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      Miṣbāḥ al-sharq 43, February 9, 1899⁶³

       9.1

      ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said: The Pāshā and I kept on going round in circles, trying one course after another in an attempt to find these endowments. We questioned passersby and travelers about mosques and fountains; it was like seeking verdant meadows in an arid desert or a thirsty man in quest of a pool of water. We could not find anyone to guide us to the object of our search. At this point the Pāshā began to remember the location of streets, alleyways, and houses; he would say that the endowment was here and then there, and that what the Almighty brings about is glorious. He kept shortening his pace and prolonging his sighs as he wept at the sight of the ruins and old houses, like the lovers of ʿAzza or Nawār:

      Question these ruins and make your weeping an answer;

      in tears you find both question and answer.⁶⁴

       9.2

      After spending ages wandering around and walking hither and yon, we eventually reached a narrow lane at the end of the road. The Pāshā came to a halt in front of some ruined dwellings, derelict walls, and a small mosque. The front part consisted of a wine shop, and there was a perfumer’s shop in one corner. Alongside these two were some other shops of various shapes and sizes. The Pāshā looked up and stared at them intently, but was not sure whether he was right or wrong. A long close scrutiny led him to see an old man sitting cross-legged by himself on a bench. He looked weak and timeworn, and seemed very despondent, as though he had resigned himself to his lot. His forehead looked like an old papyrus sheet, showing signs of dreadful hardship that time had inscribed on it. The Pāshā’s uncertainty now changed to conviction. From a distance he yelled over to the man as a master would to his slave. The man leapt to his feet remarkably quickly and ran towards him in answer to his summons. From the fearsome yell and the manner of response I assumed a prince seated on his throne was summoning one of his courtiers. When the Shop Owner reached us, he stood humbly in front of the Pāshā. After collecting his thoughts and staring intently at the man, the Pāshā spoke to him:

       9.3

      PĀSHĀ Aren’t you Aḥmad Aghā, the groom? Weren’t you a member of my entourage? Don’t you know who I am?

      SHOP OWNER If it weren’t for the fact that death is a thick and impenetrable screen separating the surface from interior of the earth, I would have said that you were my master and amir. God is my witness that, every time I look at your face and hear your voice, my mind almost takes flight. I am utterly bewildered, so closely do you resemble my late master.

      PĀSHĀ I am indeed your master. Here’s the mark on my body that you’ll recognize. I got it as a result of a javelin contest you saw on that notable games day.

      The Pāshā uncovered his leg and showed him the mark. The man was so amazed that he fell to the ground. He started kissing the Pāshā’s foot, tears cascading from his eyes.

      SHOP OWNER How can there be life after death? You’re a miracle indeed! Even so, I’m not surprised by what I see. In my lifespan I’ve witnessed remarkable transformations and alterations which pens cannot describe nor notebooks contain within their covers. From now onward the sun may well start rising in the West and the earth release the dead from its graves!

      ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said:

       9.4

      Every day is an object of wonder

      so that nothing it brings forth can amaze.⁶⁵

      “You must realize,” I said, “that all things are possible.” I then told him the Pāshā’s story from the very beginning. With that he uttered a cry and started weeping and moaning:

      SHOP OWNER If only my mother had never borne me! Would that I knew whether the force that resurrected the Pāshā after his death would also bring back the era in which he lived as well. Failing that, how can he possibly make a living in this age? It would be far better for him to retrace his steps to the shrouds of the grave.

       9.5

      ʿĪsā ibn Hishām said: He started telling us his own story, what had happened to him after the Pāshā’s death and what had befallen the Pāshā’s house and his peers who were both colleagues and friends. Turning to face the Pāshā he went on:

      SHOP OWNER Master, not a single trace of your wealth remains. Lands, money, wealth, and possessions—they’re all gone. For a long time I was able to live on the profits of the endowment that you bequeathed to your household and retinue, along with this mosque and fountain, both of which you established to perpetuate your memory. But before too long, the endowment collapsed through prolonged neglect. We were all left in dire need. As you can see for yourself, the fountain has turned into a wine shop, its water into wine, the mosque is now a dye works, and the Qurʾan school is a storehouse. I became a farrier after being a groom, and took over this shop from the endowment’s property as a way of earning a living.

      PĀSHĀ But aren’t there any of my descendants left to supervise the endowment?

      GROOM The last I heard of them was when I went to see one of them about this shop. I mentioned to him the position I’d held in your entourage, but he paid me no attention, upbraided me, proceeded to throw me out, and sent me away with a rebuke. However, my desperate needs forced me to persist, so I went to see him several times. He rid himself of my tiresome and persistent pleas by sending me to a European he had with him who had taken control of what was left of his wealth after the cash had dwindled and the well had run dry. The European sent me to the wine-shop owner. He had purloined the endowed property and taken it over. No one dared to do anything about it without his sanction for fear of litigation at court. So I went to the owner of the wine shop and agreed on a fixed rent with him. I’ve stayed in this shop struggling against a fate which in turn struggles with me, as I search for food that I can’t find and crave the hour of my death which keeps delaying me. God is almighty, alone in His might and outstanding in His wisdom.

       9.6

      PĀSHĀ Where’s this disobedient child who’s acting contrary to my wishes? The stipulations of the endower are as fixed as the text of the giver of the Shariah itself.

      GROOM At present, he’s staying at the “Hotel.”

      PĀSHĀ What’s a “hotel?”

      GROOM The locanda.

      PĀSHĀ And what’s the “locanda?”

      ʿĪSĀ IBN HISHĀM The hotel is a residence available to strangers, foreigners, and travelers with no home of their own to stay in for a fixed price. It’s like the hostel that you’d recognize from your times.

      PĀSHĀ Has this reprobate now stooped so low as to stay in a hostel? Praise be to the One whose deeds human minds cannot comprehend! How can the poor man lead an agreeable life under such conditions after living a life of great luxury and prosperity? Was this resurrection of mine, something decreed upon me by fate, meant to serve as a form of torture for the excessive offences I committed against God? May He be praised! Isn’t there something in the punishment of hellfire in the world to come? To me that’s preferable to shame in this world! O Lord, Hell is an easier punishment to endure than what I’m hearing about loss of both money and family.

      If only a child died at the hour of its birth

      and never suckled from its mother in childbed.⁶⁶

       9.7

      ʿĪSĀ IBN HISHĀM Today it’s not a sign of poverty and humiliation to live in a hotel. Quite the contrary, it’s

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