In the Crown Kingdom in the Peace Province in the Jasmine City, Zixin Quon, the emperor of the Chinese Empire, dotes on his wife, Empress Xiulan Yongnian. Zixin fulfills any request that Xiulan has. Previously, Zixin gifted Xiulan a fine collection of jewelry produced from stones converted to gold by his magical stick. One time, Xiulan wanted to express her appreciation and gratitude to her assistants and maids in the Imperial Palace so she asked Zixin to produce a batch of jewelry that Xiulan wishes to gift her assistants and maids. Of course, this batch of jewelry will be produced from stones that are converted to gold using the magical stick of Zixin similar to what Zixin gifted Xiulan previously. Zixin agreed to Xiulan's request instantly. After the batch of jewelry were exquisitely manufactured, Zixin handed them to Xiulan. Xiulan was extremely happy and she thanked Zixin for fulfilling her wish. Then, Xiulan summoned her assistants and maids and started to gift them fine golden necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, crowns, etc. The assistants and maids were extremely happy for witnessing the phenomenal generosity of their master, Empress Xiulan. They thanked Xiulan deeply and expressed their intentions to serve her faithfully and diligently to the best of their abilities. Xiulan once chatted with Zixin in this regard as follows:
Xiulan: Zixin, we need to pamper our assistants and maids from time to time to guarantee their undivided allegiance to us.
Zixin: You are right, Xiulan. Giving is a great way to capture the hearts of human beings. Being on the top of the political pyramid of China, we need to ensure that our subordinates are loyal and faithful to us to the fullest. Any betrayal can foil our plans and endanger us.
Xiulan: My assistants and maids were quite happy for the gifts they received. I hope they will serve us with devotion all the time.
Zixin: You are a truly wise empress. I admire your creative ideas and how you implement them.
Xiulan: Thank you, my sweetheart. Your wisdom combined with my wisdom will ensure the continuity of what we have achieved and to where we have reached so far.
In the Rainbow City in the Silk Province in the Star Kingdom, after Mohammad Azzumurrud, the Arab and Muslim Koran memorizer, completed the Body and Mind Growth Program at the Merlin School and after he mastered the Chinese language to a remarkable and advanced level, his friends (Yueliang Jian, Taiyang Jian, Junjie Song, Liling Heng and Mei Shun) expressed their ardent interest to learn from Mohammad about the Arabic and Islamic civilization. They want Mohammad to share his knowledge with them in order to explore this unknown world to them. Mohammad readily agreed to the request of his friends and expressed his sincere and strong intention to share with them what he knows. In order to maximize the benefit of learning and knowledge sharing, Yueliang suggested that they invite all their friends and colleagues who were with them in the same batch in the Merlin School. Yueliang, Taiyang, Junjie, Liling and Mei invited their friends to attend regularly the knowledge sharing sessions Mohammad will hold and their friends agreed to attend. In total, twenty students will be attending. These are: Yueliang, Taiyang, Junjie, Liling, Mei, Ji Biming, An Bo, Chang Dequan, Cong Fai, Jiang Qi, Wen Yu, Zhong Ming, Guotin Chuanli, Baozhai Aiguo, Chyou Bolin, Daiyu Chaoxiang, Fen Huizhong, Ju Jianyu, Nuo Park and Shu Qianfan. Yueliang, Taiyang, Junjie, Liling and Mei introduced their friends to Mohammad and they formed new friendships with Mohammad. Mohammad started to hold knowledge sharing sessions in a methodical and well-organized manner. He shared with them a myriad of pearls from the Arabic and Islamic civilization to build new bridges of understanding and communication between the Chinese civilization and the Arabic and Islamic civilization.
Here are some knowledge sharing sessions that Mohammad presented to his friends at the Merlin School.
