Ain Al-Hayat, The Essence of Life.pdf - Higher Intellect | Content ...

city of the enemy king, word reached the monarch of their arrival and he asked his men to
fetch the trader into the city with full respect.
The servants gave due respect to the travelers. They entered the city, unpacked the
merchandise and the slaves of the prince were ordered by him to go to several vantage
spots in the city and sell the products at low prices. He particularly asked them to go to
the bazaar closer to where his brother was confined.
Therefore the slaves made a beeline to the bazaar near the spot where the prince was
held. Their prices were so down to earth that the entire population rushed to buy the
wares. The prince crept nearer to the place his brother was incarcerated. . He picked up a
pebble and threw it on the place to ascertain if his brother was still alive. When the
pebble hit him, the prince started shouting. The guards rushed to him and said, “ Every
day the people throw pebbles at you but you never shout as you have done today? Why
are you so distraught today?” He said, “ Every day when people throw stones at me I feel
that they are strangers and may have no sympathy for me. But today when I was hit by
the pebble, I felt as if someone close to me has thrown it!” The men were surprised to
hear what the prince said.
The next morning the prince sent his men with more valuable things to sell at the same
spot. He sent along with them the dancing girls to entertain the crowds. The men started
selling and the women sang and danced. The entire populace got busy with the
entertainment. The prince stealthily entered the place of confinement of his brother, cut
away his chains and brought him out. He hid him in the house where his group was
staying. The wounds of the prince were properly dressed. When the prince was slightly
improved, he was mounted on a fast steed and sent away. He was instructed that on the
way, at a certain place a boat waited on the bank of the river to take him safely home. The
prince proceeded in the direction where he was told the boat awaited him. Unfortunately,
after some time, he lost the way and reached a dense forest. On the way he fell into a
well. There was a python in that well. When he looked up, he found several fierce
looking bandits with swords in their hands. With great difficulty he emerged from the
well and ran from there. After many days of wandering he found a road. Fortunately he
was able to reach the boat and sailed safely to his city.”
The prince now asked the princess, “ Would a person who had undergone so much
hardship, be willing to get involved in further danger?” The princess said, “ No! Never!”
The prince said, “ I am in a similar predicament!”
Hearing all this, the king, the queen and the princess were disappointed. The prince’s
friend, the youth, whispered in his ears that if he was not interested in marrying the
princess, he could recommend him to the king for the match!
The prince told to the king, “ If you approve of my friend here, he would be willing to
accept the princess as his bride. But his example will be like a group of people who
boarded a boat that sank in the middle of a river. All the passengers were drowned but for
a sole survivor who held to a small plank of wood and reached an island. There he started