers for our victory and success. The field marshal of the Fatimid army. al-Husayn ibn Jawhar of whom you have all heard, no doubt, has sent us his son, ‘Ali, whom you have all met, charging him to assure us of his loyal and steadfast support for our cause. He has also sent a letter. I have read it, and I want you all to hear its contents so that you can all gauge for yourselves the kind of conspiracies al-Hakim is hatching against us and the preparations he is making for our arrival. After the traditional invocations of God’s name, here is what he has to say:

Imam, now that you have crossed the borders into Egypt, you can see for yourself the tyrannical rule of al-Hakim and the ways in which he toys with the country and its people. And yet everything you have seen and heard so far is considerably less severe than the details of what remains concealed from view. You have known the Egyptians to be good folk; they resist tyranny whenever they can and rely on patience and humor when they cannot. But today, confronted by al-Hakim and all his Turkish troops and slaves, they find themselves powerless. Even their jokes only bring them vengeful attacks from the tyrant and misery and suffering as a consequence. Dear Imam, it is hard for me to sit and watch the Egyptian people resorting to silence and lassitude as deliberate strategies. It is all for fear that
the slightest display of disapproval or levity may reach the eyes of al-Hakim’s spies. They have managed infiltrate houses and quarters alike, to such an extent that this poisonous atmosphere of espionage can even infect different members of a single family. If they are forced to live even for a short period in such circumstances, they will all become completely paranoid—God forbid!—and that is a terrible fate!

           Imam, the entire Egyptian people, crushed and terrified as it is, now eagerly awaits the end of this disastrous period, an end that will come through your actions, all with the will and help of God. They regard your blessed advent to Egypt, armed with the twin weapons of power and speed, as the agent of their salvation. We Sicilians, along with the Kutamis, are raising people’s hopes for your success and bolstering their courage by trusting in you and in Him to whom is the power and majesty. But, I beg you by God, do not use the slogan of “deliberate speed” to veil your eyes or fetter your hands. In the present circumstances moving too slowly may turn out to be an irresponsible act. If that happens, then so much the worse for you! Don’t imagine that al-Hakim the tyrant is ignoring you; to the contrary, you have his full attention. Recently, he’s been spending all his time and energy on devising ways to bring you down. The only people he meets are those who wish you ill. All his mental energies are concentrated on tricks and ruses. For example, totally contrary to his normal practice, he has started displaying signs of a fake sense of justice and fairness in his decisions. God fight him, he has even stopped sentencing people to death, Beyond that, he has started importing mercenaries from Syria to protect himself against you; he gives them all sorts of gifts, thus depleting his own resources and those of the treasury, What I am most
afraid of is that weak-hearted people, those who have despaired of ever achieving any kind of release or happiness, will be taken in by his trickery. To avoid this disaster, something that would result in a yet more generalized distrust and a full-scale catastrophe, I’m sending my own son with this letter. I beg you, by God. to lead your warriors to us without delay. With our aid you can achieve that great victory that God has promised against the forces of the tyrant. From today we will be awaiting the arrival of your army by the western gates of Cairo. We will prepare the terrain, provide food and ammunition, and recruit as many cavalry and infantry as we can muster. Victory can come only from God; in Him we trust and to Him is the return. His peace be on you and on your companions and followers.

“Alongside the signature of al-Husayn ibn Jawhar is that of his son-in-law, ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn al-Nu‘man al-Qayrawani, the Chief Judge of Egypt.

“My people, now that you have heard the contents of this letter, do you feel the need for more discussion? Shall we proceed from one session to another, using due deliberation as a convenient way of turning caution and anticipation into sheer delay? Time, as I’m sure you’re all aware, is a double-edged sword: when we use it well, it serves to our advantage: but, when we waste the chances and benefits it offers us, then it turns against us. So then let us act wisely by using it to our advantage before it abandons us and gives our foes the benefit. Have I made my point? Tell me what you think about our current situation: should we be setting out tomorrow with God’s power and aid. or the day after?”

A profound silence fell over the assembly, as though everyone was agreeing with what Abu Rakwa had just said. However, it was a time for action, not talk and discussion. It was ‘Ali ibn Jawhar who eventually broke the silence, “Dear colleagues, your silence is a genuine blessing. By God, it shows that you have all realized how serious the situation in Egypt really is. This short letter which my father has sent is all you need;
there is no call for prolonged debate. Now you should all be rushing to prepare your riding animals and embark on this great campaign before this golden opportunity slips from our grasp. People are relying on you. The Sicilians and Maghribis are waiting with their two thousand men, all burning for action. It is God alone who grants success and power.”

“God bless you, ‘Ali,” Abu Rakwa said in a tone that blended gratitude with resolve, “and likewise your father and your fellow people! Now then, how many fighters do we have and how much ammunition?”

“Imam,” responded Shihab al-Din immediately, “we have six thousand fighters in Barqa and its environs—Banu Qurra, Zanatis, Mizatis, Luwatis, with two thousand cavalry and the rest infantry. A small troop has been fully trained to hurl rocks and fire arrows, while another one specializes in diverting the enemy with skirmishes and feints. Apart from those, all our fighters are good at hand-to-hand combat and set-piece battles.”

“Imam,” continued Hammu, “the ammunition situation is, thank God, excellent. Every warrior carries his sword, dagger, and shield, cavalry and infantry alike. We have enough swords and arrows in reserve for several days of fighting. If we stick to our current policy of moderation, there won’t be any shortage of food or water.”

“What about al-Hakim’s army?” someone asked from the assembly. “What do we know about their numbers and ammunition. Tell us about the foe we face before we actually confront him—may God reward you!”

Everyone looked at Abu Rakwa, then at ‘Ali ibn Jawhar. It was the latter who responded.