The Wicked and The Honest
In the city of Alexandria lived two friends, Abu Kir and Abu Sir. Abu Kir was a dyer. People of the town brought their clothes to him asked him to color them. Abu Sir was a barber. Also, he worked in a bath. The bath was founded by a rich man. It had a nice pool. There were several servants who massaged with oil those who came there for bathing, on the payment of a certain fee. Abu Kir was lazy and dishonest. Many a time he sold the clothes which his customers gave him for dying. The customers reported this practice to the governor of the city. When Abu Kir understood that he was in danger of being punished, he planned to flee the city. He went to Abu Sir and told him, "My friend, you are a gifted barber. I have heard that the people of your trade prosper well in lands beyond the sea. Let us leave the wretched city in search of fortune."
Abu Sir was soon influenced by Abu Kir. Both boarded a ship that was on its way to a distant land with over a hundred passengers. The voyage was to take a long time. Abu Sir offered to shave the passengers. The passengers as well as the crew were very happy to have a barber among them. For his labor, Abu Sir was given plenty of food. The two friends had agreed on a condition: Whatever one of them earned, the other would have a share in it. Abu Sir shared his food with Abu Kir who did nothing except eating the lion's share of the food and sleeping for the rest of the time. Abu Sir, however, did not mind that. After a month the ship touched a harbor near a prosperous city. Abu Kir and Abu Sir alighted there and hired a small lodge. There too, Abu Kir passed his time sleeping or dozing. But Abu Sir went out every day in the morning, worked as a barber under the roadside trees, and bought food with the money he received. Back at the lodge, it was he who cooked. Then he woke up Abu Kir and both ate. A month passed. Abu Sir took ill and could not go to work. Pang of hunger obliged Abu Kir to go out into the city. He soon saw a dyer's shop. But he was surprised to see that all the clothes were dyed only in blue. "Why don't you use any other color?" he asked the dyer. The dyer looked at him vacantly. In a short time, Abu Kir understood that the dyers of the city knew no color but blue.
He marched to the Sultan's palace, met the Sultan and said, "My lord, I come from the famous city of Alexandria I was the most prominent dyer in the city and I used to dye the clothes of my customers in a variety of colors like green, blue, red, yellow and orange. But here the dyers have never heard of such colors. If you patronize me, I can set up a shop and dye the royal apparels in gorgeous hues!". The Sultan grew curious. He gave him a large house, a number of slaves to serve him, and enough money to buy things he needed. Abu Kir went back to his lodge. Abu Sir was lying unconscious due to a high fever. Abu Kir quietly removed his own things and also whatever money Abu Sir had in his purse. Then he locked the lodge and went to live in his new house. He bought from the market the seeds, fruits, roots, oil, and all other things with which to prepare different colors. He then dyed the first batch of the Sultan's clothes and spread them before his shop. Hundreds of citizens collected to see the marvelous display. When the clothes were carried to the palace, the Sultan sprang up from his throne in joy. The Sultan provided him with more slaves and more money.
All the noblemen and the merchants of the city became his customers. He became one of the richest men in the city in less than a month. Three days after Abu Kir left the helpless Abu Sir, the owner of the lodge thought that his boarders had slipped away without paying him his rent. He broke open the lock and found Abu Sir in a pitiable condition. "Please take some money from my purse and buy me some fruits," Abu Sir requested the lodge owner. But the purse was found empty. Abu Sir realized that Abu Kir had stolen his money and escaped. He sighed in despair. The lodge owner was kind to him. He bought him food and medicine at his own cost and nursed him. It took Abu Sir a month to recover fully. When able to walk, Abu Sir went out into the city. His attention went to an elegant house, before which a crowd had gathered. "What is going on here?" he asked a passer-by. "Is it not strange that you have not heard about Abu Kir's novel dying shop?" said the passer-by. Abu Sir felt happy that his friend had prospered so well in such a short time. Joyously he entered the house. Abu Kir sat on a cushioned seat, ordering about his slaves. As soon as his eyes fell on Abu Sir, he shook up and shouted saying, "You vagabond, you thief, get out!" His servants rushed at Abu Sir and threw him out with slaps and kicks. Abu Sir, already weak with his illness, lay dazed on the road for long. Then he got up and returned to his lodge.
