treasures of the sultanate and
was become exceeding poor. Then he betook himself to repentance and to
sorrowing over that which he had done, [37] so that he lost the solace
of sleep and eschewed meat and drink, till one night of the nights,--and
indeed he had spent it in mourning and lamentation and melancholy
thought until the last of the night,--his eyes closed for a little and
there appeared to him in his sleep a venerable old man, who said to him,
"O Zein ul Asnam, grieve not, for that nought followeth after grief save
relief from stress, and an thou desire to be delivered from this
thine affliction, arise and betake thee to Cairo, where thou wilt find
treasuries of wealth which shall stand thee in stead of that thou hast
squandered, ay, and twofold the sum thereof." When he awoke from his
sleep, he acquainted his mother with all that he had seen in his dream,
and she fell to laughing at him; but he said to her, "Laugh not, for
needs must I journey to Cairo." "O my son," answered she, "put not
thy trust in dreams, for that they are all vain fancies and lying
imaginations." And he said to her, "Nay, my dream was a true one and
the man whom I saw is of the Friends of God [38] and his speech is very
sooth."

Accordingly, he left the sultanate and going forth a-journeying one
night of the nights, took the road to Egypt [and fared on] days and
nights till he came to the city of Cairo. So he entered it and saw it a
great and magnificent city; then, being perished for weariness, he took
shelter in one of its mosques. When he had rested awhile, he went forth
and bought him somewhat to eat; and after he had eaten, he fell asleep
in the mosque, of the excess of his weariness, nor had he slept but a
little when the old man appeared to him in his sleep and said to him, "O
Zein ul Assam, [39] thou hast done as I said to thee, and indeed I made
proof of thee, that I might see an thou wert valiant or not; but now
I know thee, inasmuch as thou hast put faith in my rede and hast done
according thereto. So now return to thine own city and I will make thee
a king rich after such a measure that neither before thee nor after thee
shall [any] of the kings be like unto thee." So Zein ul Asnam arose
from his sleep and said, "In the name of God the Compassionate, the
Merciful! What is this old man who hath wearier me, so that I came
to Cairo, [40] and I trusted in him and deemed of him that he was the
Prophet (whom God bless and keep) or o