Now both, Aboo and Nuzhat, started enjoying life, that one day Aboo said to Nuzhat - "I want to play a trick on the Caliph; and you will also do the same with the Lady Zubaidaa. We will talk to them at once, to begin with 200 Deenaars and two pieces of silk." She asked - "What do you want to do?" He said - "We will pretend ourselves dead, and this is the trick. I will die before you and will lie outside. You will spread over me a silken cloth, loose my turban over me, tie my shoes and lay on my stomach a knife and a little salt. Then you let down your hair, go to your mistress Zubaidaa, tearing your dress, slapping your face and crying out. She will ask you, "What ails you?" Tell her that "Aboo al-Hasan is dead." She will weep for me and ask her new treasurer to give you 100 Deenaars and a piece of silk and will say to you - "Go, Lay him out and carry him forth." You take that money and cloth and come back to me, and then you will lie down in place of me. I will play the same game with the Caliph.

Nuzhat got very happy to hear this plan. So Aboo lay down. She shut his eyes, tied his feet, covered him with a cloth and did everything what Aboo said her to do. Then she tore her dress, loosened her hair and went to Zubaidaa crying. Zubaidaa asked her - "What is the matter, Nuzhat?" She said - "Aboo al-Hasan is dead." The Lady Zubaidaa mourned for him, shed tears for him, then asked her treasurer to give her 100 Deenaars and a piece of silk and said - "O Nuzhat, Go, Lay him out and carry him forth." She took the 100 Deenaars and the cloth and came back to Aboo. Aboo danced with joy, kept that money and cloth carefully and did the same with Nuzhat as she did with him. When the Caliph heard this, he said to him - "Do not grieve Aboo, for we will bestow you another bed-fellow. He also ordered his treasurer to give him 100 Deenaars and a piece of silk and said to him - "Go, Lay her out and carry her forth and make her a handsome funeral."

So Aboo took what was given to him and came back to his house. He gave money and silk piece to Nuzhat, so they added money to money and cloth to cloth and sat talking and laughing. Meanwhile, when Aboo al-Hasan came from the Caliph and went out to lay out Nuzhat, the Caliph mourned for her and dismissing the Deevaan, leaning upon Masaroor, thought to condole the Lady Zubaidaa, for her handmaid. But Zubaidaa said - "O My Lord, Allaah protect my slave girl, your boon-companion Aboo al-Hasan is dead." The Caliph said - "No, Your slave girl is dead," and the Lady Zubaidaa said - "No, Your boon-companion is dead." At this Zubaidaa said - "But I myself have given her 100 Deenaars and a piece of silk. And in fact, I was waiting for you to console you for your cup-companion."

At this the Caliph got very angry and sent Masaroor to go to Aboo's house and see which of them was dead. Masaroor immediately set out to Aboo's house. The Caliph said to Zubaidaa - "Would you bet with me at this?" Zubaidaa said - "Yes, I can." Masaroor came running to Aboo's house, but he was still in a by-street, that Aboo saw him coming. He immediately said to Nuzhat - "It seems that, after I had left, The Caliph must have gone to the Lady Zubaidaa, and consoled her on the death of her hand maid, and she must have said, "It is not my hand maid, but your cup-companion who has died." Both must have betted and the Caliph has sent Masaroor to find out who has died. So you lie down." Nuzhat immediately lay down, Aboo covered her body with her shawl and started weeping sitting at her head.

Masaroor came in, saluted Aboo, uncovered the face of Nuzhat to confirm, expressed his condolence for her death and ran away back to the Caliph to let him know that Nuzhat was dead. He confirmed this to the Caliph and the Lady Zubaidaa. The Lady Zubaidaa was very angry at this, she could not believe Masaroor, so she said - "I send my own maid to find out that who is dead." And she called on one of her old women and sent her to find out who was dead - Aboo or Nuzhat. She also went running and as she reached near Aboo's house, Aboo saw her and asked Nuzhat to take his place. So Aboo lay down, and Nuzhat sat weeping for him at his head. The old woman came and saw Aboo died. She confirmed it by uncovering his face and expressed her condolence for his death. 

She thought that Masaroor wanted the Caliph and the Lady Zubaidaa to fight and she said this to Nuzhat. Nuzhat asked - "What is the cause of this fight?" The woman replied - "Masaroor came to the Caliph and the Lady Zubaidaa and told them that Aboo was well." Nuzhat said - "I was with the Lady a while ago, and she gave me 100 Deenaars and a piece of silk. Now I am bewildered that how I will do being alone?" The woman went back to the Lady Zubaidaa and related the story. She asked her to tell this to the Caliph.

Now Masaroor and the woman started quarreling over the issue that who was dead. Seeing quarreling both, the Caliph said to the Lady Zubaidaa - "OK, We all four are lying. To prove who is speaking truth, we all four go to Aboo's house to find who is dead." So all four came to Aboo's house. When Aboo saw them coming, he said to Nuzhat - "It seems that the old woman had told that Aboo is dead, so Masaroor must have opposed her and now all the four are coming to confirm." "What do we do now?" Aboo said - "We both will lie down." So they both lay down where they usually lay for their siesta.

Seeing both lying, the Lady Zubaidaa wept and said - "It seems that the death of Aboo was grievous to her and she died after him." The Caliph said - "You cannot prove me a liar by telling me this. Aboo must have died after Nuzhat had died, because he came to me in torn clothes with plucked beard and I gave him 100 Deenaars and a piece of silk and said to him - "Go, I will give you another bed-fellow." So it is I who have won the bet."

Thus the dispute went sore. So the Caliph sat at the head of the couple and said - "O Allaah, Who is going to tell me which one died before? I will willingly give him 1,000 Deenaars." At this Aboo sprang up and cried - "O Caliph, I died first. Give me 1,000 Deenaars according to your promise." Nuzhat also rose and both the Caliph and the Lady Zubaidaa were very happy to see both of them safe and hearty. They then came to know that it was only a trick played on them.

The Lady Zubaidaa said to Nuzhat - "You should have told me what you needed. What was the need of playing such a mean trick on us. You burned my heart for you." Nuzhat got sorry for this and she asked her forgiveness. Aboo said - "I played this trick, because the money you gave was finished and I was ashamed to ask more from you. When I was single, I never had any money in my hand, but since you have married me to this girl, even if I have your money, it is less. But now you give me 1,000 Deenaars according to your promise."

All returned to the Caliph's palace. He gave 1,000 Deenaars to him and said - "Keep this the reward for playing trick on me." While the Lady Zubaidaa also did the same to her maid. Moreover the Caliph increased the wages ad supplies of Aboo so that they lived in joy and contentment.

End of Story No 82