Session 1: Knowing One Another (التعارف)
Allah stated in the Holy Koran that one wisdom behind creating different nations and tribes is that people know one another. Allah said in the Holy Koran: “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (13)” [THK: S 49: V 13]. Furthermore, Allah mentioned in the Holy Koran His Power in creating people with different languages and colors as follows: “And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge. (22)” [THK: S 30: V 22]. Allah created both Arabs and Chinese people and they speak different languages and have different skills and competencies. In order to foster the mutual knowledge between us (Arabs and Chinese), I will cite some text from the magnificent Arabic book (The Fruits of the Hearts in the Appended and Ascribed)
ثمار القلوب في المضاف و المنسوب
which was authored by Abdulmalik Ath-thaalibi (عبد الملك الثعالبي). He mentioned some information that about Chinese people and their core competencies that are known to Arabs during his era. He also mentioned some core competencies of Arabs in his book. Here is a rough translation of what he said about the Chinese people1:
1. The manufacturers of China “صناع الصين” (China is famous for manufacturing).
2. The inventions of China “طرائف الصين” (China is famous for inventions):
“Arabs used to say for every invented tray and what resembles it “Seeniyya=صينية” (which means Chinese) and this name has remained until now for these known trays. And the people of China are specialized in handicrafts and cleverness in doing inventions... And for them is the extraordinariness in forming (molding, shaping or sculpting) statues and creativity in doing embossments and images to the extent that their painter (or sculptor) paints (or sculpts) a human being without leaving a thing (without missing any detail).
As for Arabs, Ath-thaalibi mentioned their core competencies as: eloquent speech, poetry, horsemanship and pursuit (trailing).
Regarding Bilad Ash-sham (Syria), Ath-thaalibi mentioned the following facts about it:
1. The Paradise of the World=”جنة الدنيا”: Ash-sham is used to be called: (The Paradise of the World). When Heraclius, the Roman ruler of Ash-sham, fled to the Romans after he was defeated by the Arabic and Islamic armies, he cried until he wetted his beard and fainted. After he woke up, he said: “Peace be upon you O Syria. O Paradise of the World; peace from one who will not meet you again.”
2. The Obedience of the People of Ash-sham=”طاعة أهل الشام”: the people of Ash-sham are famous for the obedience of the ruler.
3. The Apple of Ash-sham=”تفاح الشام”: This apple is proverbial for it beauty and delicious taste.
4. The Glass of Ash-sham=”زجاج الشام”: This glass is proverbial for its tenderness and purity.
5. The Oil of Ash-sham=”زيت الشام”: This olive oil is proverbial for its quality and cleanness.
Session 2: Knowledge and Action (العلم و العمل)
Islam is the religion of knowledge and action. Islam orders Muslims to seek knowledge and act upon their knowledge. In other words, Muslims transform their knowledge into actions in order to please Allah and come nearer to Him. For example, a Muslim knows the value and importance of alms-giving in Islam. If a Muslim does not give alms to the poor, he/she fails to transform his/her knowledge into action. This decreases his/her rank and value in the Eyes of Allah. Therefore, Muslims seek knowledge and transform their knowledge into fruitful actions. Muslim scholars say: 1. “Knowledge is a tree and action is a fruit and he is not considered a scholar the one who does not act upon his knowledge”, 2. “Knowledge is a father and action is a newborn child”, 3. “The example of knowledge that is not transformed into action is just like a treasure that is not spent in the cause of Allah”, 4. “Knowledge without action is like a tree without a fruit” [AB-10]. Hence, whenever a Muslim listens to a verse from the Holy Koran or a Hadeeth from the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, he/she must do his/her best to transform this knowledge into action. Knowledge and action are a twin and they should go together whenever possible.
