The Arab addressed the merchant.
"Have I fulfilled my promise and earned my freedom?" he asked.
"Verily thou hast," answered the merchant.
"Then farewell, and may blessings rest on thee and the good Ibrahim and on all your works."
Thus spoke the Arab, raising his hands in benediction. Then he disappeared within the golden doors.
The jeweler and Ibrahim followed quickly, but though they hastened through the halls and corridors of many colored marbles, in and out of rooms lighted by windows of clearest crystal, and up and down staircases of burnished metal, they could find no one. Emerging into the open again, they saw a huge crowd standing in wonderment before the gates.
"Tell me," said the jeweler, "who was the builder of this magic palace."
"Elijah, the Prophet," said Ibrahim, "the benefactor of mankind, who revisits the earth to assist in their distress those deemed worthy. Blessed am I, and blessed art thou for thy good deeds, for we have been truly honored."
To show his gratitude, the merchant gave a banquet in his palace to all the people in the city and scattered gold and silver pieces among the crowds that thronged the streets.