Kamaaluddin wa Tamaamun Ni’ma Vol. 2

Chapter 51: Ubaid bin Shariya Jurhami

Narrated to us Abu Saeed Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Sajzi that he saw a text in a book written by his brother, Abul Hasan:

I have heard a scholar who used to read books narrating that Ubaid bin Sharyah lived for three hundred and fifty years. He had seen the sacred period of Holy Prophet (S) and accepted Islam. Then he remained alive after Holy Prophet’s (S) demise and met Muawiyah during the time he had power and rule. Muawiyah told him, “O Ubaid! Tell me, how was the time? What all did you hear and what all did you see?”

Ubaid said: “The time has not changed much. Day and night exist today as they used to do earlier. As people used to live and die earlier, they do it now also. Yes, people call their time bad. I have seen a person and have met him who lived for one thousand years and he told me that he has met a person who lived for two thousand years.”

“Whatever I have heard is that among kings of Hamiran there was a king who was one of the Shahs of Yemen was well-known by people in all the cities. He was called Dhu Sarah. He was made king in his youth. He used to treat his subjects with good character. He was kind to them. People used to obey him. He ruled for seven hundred years. Often he used to go for stroll or hunting along with his companions.

One day when he went for a stroll, he saw two snakes in the way. One of them was as white as silver and another as black as a coal. Both of them were fighting with each other. Black snake overpowered the white one and very soon white snake was going to die. The king killed the black snake and picked up the white one. He took it to a spring and made it drink water from there and it regained consciousness.

The king set it free and it crawled away. The king returned to his camp and came back to his palace in the evening. He went and sat alone in a room such that no one was allowed to come inside. Suddenly, he saw a youth whose handsomeness cannot be explained who stood there resting his hands on the door frame. The king was frightened and said, “Who are you and why have you come here when no one is permitted to come here?”

That youth answered, “O king! Do not fear. I am not a human being but a Jinn and I have to repay you for your nice behavior towards me.” The king said, “What good have I done to you?” He said, “Actually, I am that snake whose life was saved by you today and the snake you killed was my slave and he was betraying me. He had killed many of my family members.

Whenever he used to find someone alone, he used to kill him and you have killed my enemy and saved me. Thus, I want to give you something in return and want to thank you. O king! We are Jinn and not Al-jinn.” The king asked, “What is the difference between Jinn and Al-jinn?” The text ends here.