Written by: Abdo Ali Al-Fahd

In a time when humans devoured humans, the elder ate the younger, the sky's rain ceased, so the living ate the dead. And stories multiplied: we chose for you the story of Farid; at that time, the cultivation of grains and crops was not yet known. The source of food was animal meat and plant fruits. Famine spread everywhere after the sky withheld its rain. The food source disappeared, and animals perished due to the drying of pastures and forests. For survival, a terrifying struggle occurred, where the strong ate the weak. It was customary to start by eating the youngest, then the next, and so on until the parents and grandparents were left to survive. In these circumstances, Farid's family, like all other families, sought refuge in a cave to protect their young from cannibals. Raids on the cave were frequent, with the larger entity attacking the smaller. In each raid, they would strike down a family member, drink their blood, chew their flesh, and divide their remains. The family was on the verge of extinction. Farid, a towering figure, strong-armed and muscular, trembled and stood up, saying after seeing those around him about to eat his younger sister: "I prefer to die in the open than to stay here. Either the enemies eat us, or we devour the survivors." They replied: "Your words mean nothing to us, and you will not deter us from our food. Did you not participate in eating our young, and now that it's your sister's turn, you stop us! Did you not take the hearts and livers for yourself, leaving us the rest of the bodies?!" His sister Azza heard what was said, became terrified, and threw herself into her mother's arms seeking her intercession in vain. Then she sought refuge with her father, who callously kicked her into the arena. They gathered around her like pups around a carcass. Farid valiantly defended his sister, carrying her on his collarbone, holding his axe in his hand. Then he fled with her from the cave, quickly climbing a high hill. He hunted a rabbit, gathered firewood, lit a fire, roasted, and ate, then hastened his steps. After crossing plains and mountains, he found a water spring among hills. His sister drank, became faint, and slept. He wandered around, exploring the place for safety. After a while, he returned and woke his sister. They heard a loud groan coming from behind a cracked rock, followed it, and found a lion lying down, its strength failing. They approached and saw pus on its neck, flowing from a wound on its shoulder. The lion shook its head and blinked. Farid said: "It's calling for help, don't you see? We will bring fire and cauterize it." She replied: "That will be our doom; if it feels the cauterization, it will attack us." He said: "Don't fear it, just watch it! If it bares its fangs, throw embers at it." He placed the axe on the fire until it turned red, then carefully cauterized the wound. The lion groaned in pain, shedding tears. It remained motionless, unchanged. Farid found some sheep, slaughtered one, and brought it to the place. He roasted some on a plate and gave the rest to the wounded lion. This continued for several days and nights. The lion regained its strength, rose from its resting place, roared, turned, and then charged, stirring up dust. It returned carrying a strong gazelle in its jaws, throwing it near the fire. They were overjoyed, finding someone to ward off dangers and feed them day and night. All they had to do was light the fire. They ate, were satisfied, and lay down on the ground. Farid woke up, looked around, and saw the lion stretching its arms. He grabbed his axe, but the lion shook its head, giving a welcoming sign. He thought to himself: "This is strange." They searched for shelter and found a cave near the water spring, making it their home. They cared for the lost sheep, nurturing it, and it multiplied. Azza said: "We must return to the familiar cave, we will take the lion with us, maybe there is still someone there!" Farid liked the idea, and they set off in the morning, heading to the cave. The lion walked behind them, friendly, like a pet dog, no longer frightening. It was a sight to behold, and those who saw them fled. Two humans leading a mighty lion. They crossed deserts and wastelands, reaching the cave at the end of the day. They saw barefoot, naked, open-mouthed humans at the cave entrance, urging the consumption of those remaining inside. The lion roared and growled, and the cannibals fled. Only two remained in the cave, a man and a girl, along with their mother and father, an old seer, and piles of skulls and bones around the cave. They were delighted by Farid's arrival but terrified when they saw the lion with him. They said: "Humans ate us, and now you bring us a lion!" He replied: "If you want safety, follow us now." They followed Farid and Azza, with the lion circling them, and the cannibals disappeared. They settled, built, and established themselves in a deserted valley with tangled thickets. They divided tasks, with Shaqab gathering firewood and lighting the fire, her brother Nassar guarding the house, the seer doing spinning and weaving, Azza caring for the elderly, while Farid hunted gazelles and tended to the sheep. Wherever he went, the lion accompanied him, and his status rose and his power spread. The sheep multiplied rapidly, under the fierce protection of the lion, untouched by wild beasts or human hands. Nassar asked Farid to give him enough sheep and help him build a house. Farid granted his request, helped him build his house, then divided the flock in two, letting Nassar choose one. Nassar took one with his sister and started his own life. There was a bad relationship between Shaqab and the seer

The fortune teller was constantly moving between Farid and Nassar's homes.

Days passed, and affection and harmony prevailed. Nassar married Azza and had ten sons and ten daughters. Farid married Shaqab, the firewood carrier, but she did not give birth. Nassar's influence grew after he had so many children, but towards Farid, he remained unchanged.