Session 3: Knowledge and Money
In the Arabic and Islamic civilization, knowledge is superior to money generally. Allah said in the Holy Koran: “... Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do. (11)” [THK: S 58: V 11]. Ali Bin Abi Taleb, the companion of Prophet Muhammad, said: “Knowledge is better than money. Knowledge guards you while you guard money. Knowledge is a ruler and money is ruled. Money decreases by expenditure and knowledge increases by spending” [AB-11]. Ali Bin Abi Taleb also said two verses of poetry:
لنا علم و للأعداء مال
و إن العلم يبقى لا يزال
رضينا قسمة الجبار فينا
فإن المال يفنى عن قريب
“We are satisfied with the division of the Irresistible (Allah) among us: knowledge is for us and money is for enemies.
Verily, money will soon vanish and knowledge stays continuously.”
In the Arabic and Islamic literature, the paradox of the poor scholar and the rich ignoramus is quite discussed. Here is one example with these two eloquent verses of poetry:
و ليس يرجى اجتماع المال و الأدب
الضب و النون قد يرجى اجتماعهما
“The Uromastyx and the whale are hoped to be combined (In Arabic, combining the Uromastyx and the whale is a metaphor of the impossible); but it is not hoped that money and literature are combined.”
و لحم الضأن يرمى للكلاب
و ذو علم ينام على التراب
تموت الأسد في الغابات جوعاً
و ذو جهل ينام على حرير
“Lions die in the forests out of hunger and the meat of lamb is thrown to dogs.
And a man of ignorance sleeps on silk and a man of knowledge sleeps on dust.”
Session 4: The Pen and the Sword
In the Arabic and Islamic civilization, the pen is superior to the sword generally. In the Holy Koran, there is one Sura titled: “The Pen”. The first verse of this Sura is where Allah swears by the pen. Allah said in the Holy Koran: “Noon [These letters (Noon, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Koran, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings]. By the pen and by what the (the angels) write (in the Records of men). (1)” [THK: S 68: V 1]. When Allah swears by a thing, Allah signifies its value, importance and benefit. In addition, Prophet Muhammad said in one Hadeeth that the first thing that Allah created was the pen. The Hadeeth is: “The first thing Allah created was the pen. He said to it: Write. It asked: What should I write, my Lord? He said: Write what was decreed about everything till the Last Hour (the Day of Judgment) comes” [BH-5]. One famous proverb is the Arabic and Islamic literature is: (مداد العلماء خير من دماء الشهداء) = “The ink of scholars is better than the blood of martyrs.” Abdulmalik Ath-thaalibi (عبد الملك الثعالبي), one of the eminent Arabic and Muslim scholars said: (الدواة من أنفع الأدوات، و الحبر أجدى من التبر) = “The inkwell is one of the most beneficial tools and ink is more beneficial than gold” [AB-5]. After Mohammad compared and contrasted the pen and the sword, his friends started a conversation with him as follows:
Taiyang: Mohammad, can we say that the pen is always better than the sword?
Mohammad: I do not think so. This will lead to unfair judgment. The value of the pen and the sword should be judged according the benefit they produce in terms of quantity and quality. Also, they should be judged according to the nobility of the cause they serve. A pen which serves justice is better than the sword which serves injustice. Likewise, a sword that serves justice is better than the pen that serves injustice. To make fair and elaborate judgment between the pen and the sword, let us expound on the following general phrase: “The pen is better than the sword2” as follows:
1. A good pen is better than an evil sword.
2. A good sword is better than an evil pen.
3. A just pen is better than an unjust sword.
4. A just sword is better than an unjust pen.
5. A good pen is better than all evil swords.
6. A good sword is better than all evil pens.
7. A just pen is better than all unjust swords.
8. A just sword is better than all unjust pens.
Taiyang: Thank you, Mohammad. I admire your critical thinking and analytical skills. I agree fully to what you said.
Mohammad: Thank you, Xiuying. I hope everyone of you speaks his/her mind so that we end up with fruitful discourse like this.
Mohammad: Now I want to quiz you. Can you give me an example where the sword surpasses the pen in qualitative value?
Guotin: Mohammad, suppose that one brave warrior saved a person from bandits who wanted to kill him. Also, suppose that a poet wrote an eloquent poem. In that case, the warrior's sword surpasses the poet's pen in qualitative value because saving life is more honorable and valuable than entertaining the mind and the heart.
