and gave it him. Then he threw of the clothes he had on[FN#64]
and donned kingly apparel. Shaykh Ibrahim was still sitting upon
his chair and the Caliph tarried to behold what would come next.
But seeing the Fisherman become the Caliph, Shaykh Ibrahim was
utterly confounded and he could do nothing but bite his finger-
ends[FN#65] and say, "Would I knew whether am I asleep or am I
awake!" At last the Caliph looked at him and cried, "O Shaykh
Ibrahim, what state is this in which I see thee?" Thereupon he
recovered from his drunkenness and, throwing himself upon the
ground, repeated these verses,

"Pardon the sinful ways I did pursue; * Ruth from his lord to
every slave is due:
Confession pays the fine that sin demands; * Where, then, is that
which grace and mercy sue?"[FN#66]

The Caliph forgave him and bade carry the damsel to the city-
palace, where he set apart for her an apartment and appointed
slaves to serve her, saying to her, "Know that we have sent thy
lord to be Sultan in Bassorah and, Almighty Allah willing, we
will dispatch him the dress of investiture and thee with it."
Meanwhile, Nur al-Din Ali ceased not travelling till he reached
Bassorah, where he repaired to the Sultan's palace and he shouted
a long shout.[FN#67] The Sultan heard him and sent for him; and
when he came into his presence, he kissed the ground between his
hands and, producing the letter, presented it to him. Seeing the
superscription in the writing of the Commander of the Faithful,
the Sultan rose to his feet and kissed it three times; and after
reading it said, "I hear and I obey Allah Almighty and the
Commander of the Faithful!" Then he summoned the four