The Jinn & the Merchant
Acrylic on papier-mâché, 300 × 55 × 45 cm
Bind yourself to truth and devotion; Do not rely merely on worship and the passing of time.
These words by the great Persian poet Saadi of Shiraz (1204-1300 CE) refer to what I believe are among the most valuable human virtues—honesty and integrity—which are also highlighted in this story.
Source
This work is inspired by a tale of the same name from One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights), based on Abdol-Latif Tasuji’s edition (1843–1844 CE). From a narrative perspective, this story is particularly significant because it exemplifies the technique of the “story within a story,” in which several narratives unfold inside the main narrative. This characteristic makes it one of the most notable examples of storytelling in One Thousand and One Nights.
Jinns are supernatural beings endowed with both immense benevolent and malevolent powers, and play a central role in many One Thousand and One Nights stories.
My telling of the story
A wealthy traveling merchant stops beneath a tree to rest. While eating dates, he carelessly throws their pits aside. Suddenly a terrifying jinn appears, claiming that one of the pits struck his son and killed him. In retaliation, the jinn resolves to kill the merchant. However, the merchant asks for a reprieve so that he may return home, settle his debts, and bid farewell to his family. Then he will return to face his fate. The jinn agrees to his request.
One year later, true to his word, the merchant returns, and is joined there by three old men. Each tells a strange and extraordinary story from his life. The first old man is accompanied by a deer, the second by two dogs, and the third by a mule. When the jinn reappears, the old men ask him to listen to their stories—whose underlying themes are mercy, forgiveness, and compassion—and, in return, to forgive part of the merchant’s offense.
The jinn is astonished by each tale and initially agrees to remit a portion of his punishment. In the end, moved both by the merchant’s faithfulness to his promise, and by the wisdom contained in the old men’s stories, the jinn grants the merchant his complete freedom.
Takeaways
Keeping one’s commitments is very important.
Listening to the different experiences and perspectives of others can lead to wiser and more just decisions.