Mohammad: I like your example, Guotin. Nice comparison which reflects your deep wisdom. Who can provide me with an example where the pen surpasses the sword in quantitative value?
Chyou: Mohammad, let me reuse Guotin's example to flip the coin. Suppose that the poet wrote a poem that spread ubiquitously. The poem became well-known and read by millions of people. In that case, the poet's pen surpasses the warrior's sword in quantitative value because it served millions of people in contrast to the one saved person by the warrior's sword.
Mohammad: You have good wisdom. I like your analysis, Chyou.
Session 5: Reading and Writing (القراءة و الكتابة)
In the Arabic and Islamic civilization, reading and writing occupy an exalted and glorious rank. The first word that was revealed in the Holy Koran was “Read” from Alalaq Sura. Here are the first verses from the Holy Koran that were revealed from Allah to Prophet Muhammad: “Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), (1) He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood) (2) Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3) Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. (4) He has taught man that which he knew not. (5)” [THK: S 96: V 1-5]. Authoring a book is the ultimate and supreme form of writing. Yahya Bin Khaled said: “Three things indicate the minds of its people: the book indicates the value of the mind of its writer, and the messenger indicates the value of the mind his sender, and the gift indicates the value of the mind of the one who gifted it.” [AB-7]. In his exquisite Arabic book: “The Eloquent Speech and Elucidation” (البيان و التبيين), Amr Aljahith (عمرو الجاحظ) mentioned a comparison between the pen and the tongue as follows: “The pen is one of the two tongues... And the book is read everywhere and taught in every time and the tongue does not go beyond its listener and does not reach other than him... The tongue is limited to the near present and the pen is unlimited in the present and absent.” [AB-7]. In Arabic literature, there are some eloquent verses of poetry about the importance of writing:
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كل سر جاوز الاثنين شاع
كل علم خارج القرطاس ضاع
“Every knowledge that is outside the paper will vanish.
Every secret that goes beyond the two will be disclosed.”
قيد صيودك بالحبال الواثقة
و تردها بين الخلائق طالقة
العلم صيد و الكتابة قيده
فمن الحماقة أن تصيد غزالة
“Knowledge is a game (hunted animal) and writing is its restraining rope;
Restrain your games with strong ropes.
It is a folly that you hunt a deer
and (then) release it among the creations free.”
Session 6: Knowledge Spending versus Money Spending
Mohammad wanted to show his Chinese friends the difference between knowledge spending and money spending so he carried out a live experiment for them.
Mohammad: As we previously mentioned, Ali Bin Abi Taleb said: “Money decreases by expenditure and knowledge increases by spending” [AB-11]. Abu Ishaq Alilbeeri said in his eternal majestic Arabic poem about knowledge: “Knowledge increases when you spend it (share it with others) and it decreases when you withhold it (keep it for yourself only)” [AB-1]. I want to show you the difference between knowledge spending and money spending via a live experiment. I have a pouch which contains twenty golden taels. Also, I have a box which contains 21 torches. I ask everyone of you to come to take one golden tael from my pouch.
The twenty students came to Mohammad one by one to take one golden tael each. After they finished and returned to their seats, Mohammad chatted with them as follows:
Mohammad: How many golden taels are now remaining in the pouch?
Daiyu: Zero golden taels.
Mohammad: Well-done, Daiyu. This is the example of money spending. Money decreases as you spend it. Now, I want each one of you to come to me and pick one torch from this box.
The twenty students again went to pick one torch each and then they returned to their seats. Then Mohammad took the last torch in the box and he lit it from a candle on his table. Now, only Mohammad's torch is lit while the other twenty torches are not lit. All the students saw the torch glowing with fire in Mohammad's right hand. Then Mohammad asked each student to come to him and light his/her torch from Mohammad's torch. They all did and now all the 21 torches are lit and glowing with fire.
