Arabian Knights: Volume 1

Overview:
If you're looking for something light to read and would like to expand your horizons then this is the book for you. It's a fun and interesting collection of stories about the adventures and misadventures of ordinary, famous and infamous real-life Arabian Knights.

In this volume you can read about the following:

Story #1: Antarah bin Shaddad, a man brought up in his father's household as a slave, seizes the opportunity to try and win his freedom.

Story #2: Hatim Al-Taaee promises to feed his neighbor's children even though he has nothing to feed his own, gives away a fortune and is humbled by the generosity of an orphaned bedouin youth.

Story #3: Owes bin Haritha is given a costly gift which causes his jealous peers to hire a poet to publicly ridicule him. When the overzealous poet insults Owes' mother, Owes swears vengeance on the man and angrily pursues him.

Story #4: Al-Numan bin Al-Munthir, the king of Al-Heira, loses his way one dark night and is taken in by a friendly bedouin couple. Later, the king finds himself in the uncomfortable position of sentencing his kind host to death.

Story #5: Abd Al-Muttalib bin Hisham, a Qurashi elder swears to sacrifice one of his sons to god in return for being blessed with ten healthy, strong adult sons. Years later, surrounded by his ten adult sons, Abd Al-Muttalib is haunted by his oath. If he does not sacrifice one of his sons, might god take away all ten of them?

Story #6: Ghaelan bin Salamah bravely volunteers to go speak with Kisra, the king of the Persians, on whose lands he and his fellow merchants have inadvertently trespassed. Will his smooth words pave the way to great profits, or an early grave?

Story #7: Abu Sufyan is interrogated by the Roman Emperor Heraclius who is trying to determine the veracity of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Story #8: Hajib bin Zurarah grows weary of the terrible drought afflicting his tribe's lands so he proposes the idea of traveling to the borders of the Persian kingdom and temporarily settling there. The journey is long and arduous and, once they arrive there, they may be turned away by the formidable king of the Persians, Kisra.

Story #9: Abu Al-Qassim Al-Tanbouri keeps his old madas (leather sandals) and replaces the worn out parts rather than buying a new pair of madas. Then, through a series of unfortunate events, Al-Tanbouri's madas cause him to go to jail, repeatedly.

Story #10: A knight, a housewife and a bedouin man use their agile wits to make sure things go their way. The knight uses his quick wits in a duel, the housewife saves her husband from a foolish oath he made in anger, and the bedouin man uses his charm and wits to unevenly portion out the food his hosts provide.

Included in this ebook is a map illustrating the locations of the cities and areas mentioned in the stories.

Also by Aisha Bilal:

1. Arabian Knights - Volume 2: In this second volume you can read about hidden tombs and lost wells, brave knights and cowardly murderers, an endangered crown prince and a man looking for his soul mate.

2. Muslim Knights - Volume 1: The first installment of this new series introduces you to historical Islamic figures such as Salman Al-Farisi, the first Persian Muslim; Bilal bin Ribah, the first man to do the Muslim call to prayer; Ibn Al-Maghazilee, a talented comedian who ran afoul of a Calipha; Eyas bin Mu'awiya, a famously clever and honest judge; Nuaiman bin Amr Al-Ansari, an irrepressible trickster; and Suhaib bin Sinan, the first Roman Muslim.

Coming Soon in 2013:
1. Muslim Knights - Volume 2
2. Islamic and Arabian Quotes and Proverbs - Volume 1