He wept alone but decided to forget the humiliation and find some work for himself. After a couple of days, he met the Sultan and said, "My Lord, yours is a beautiful city. But what a pity that there is no bath here. If you patronize me, I can build one for you" The Sultan did not know what a bath is. When he heard its description, he was fascinated. He ordered a nice building with a wide compound at the center of the city to be vacated for Abu Sir. He also gave him a large sum of money and a dozen slaves. In a few months, Abu Sir completed preparing the bath. The pool had scented water. He prepared an excellent oil. The entire hall was filled with mild smoke giving a sweet fragrance. Then he invited Sultan to visit it. Upon the Sultan's arrival, Abu Sir massaged him with oil and gave him a good bath. The Sultan who had never known this kind of luxury was highly impressed."You can realize a thousand dinars from anyone enjoying a bath," he said. "My lord, your kindness is great. But many cannot pay such a big amount. Let the people pay whatever they please," appealed Abu Sir.
The bath became the talk of the town. It was frequented by the nobility and the top officers. Among them was the captain of the king's ship who became quite friendly with Abu Sir. Abu Kir heard about Abu Sir's success. One day he appeared at the bath. But Abu Kir pretended anger and said, "How is it, my friend, that you never looked for me? A day has not passed when I have not tried to find you out!" "But did you not drive me away when I went to you?" asked Abu Sir. "What! Are you mad? But I remember driving away a fellow who was a thief. He resembled you. I could not have imagined that I had driven you out, instead of the thief!" lamented Abu Kir. Abu Sir believed him and gave him a good bath. Abu Kir then told him, "I am so glad that you are in Sultan's good book. Here is a balm that I received from a great physician. If this is massaged into one's body, one will feel much fresh. You can, use this on the Sultan." Abu Sir thanked his friend and received the balm. From Abu Sir's bath, Abu Kir straight went to meet the Sultan and told him in confidence, "Here is shocking news for you. I understand that you are visiting Abu Sir's bath. Both Abu Sir and I were once prisoners of your enemy king. I bought my freedom by paying money to the king; Abu Sir got his freedom by promising to kill you. He proposed to inspire trust in you and then massage into your body a certain balm. The balm, in fact, is a deadly poison that kills one slowly."
The Sultan lost his peace. Upon his next visit to the bath, as soon as Abu Sir proposed to massage him with the balm, he asked his bodyguards to take him, prisoner. Abu Sir was then handed over to the captain who was to throw him into the sea. The captain, however, is a friend of Abu Sir, carried him to a small island. "Wait here for a day or two, Maybe, we will know the cause of the Sultan's wrath. Here is a net. You may catch fish to while away time," said the captain. In the meanwhile, the Sultan had lost a ring while bathing. The ring was endowed with magic power. If the king got angry with a man and waved his hand with the ring on his finger, a dazzling light went out of the ring and struck the man dead. All were afraid of the king on account of the ring. Abu Sir devoted his time to catching fish. Hungry, he cut a big fish in order to cook it. Plop came out of it a dazzling ring. Abu Sir put it on his finger. Just then two fishermen saw Abu Sir's heap of fish. They came near him to take the fish away. Abu Sir, angry with them, waved his hand directing them to keep off his fish. At once a flash emanated from the ring and the two fishermen fell dead. The captain saw the happening while coming to meet Abu Sir. It did not take him long to realize that what Abu Sir put on was the Sultan's ring. He carried Abu Sir to the Sultan's court. "Is this fellow not dead yet?" cried out the Sultan in anger. "My Lord, here is your lost ring. Now, kill me if you like, but please tell me what my crime is," pleaded Abu Sir.
The Sultan who was extremely sad at the loss of the ring was delighted to get it back. "Do you know the power of this ring?" he asked. "Yes, my lord, for two fellows gave their lives to this," said Abu Sir and reported to the Sultan what happened on the island. The Sultan immediately understood that had Abu Sir wanted to kill him, he could have done so by the ring. He embraced him and asked him, "Do you have an enemy here?" Even then Abu Sir did not mention Abu Kir. But upon the king's order, he narrated all his adventures, in the course of which he said whatever Abu Kir had done to him. The sultan sent for the lodge owner who had nursed Abu Sir and Abu Kir's slaves who had beaten up Abu Sir. They confirmed Abu Sir's statements. The Sultan then ordered Abu Kir to be brought there as a prisoner. Before Abu Sir had any time to plead for his friend, the Sultan asked the captain to take him away and throw him into the sea. The captain carried out the order as soon as possible. Abu Sir returned to his own land with a shipload of gifts from the Sultan.
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