Mohammad: How many torches lit and glowing with fire do we have now?
Cong: 21 torches.
Mohammad: Excellent. Did my torch decrease in fire when you lit your torches from it?
Baozhai: No, the fire on it stayed the same.
Mohammad: Very good. This is the example of knowledge spending or knowledge sharing. Knowledge does not decrease when you spend from it or share it with others. Rather, it increases as more people benefit from it. Knowledge resembles fire in the sense that you can share it without losing anything from it. Therefore, never be stingy with your knowledge. Always share your knowledge readily with others so that benefit is maximized. Islam is the religion of knowledge sharing and this why it stayed impregnable and immune to corruption all the time. The Islamic knowledge is widely shared and taught so that no single authority monopolizes Islamic knowledge. So let me test your understanding now. What is the ultimate material stinginess and what is the ultimate moral stinginess?
Yueliang: The ultimate material stinginess is being stingy with fire. Rejecting to share your fire with others is the ultimate material stinginess as sharing your fire with others will not decrease your fire at all.
Mohammad: Excellent, Huang. You grasped the lesson quite well.
Taiyang: The ultimate moral stinginess is being stingy with your knowledge. Rejecting to share your knowledge with others is the ultimate moral stinginess as sharing your knowledge with others does not decrease your knowledge at all. Rather, it increases your knowledge as more people use and benefit from your knowledge and you get the credit for your genuine knowledge.
Mohammad: Thank you, Xiuying. You are right. I am happy that you learned well from this experiment. In Arabic literature, we have a proverbial phrase (The Fire of Alhubahib=”نار الحباحب”). Alhubahib was a stingy Arab who used not to light fire at night fearing that other people will light a brand from his fire. Also, when he lit fire and saw someone coming to light a brand from his fire, he would extinguish his fire. Therefore, Arabs coined the proverb “The Fire of Alhubahib” to signify this instance of the ultimate material stinginess.
Junjie: Thank you so much, Mohammad, for this experiment that taught us a lot by example. I really appreciate all what you taught us.
Mohammad: You are most welcome. I am happy that you benefit from my knowledge sharing sessions.
Session 7: Gifts
Mohammad: We mentioned previously that whenever a Muslim listens to a verse from the Holy Koran or a Hadeeth from the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, he/she transforms it into action or apply it to the best of his/her ability. Let us now have one live experiment with this concept. Prophet Muhammad said: “Give gifts to one another and you will love one another” [BH-6]. We want to have our own application of this Hadeeth. So tomorrow I want everyone of you to bring two gifts with him/her, one gift for a friend from the same gender and one gift for a friend from the opposite gender. I will not tell you how we will distribute the gifts. The details will be unfolded tomorrow.
The next day, each one of the twenty friends of Mohammad brought two gifts with him/her as Mohammad suggested. The students were sitting in four columns where each column consists of five students. The first two columns to the left of Mohammad are for male students while the last two columns to the right of Mohammad are for female students. With Mohammad there are two boxes and each box contains ten identical balls. Inside each ball is a paper with a number on it. The numbers range from one to ten. Mohammad first asked each of his male friends to draw a ball from the first box and see the number inside it. The male friends did so and returned to their seats. After that, Mohammad asked each of his female friends to draw a ball from the second box and see the number inside it. The female friends did so and returned to their seats. Next, Mohammad asked his male friends to be reseated in the first two columns based the number they obtained from the ball where the number obtained from the ball represents the seat number. The ten male students reseated themselves according to their numbers. Mohammad then asked his female friends to be reseated in the last two columns based the number they obtained from the ball where the number obtained from the ball represents the seat number. The ten female students reseated themselves according to their numbers. Now Mohammad said: “You were reseated randomly based on casting lots. Now each one of you has exactly one symmetric male friend and exactly one symmetric female friend. The first male column is symmetrical to the first female column and the second male column is symmetrical to the second female column. In other words, male student on seat 1 is symmetrical to both male student on seat 6 and female student on seat 1; male student on seat 2 is symmetrical to both male student on seat 7 and female student on seat 2; male student on seat 3 is symmetrical to both male student on seat 8 and female student on seat 3 and so on and so forth. So now, I ask each student to give his/her male gift to his/her symmetric male friend and his/her female gift to his/her symmetric female friend starting from the first row until the last row. This way we ensure that each student gives two gifts (one for male and one for female) and receives two gifts (one from male and one from female). Mohammad's friends started to gift one another according to the rules Mohammad set and at the end everyone gave two gifts and received two gifts. All the gifts were fine articles and exquisite handicrafts enclosed in boxes and wrapped beautifully. The students thanked one another for their kindness and generosity and were extremely happy with this live experiment that is the application of one Hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad. The following table shows how students were reseated based on casting lots.
