worship, so he may be honoured by thy presence and get of thee a
blessing." So saying, he kissed the Imam's hand and returned to
his lodging.

On the morrow, whilst Aboubekr was [engaged] in the Friday
prayers at dawn, he stood up amongst the folk, in the midst of
the mosque, and said, "O our brethren of the Muslims and people
of Mohammed, all of you, verily envy falleth not save upon the
rich and the noble and passeth by the poor and those of low
estate. Know that of the two stranger men against whom I spoke
yesterday one is an Amir, a man of great rank and noble birth,
and the case is not as certain of the envious [FN#113] informed me
concerning him, to wit, that he was a thief and a robber; for I
have enquired into the matter and find that the report lieth. So
beware lest any of you missay of the Amir or speak aught of evil
against him, such as that which I heard yesterday, or you will
cause me and yourselves fall into the gravest of calamities with
the Commander of the Faithful; for that a man of high degree like
this cannot sojourn in the city of Baghdad without the Khalif's
knowledge." On [FN#114] this wise, then, the Imam Aboubekr did
away from the minds of the folk the ill thought [FN#115] which he
had planted [there] by his speech concerning Zein ul Asnam.

Moreover, when he had made an end of the prayers, he returned to
his own house and donned his gabardine; then, weightening his
skirts and lengthening his sleeves, [FN#116] he went forth and
took his way to the prince's house. When he came in to Zein ul
Asnam, the latter rose to him and received him with the utmost
reverence. Now he was by nature religious, [FN#117] for all he was
a youth of tender age; so he proffered the Imam all manner of