The Events of Mushtāqī 11.1

11.1

He was a religious and righteous king. He was a careful observer of religion, but he also enjoyed the pleasures of the world. It was his custom that he kept every night some thousand gold mohurs under his pillow, and in the day he gave them away to deserving people. In his haram there were seventy women who knew the Kur'an by heart, and it was the rule that when the Sultan was dressing they were to read it out, and not to leave off till he had finished putting on his clothes. One day a person brought a hoof of an ass, and said it was the hoof of the ass of Christ (may peace be to Him!). He gave him 50,000 tankas, and took it from him. Well, four persons brought four hoofs. He took them all, and granted 50,000 tankas to each one of them. Afterwards another person came and brought another hoof, and the same sum was ordered to be given to him. One of his Courtiers observed, "My lord, an ass has only four feet, and I never heard that it had five, unless perhaps the ass of Christ had five." He replied, "Who knows? It may be that this last man has told the truth, and one of the others was wrong. Go and give this man also 50,000 tonkas." He had ordered his private servants and personal attendants that when he was in the enjoyment of pleasure or engaged in any worldly pursuit, they should place a piece of cloth before him, and tell him it was his coffin shroud. This they did, and he took warning from it.