Nassar asked the fortune teller to help him dispel his fears and bring him a jungle lion, one he would not fear or dread, one that could rival Farid's lion. She replied, "As for the lion, I am not his, but as for Farid, I will dry up his offspring."

She gathered grass and leaves and made a poison with no antidote. She suddenly entered the old people's bedroom, impersonating Azza's voice, and gave them the poisoned milk to drink. Azza came from the Nassar house, unaware of what had happened.

Farid said, “Woe to you! Who else could it be? You poisoned my father and mother! Here is my father writhing, I will go look for medicine.” He returned empty-handed and found his mother and father dead. He felt lonely after most of his life had passed.

The fortune teller spoke alone with Azza, expressing her deep sorrow over Farid's situation. Azza asked her, "Is there anything you can do?" She replied, "I would be happy if your brother asked for it. I have a herbal remedy that might help with conception."

Azza went to Farid with the good news, sharing her sorrow and memories of the past with him, then said, “Take this medicine, brother, perhaps your distress will be relieved.” The fortune teller had given her a rabbit’s withered tail, and its back had dried up and hardened.

Time passed, to no avail. Nassar had fallen into the clutches of greed and avarice, so he said to the fortune teller, “The source of Farid’s strength is the fierceness of the lion. If you separate them, I will give you more and more.”

The fortune teller plotted and schemed, and she got what she wanted, taking advantage of Farid's need for a child. One evening, she came to his bedroom with some seashells in her hands and bid him farewell. She read his palm and handkerchief, then said hastily, "If you long for a child, then every heart is a lion."

Shaqab heard what was going on and insisted that Farid carry it out. Farid looked for a lion, but found none. After a while, the fortune teller returned. Shaqab asked, “Didn’t Farid get what he asked for?” She replied, “He despaired after he grew tired and fed up. Staying with him was no longer bearable.”

The fortune teller said, “Isn’t the lion within easy reach? Why are you looking for something further away?” Shaqab was stunned and amazed, and sought refuge from the evil of a backslider if it backslid. She said, “What’s wrong with you? Are you eating your brother’s heart!? If it weren’t for the lion, none of us would exist.”

The fortune teller left her and turned to Farid to complete her plot. She said, “Your life is over. You are about to die, and you have no children. You will not leave anyone to carry on your name, and your lineage may dry up. I have given you a choice, and you must choose between the lion and the dutiful son.”

Farid gasped and sighed, he was fed up and regretful, but after some reproach, he gave in to Shaqb’s demand. He recited to the fortune teller, “O you who have lost your honor, how can you find honor?”

So I recited to him: “I had a husband who died, life has come to an end and he has passed away, no sons or daughters, satisfy yourself, Farid, with a granddaughter and a grandson, life may increase or decrease.”

After Farid saw what he saw from the fortune teller, he said: “But I cannot overcome the lion. Who will take its heart and its flesh?”

The fortune teller came up with a trick and said: “Take this poison of wormwood. Whenever you slaughter a sheep, smear it with blood. The lion will lick it and he will have no choice but to die.”

The fortune teller emerged feeling victorious, having inspired them with determination and resolve. She encountered a lion approaching between the two houses, which snatched her away, cut her in half, and devoured her in a stream, leaving nothing of her alive.

After sowing the seed of disunity, her plot continued to creep like ants. No one ever knew that the lion had cut it down.

Shaqab quickly grabbed the knife and brought a sheep, asking Farid to slaughter it. In front of the cave was a smooth, round, concave rock, where the lion would frequently come, crouching on it to receive the late-afternoon sun.

Farid slaughtered the sheep on the roof, and the blood flowed and collected in a hole on the rock. Shaqb put poison on the blood and mixed it.

The lion came, climbed the rock after circling and swerving around it, and then licked the blood, as was his habit. The poison raged in his stomach, so he writhed and gasped on the dust, his strength failing him and he died.

Farid closed his eyes in grief, while Shaqab continued to look at him. The lion died with his death, so Shaqab quickly cut open his stomach and took out his heart. She held it to Farid and said, “Here is the lion’s heart, eat it so we can have a son. Come on, don’t hesitate.”

He did not reply.

I repeated.

He did not answer.

She turned around and found him dead, his tongue sticking out and his lips curled.

She was saddened by her loss, and her health deteriorated, leading to her death. After the death of the mighty lion, the wicked raided the cave in succession, devouring the Nassar family, leaving no survivor.

Thus, Farid became extinct and disappeared, after he betrayed Al-Ghadhanfar. Their story continued to be told:
“Loyalty of Ghadhfar and betrayal of Bashar.

It's over. And whoever loves the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace...

Greetings to those who read, my thanks to those who commented, my gratitude to those who shared and reviewed. May you always remain joyful, safe, and blessed, by the will of Allah.