Queen Shahrazad's 10 powerful lessons

ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTSQueen Shahrazad told a story every night to her husband and king, laced with lessons, morals and wise statements.

STORY TIMEThe opening story is about a businessman who is on a business trip in a foreign land.

RECKLESSNESSHe sat down in a garden and carelessly threw away a date stone. Reckless actions have consequences and the date killed the son of a genie.

VENGEANCEThe genie wanted justice and for the businessman to forfeit his life.

PROMISES KEPTThe businessman requested for time to settle his affairs - the genie trusted him. He settled his affairs and returned.

GOOD IMPRESSIONJust as the businessman prepares for his demise – three sheikhs come by and were impressed that he had kept his promise to return.

POUND OF FLESHEach sheikh bargained with the genie that if they tell a wondrous story they could have one third of the blood that is due to the genie.

PACT WITH THE DEVILThe genie agreed.

JEALOUS WIFEThe first sheikh travelled with a gazelle who was actually his wife. She had not given him any children and so he took a concubine (like a mistress). She blessed him with a beautiful boy. However, when the sheikh had to go on a business trip the wife who had studied the art of enchantment transformed the concubine and son into cow and calf respectively and put them into the care of the sheikh’s herdsman. On his return his wife told him that the concubine had died and his son had fled.

When it was time to sacrifice a cow, the concubine-cow was chosen. The herdsman killed the cow but found no fat or flesh, but only skin and bone. The sheikh then called for a calf but the calf made such a noise that he had no heart to do it. The calf was given to the herdsman and the herdsman’s daughter who also had knowledge of enchantment recognised the calf as the sheikh’s son. When the sheikh was told, he asked the herdsman’s daughter to turn the calf back to human, but she was only prepared to do so on two conditions. One condition was that she turn the wife into a gazelle.

BROTHERLY LOVE AND JEALOUSLYThe second sheikh traveled with two trusty hounds. They were actually the sheikh’s brothers who had tried to kill him because they were jealous of his good fortune. He had always been fair with his brothers sharing his wealth with them yet they were still jealous and wanted all the property. However, when the brothers attempted to kill the sheikh and his wife – the wife revealed her true colors. She was a genie. She saved her husband. She wanted to kill the brothers, but the sheikh implored her not to on the basis of brotherhood. Instead she arranged for the brothers to be dogs for 10 years.

INFIDELITYThe mule of the third sheikh was his wife too. She has been unfaithful with a black slave. She had tried to enchant the sheikh into becoming a dog but this spell was undone. The person who had undone the spell then instructed the sheikh to enchant his wife into a mule.

PROMISE KEPTThe genie found all three stories to be wondrous and gave up his claim to the sheikhs. The merchant thanked the sheikhs and they all went on their way.

POWERFUL EXPRESSIONSIn the first four stories 10 lessons and morals can be culled from the tales. They are as follows:

1. Sow good, even on an unworthy soil; for it will not be lost wherever it is sown.Sow good because sowing good may lead onto to something good. Also we can’t always see everything that is going on around us. Someone may actually observe our goodness. There is the adage reap as you sow – so if you sow bad even when you think it is justified you will reap bad.

2. THE POWER OF A PROMISE
The businessman kept his promise and that impressed three sheikhs who came to his aid. The genie kept his promise after listening to the sheikhs' stories. Every time you keep a promise you add trust to the world. Every time you break a promise you make the world just a little less stable. All the people in the first four stories kept their promises and this added to their good reputations.

3. ADDING MEANING TO LIFESometimes we are alive but we don’t have the true dignity that life is supposed to be. Only when we live in a good and principled way can we experience the true meaning of living. Sometimes there is regret - the brothers when they became dogs regretted their actions.

4. Reckless actions have consequences. Think before you throw (This thought is similar to think before you leap). This is how the first story opens - reckless actions can cause untold harm.

5. When people are impressed with our goodness, they may go out of their way to help even though they are not obliged to do so. Three sheikhs were and helped a stranger as a result.

6. Wickedness has consequences. If you do bad, don’t be surprised if there is a day of reckoning.

7. Don’t spend all the money you have. Keep some in reserve. With this money you may be able to start over again. This comes from the story of the sheikh and two brothers. This sheikh kept some money in reserve and was able to start over again when all was lost except for this reserve.

8. Find constructive ways to deal with jealousy because if you don’t there may be dire consequences. The stories talk of jealous wives and jealous brothers. So consumed with jealously they did bad things which subsequently led to bad things happening to them.

9. Revenge is bad and will lead to bad consequences.

10. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Two brothers did this and they became dogs literally.