In Arab society vengeance is deeply entrenched, not surprising considering the importance of this theme in the Old Testament and the Qur’an.  The son had no choice but to seek revenge against the beast that killed his father.  In this case he seemed to be all alone, since no one else from the village would venture near the murder scene.  His mother pleaded with him not to do this alone, but even she recognized that revenge had to be taken.  In the end the young man was not alone; his courage in agreeing to perform his duty in the face of grave danger allowed the spirit of his father to enact his own revenge.

There is a parallel here with the biblical story of Abraham agreeing to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, because God had made it a duty.  When God knew that Abraham was willing to obey this call to duty at all costs, a suitable sacrifice was provided.  Similarly, the son did not have to sacrifice his own life in meeting the beast.  The lesson here is that vengeance must be fulfilled, although it is not necessary that this be done by murder.  It was enough that the beast died as he deserved, even though the son did not kill him.  The villagers made the lad their leader because of the courage he had shown, not simply because of the blood on his hands.

There is another lesson here about tribal attitudes toward government, as personified in the prince.  The prince was not an evil man, but his life-style forced the peasant into a life-threatening situation.  The prince then did nothing to bring the beast to justice.  For the independent tribesman, this shows that government cannot be relied on when it comes to really important concerns of the tribe or family.  The irony is that as sheikh of the village, the son can now attend the banquets as a guest, while his father had been only a servant.  In sticking to his own honor code, the tribesman makes the most out of life.

Table salt

While religious faith and tribal honor are dominant themes in South Arabia, perhaps the most fundamental concern is the family.  The third tale, also collected by Muhammad Ahmad Shihab, tells of love between a father and daughter.

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In a certain country there was a king who had three daughters.  One day the king gathered his daughters together in order to test their love for him.  “Do you love me?” he asked the eldest.  “Dear father,” she immediately responded, “I love you as much as I love honey.”