There was a fox called Thalim who lived in a small den. One day, while returning from hunting, he found that his den was occupied by a snake.
He tried to take her out, but couldn’t, so he went looking for a new den. He found one that looked inviting, in a sheltered area with high trees and a nearby spring.
However, the den was owned by another fox called Mufawad, who welcomed him inside and told him that he had inherited it from his father. Thalim shared his story, and Mufawad empathised with him. He suggested to go with Thalim to inspect his den and try to find a solution to rid him of the snake.
After returning, Mufawad spent the night pondering a solution for the dilemma while Thalim was checking out Mufawad’s den and contemplating ways to banish him and occupy the place.
In the morning, Mufawad told Thalim that his den was far from water and trees. Why not help him find something in this more convenient area? Thalim claimed that this would be impossible as he wouldn’t be able to stay away from home.
Mufawad suggested that to go out and find wood, gather it in two piles, and by nightfall fall he’d head to the human camps to steal fire before going to Thalim’s den to smoke the snake out.
It was a win-win situation: if the snake escapes, it would burn, and if it stays, it would suffocate and die. Thalim agreed to the idea, and when execution time came, he hid one pile and used the other to block Mufawad’s door from the outside, reasoning that when he finds his door blocked, he’ll search for another den.
Earlier, Thalim had seen piles of food in Mufawad’s house and concluded that he’d be able to survive if he locked himself inside. Oblivious to Thalim’s wicked plans, Mufawad came back with a torch and saw that one pile of wood was missing along with Thalim.
He thought that Thalim had just left and decided to follow him. It was dark, and Mufawad didn’t notice that he’d placed the torch next to the pile of wood that Thalim used to block the door. The pile burned, and Mufawad understood at once the deceit and waited till the fire died out before pulling Thalim’s dead body out of his den, saying: “of someone looking for his death with his own hoof.”
This profound fable was told to Abdul Malik ibn Marwan (644/647-705 AD), the fifth Umayyad caliph after being betrayed by his general Al Ashdaq. Al Ashdaq left with Abdul Malik’s army from Damascus to fight Abdullah Ibn Al Zubair in Iraq.
However, he faked illness and asked for permission to get back to Damascus. Once there, he captured the city and declared himself the new caliph.
When Abdul Malik heard of the coup, he was in a dilemma: should he continue to Iraq and fight ibn Al Zubair or go back to Damascus and resize his throne? His advisers were unable to aid him, so he went out looking for an answer.
He found a miserable-looking old man who was gathering sumac. Abdul Malik didn’t reveal his identity and instead inquired about his thoughts on the caliph’s current quandary.
The old man replied that the caliph should return and fight Al Ashdaq instead of attacking ibn Al Zubair as his subjects would see justice in taking back what belongs to him rather than attacking someone in a foreign land.
He then shared the fable with the caliph, who followed his advice and regained his throne.
(Source: Dr Qusai Hussain (2009): Arab Stories Omnibus (P.1), Dar Al Hilal, Lebanon, pp.173-179)
Rasha Al Raisi
The writer is the author of The World According to Bahja
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