) 'A needle.' (Q.) 'What is the length and breadth of the
bridge Es Sirat?' (A.) 'Its length is three thousand years'
journey, a thousand in descent, a thousand level and a thousand
in ascent: it is sharper than a sword and finer than a hair.'
(Q.) 'How many intercessions [with God] hath the Prophet [for
each soul]?' (A.) 'Three.' (Q.) 'Was Abou Bekr the first that
embraced Islam?' (A.) 'Yes.' (Q.) 'Yet Ali[FN#346] became a
Muslim before him?' (A.) 'All came to the Prophet, when he was
a boy of seven years old, for God vouchsafed him the knowledge
of the truth in his tender youth, so that he never prostrated
himself to idols.' (Q.) 'Which is the more excellent, Ali or
Abbas?'[FN#347]
Now she knew that, in propounding this question, Ibrahim was
laying a trap for her; for, if she said, 'Ali is the more
excellent,' she would fall in disgrace with the Khalif; so she
bowed her head awhile, now reddening, now paling, then said,
'Thou askest me of two excellent men, each having [his own
especial] excellence. Let us return to what we were about.'
When the Khalif heard her reply, he rose to his feet and said,
'By the Lord of the Kaabeh, thou hast said well, O Taweddud!'
Then said Ibrahim, 'What means the poet, when he says:
Slender of skirts and slim of shape and sweet of taste it is,
Most like unto the spear, except it lacks of the spontoon.
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