[228]. Johannes, a Greek favoured by Al-Mutawakkil and other Abbaside Caliphs.
THE MAN’S DISPUTE WITH THE LEARNED WOMAN CONCERNING THE RELATIVE EXCELLENCE OF MALE AND FEMALE.
Quoth a certain man of learning, I never saw amongst woman-kind one wittier, and wiser, better read and by nature more generously bred; and in manners and morals more perfected than a preacher of the people of Baghdad, by name Sitt al-Mashá’ikh.[[229]] It chanced that she came to Hamah-city in the year of the Flight five hundred and sixty and one[[230]]; and there delivered salutary exhortations to the folk from the professorial chair. Now there used to visit her house a number of students of divinity and persons of learning and polite letters, who would discuss with her questions of theology and dispute with her on controversial points. I went to her one day, with a friend of mine, a man of years and education; and when we had taken our seats, she set before us a dish of fruit and seated herself behind a curtain. Now she had a brother, a handsome youth, who stood behind us, to serve us. And when we had eaten we fell to disputing upon points of divinity, and I propounded to her a theological question bearing upon a difference between the Imams, the Founders of the Four Schools. She proceeded to speak in answer, whilst I listened; but all the while my friend fell to looking upon her brother’s face and admiring his beauties without paying any heed to what she discoursed. Now as she was watching him from behind the curtain; when she had made an end of her speech, she turned to him and said, “Methinks thou be of those who give men the preference over women!” He replied, “Assuredly,” and she asked, “And why so?”; whereto he answered, “For that Allah hath made the masculine worthier than the feminine;”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Four Hundred and Twentieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Shaykh replied, “For that Allah hath made the masculine worthier than the feminine; and I like the excelling and mislike the excelled.” She laughed and presently said, “Wilt thou deal fairly with me in debate, if I battle the matter with thee?” and he rejoined, “Yes.” Then quoth she, “What is the evidence of the superiority of the male to the female?” Quoth he, “It is of two kinds, traditional and reasonable. The authoritative part deriveth from the Koran and the Traditions of the Apostle. As for the first we have the very words of Almighty Allah, ‘Men shall have the pre-eminence above women because of those advantages wherein Allah hath caused the one of them to excel the other;’[[231]] and again, ‘If there be not two men, let there be one man and two women;’[[232]] and again, when treating of inheritance, ‘If there be brothers and sisters let a male have as much as the portion of two females.’[[233]] Thus Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) hath in these places preferred the male over the female and teacheth that a woman is as the half of a man, for that he is worthier than she As for the Sunnah-traditions, is it not reported of the Prophet (whom Allah save and assain!) that he appointed the blood-money for a woman to be half that of a man? And as for the evidence of reason, the male is the agent and active and the female the patient and passive.”[[234]] Rejoined she, “Thou hast said well, O my lord, but, by Allah, thou hast proved my contention with thine own lips and hast advanced evidence which telleth against thee, and not for thee. And thus it is: Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) preferred the male above the female solely because of the inherent condition and essential quality of masculinity; and in this there is no dispute between us. Now this quality of male-hood is common to the child, the boy, the youth, the adult and the old man; nor is there any distinction between them in this. If, then, the superior excellence of male masculant belong to him solely by virtue of manhood, it behoveth that thy heart incline and thy soul delight in the greybeard, equally with the boy; seeing that there is no distinction between them, in point of male-hood. But the difference between thee and me turneth upon the accident of qualities that are sought as constituting the pleasure of intercourse and its enjoyment; and thou hast adduced no proof of the superiority of the youth over the young girl in this matter of non-essentials.” He made answer, “O reverend lady, knowest thou not that which is peculiar to the youth of limber shape and rosy cheeks and pleasant smile and sweetness of speech? Youths are, in these respects superior to women; and the proof of this is what they traditionally report of the Prophet (whom Allah bless and preserve!) that he said, ‘Stay not thy gaze upon the beardless, for in them is a momentary eye-glance at the black-eyed girls of Paradise.’ Nor indeed is the superiority of the lad over the lass hidden to any of mankind, and how well saith Abu Nowas:[[235]]—
The least of him is the being free ✿ From monthly courses and pregnancy.
And the saying of another poet:—
Quoth our Imam, Abu Nowas, who was ✿ For mad debauch and waggishness renowned:—
‘O tribe that loves the cheeks of boys, take fill ✿ Of joys in Paradise shall ne’er be found!’
So if any one enlarge in praise of a slave-girl and wish to enhance her value by the mention of her beauties, he likeneth her to a youth,”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.