Female Columns
Male Columns
Column 4
Column 3
Column 2
Column 1
Daiyu (Seat 6)
Mei (Seat 1)
Wen (Seat 6)
Chang (Seat 1)
Ju (Seat 7)
Chyou (Seat 2)
Cong (Seat 7)
Junjie (Seat 2)
Shu (Seat 8)
Liling (Seat 3)
Yueliang (Seat 8)
Guotin (Seat 3)
Taiyang (Seat 9)
Fen (Seat 4)
Ji (Seat 9)
Zhong (Seat 4)
Baozhai (Seat 10)
Nuo (Seat 5)
Jiang (Seat 10)
An (Seat 5)
The following table shows gifts exchanged between male friends:
Chang
Junjie
Guotin
Zhong
An
Wen
Cong
Yueliang
Ji
Jiang
This table means that Chang gifted Wen and Wen gifted Chang; Junjie gifted Cong and Cong gifted Junjie, etc.
The following table shows gifts exchanged between female friends:
Mei
Chyou
Liling
Fen
Nuo
Daiyu
Ju
Shu
Taiyang
Baozhai
This table means that Mei gifted Daiyu and Daiyu gifted Mei; Chyou gifted Ju and Ju gifted Chyou, etc.
The following table shows gifts exchanged between male and female friends:
Chang
Junjie
Guotin
Zhong
An
Wen
Cong
Yueliang
Ji
Jiang
Mei
Chyou
Liling
Fen
Nuo
Daiyu
Ju
Shu
Taiyang
Baozhai
This table means that Chang gifted Mei and Mei gifted Chang; Junjie gifted Chyou and Chyou gifted Junjie, etc.
The Love of Taiyang and Mohammad
It does not take a lot of effort for lovers to discover their mutual love and affection toward one another. The verbal language and the body language speak well for lovers and they continuously send mutual signals to indicate their love and affection. As Mohammad has lived closely with Taiyang, he learned so much about her and so did Taiyang. They both have deep love for one another and this love started with the first sight when they first met. Their love grew stronger when they knew about the two dreams they saw. Taiyang realized that Mohammad is her savior that she saw in her dream and Mohammad realized that Taiyang is the woman he rescued in his dream. Their relationship started before they even met. Furthermore, living together in the same house let them know more about their habits, likes, dislikes, customs and traditions. The more you know about your beloved one, the stronger your love will be. Until now, the love of Mohammad and Taiyang is hidden in their hearts without being disclosed frankly. Mohammad realized that unspoken love must be frankly expressed so that it grows and flourishes with the mutual knowledge of the lovers. Therefore, he decided to take the initiative to frankly express his love for Taiyang in an extraordinary way.
