Khaled · Chapter
VIII explained
Almasta tells Abdullah a fabricated story about Khaled being a Persian robber and a Shiyah who plots to deliver Nejed to the Persians.
What happens
Almasta tells Abdullah a fabricated story about Khaled being a Persian robber and a Shiyah who plots to deliver Nejed to the Persians. She also recounts a tale of a Tartar robber named Ismaïl who married a king's daughter and poisoned him, which Abdullah recognizes as a parallel to Khaled's story. Meanwhile, rumors about Khaled spread among the Bedouin tribes and in Riad, though the beggars support him due to his generosity. The chapter ends with the approach of the Haj season and Abdullah's preoccupation.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Rumor
Almasta deliberately spreads false tales about Khaled's origins and intentions, and rumors circulate among tribes and in the bazaar, undermining his reputation.
Power and Legitimacy
Khaled's legitimacy is questioned due to his unknown lineage; the story of Ismaïl highlights how a foreigner can seize power through deceit.
Characters to notice
- Almasta
Spreads false rumors about Khaled to Abdullah, telling a tale of a Tartar robber to undermine Khaled's reputation.
- Abdullah ibn Mohammed el Herir
Listens to Almasta's stories but initially doubts them; later becomes preoccupied with other matters as the Haj approaches.
- Khaled
Subject of Almasta's slanderous tales; rumored to be a Persian robber and Shiyah, though the beggars defend him for his generosity.
- Zehowah
Mentioned as Khaled's wife, whose hair Almasta braided; implicated in the rumor about hiding jewels.
- Ismaïl
A Tartar robber in Almasta's story who marries a king's daughter and poisons him, paralleling Khaled's alleged actions.
Key passages
“Who shall deliver over the Bedouin to a white-faced people, who live on boiled chestnuts and ride astride of a camel?”
No one can hand over the Bedouin to the Persians, who are weak and unfamiliar with desert life.
Abdullah dismisses Almasta's claim that Khaled would betray Nejed to the Persians.
“If Khaled is overthrown and another Sultan set up in his place, how do we know whether there will be boiled camel's meat from time to time as well as blanket-bread and a small measure of barley meal?”
The beggars worry that a new sultan might not provide the same generous alms as Khaled does.
The beggars support Khaled out of self-interest, fearing loss of his charity.