Since Mohammad is an Arab and since poetry is one of the core competencies of Arabs, Mohammad decided to gift Taiyang his first love poem in Chinese. Mohammad wrote his first Chinese poem that consists of ten verses on a paper. The title of the poem is Your Knight Loves You Right and here is the poem3:
Love Poem 1: Your Knight Loves You Right
1. I want to be your knight.
2. For you I will fight.
3. Our life will be white.
4. You are the delight of my sight.
5. You are beautiful and bright.
6. In darkness you are my light.
7. Circumstances at times bite.
8. With me you see no fright.
9. Together we will hold a kite
10. And walk to left and right.
After Mohammad wrote the poem on a paper, he scented the paper with musk then rolled it and tied it with a ribbon. After that, Mohammad put the letter inside a fine box along with a jade pendant that he bought especially for Taiyang and a white lily. When everything was ready, Mohammad knocked at Taiyang's door gently. Taiyang opened the door and saw Mohammad. Both exchanged smiles and then Mohammad said to Taiyang: “Dear Taiyang, this is a modest gift from me to you. I hope you will like it.” Taiyang said: “Thank you so much, Mohammad. I am certain that I will like it much. I trust your taste and exquisite choice.” Mohammad said: “Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate your good manners.”
Then Taiyang went to her room full of excitement to open Mohammad's gift. When she opened the box and saw the jade pendant, she liked it much and directly wore it. After that, she untied the rolled letter and started to read the poem. She was bewitched by Mohammad's eloquence and his ability to convey his ideas and emotions directly with this high degree of eloquence. Taiyang was extremely happy that Mohammad finally confessed his deep love for her and his willingness to be her lover for the rest of her lifetime and she started to shed tears of happiness and joy.
In the subsequent days, Taiyang wanted to express frankly her love for Mohammad in return so she bought a beautiful prayer mat for Mohammad. She placed the prayer mat inside a premium box with a red lily and a letter she wrote. Similar to Mohammad's way, she scented the letter with ambergris, rolled it and tied it with a ribbon. In the letter, she wrote a Chinese poem consisting of ten verses. The title of the poem is: With You I Shall Fly Like a Butterfly and here is the poem:
Love Poem 2: With You I Shall Fly Like a Butterfly
1. I want to be your butterfly.
2. In the sky of life we fly.
3. Without you my life is dry.
4. Our ambitions are truly high.
5. If you are away, I shall cry.
6. On you I deeply rely.
7. Of sharing my love I was shy.
8. You are the apple of my eye.
9. So this is my lovely reply.
10. Together we shall live and die.
When everything was ready, Taiyang went to Mohammad's room and knocked at his door gently. Mohammad opened and saw Taiyang and both exchanged smiles. Taiyang said: “Dear Mohammad, thank you so much for your lovely gift that I appreciate much. I liked the jade pendant, the white lily and the eloquent poem in the letter. You are truly talented and always impress me with your wisdom and brilliance of choice. I have this modest gift for you and I hope you will like it.” Mohammad said: “Certainly, Taiyang, I will like it. Your taste is truly splendid and majestic. Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness.” Taiyang said: “You are most welcome, Mohammad.”
Then Mohammad entered his room and opened the gift. He was extremely happy with Taiyang's choice and taste. The prayer mat was of fine quality and truly astounding, the red lily was beautifully fragrant and the poem Taiyang wrote for Mohammad was quite eloquent and touching. Mohammad felt that he is the happiest man on the earth when he knew that Taiyang has reciprocal love for him. He smiled and started to think about his future with Taiyang.
Until now, Mohammad and Taiyang have never touched one another. This is because Islam urges Muslims to have chaste love and Mohammad does his best to adhere to the rules of Islam. Touching between a man and a woman can open the door for erotic feelings and paves the road to fornication which is one of the major sins in Islam. Both Taiyang and Mohammad are content with chaste love that focuses on the spirit and not the body. Only people who tasted chaste love appreciate it and know that it is far superior to erotic love that focuses on the body.
1Ath-thaalibi mentioned more information about Chinese people that I found difficult to translate into English.
2In English: “The pen is mightier than the sword” is a famous quotation by E.G Bulwer-Lytton.
3The traditional Arabic poem strictly adheres to a single rhyme (monorhymed).