Written by: Abdo Ali Al-Fahd

May Allah protect whoever reads, reward whoever comments, be kind to whoever publishes and reviews...and may He keep safe whoever keeps people safe by his tongue and hand...and may He forgive whoever mentions and is mentioned in the name of Allah. And upon the Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him...

Oh shepherd of camels, put down the box, if you long for life.

His father rejected him because of his many problems with his brothers, his failure to manage his shop and his dissipation of his conscience. He lived with his wife in an abandoned, almost ruined house, inhabited by bats and owls. He worked as a perfumer for a merchant; his circumstances were bad because his older brother, Jalal, was a major businessman. While Moad was an import-export merchant. As for him, he was a failure, a sleepless sleeper. Wherever he went, he was rejected and whenever he asked for something, he was turned back. He had no one left but his wife, Hind, to console him during his sorrows and collect some money from his brothers' wives.

Sometimes they go out for a walk and when they return they find the house in a mess.
Nothing is in its place anymore. The sounds of mice and cats being chased can be heard. My chest is tight. Living here is unbearable. This house is full of holes, corridors and tunnels.

• Be patient, it may pass!
  One night, Waseem sat in front of the TV, absentminded, holding the remote control and flipping through the channels. He was watching a game show.
• His mind was caught by a young, fast-tongued broadcaster. She was wearing a skirt between the knee and the navel, She turned with a straight back and kissed with an open chest. She said and repeated: Who is the lucky one, whether you are near or far? Boy or girl Man or woman Don't miss the opportunity, call

you

Winner, winner

Call now

The number and address appear on the screen: Make your long-awaited dream come true! Wherever you are, in any country, on any continent. Half a million dollars with one ring! Answer this question displayed on the screen

• A four-letter name If you remove its eye, it flies?What are they? You clever ones?

Call now? And say goodbye to deprivation. Harden your heart, let us hear your voice. Time is running out. The announcer was delicate and graceful, speaking two hundred words a minute. He said to himself, "I'll try my luck." "Hello, I'm Waseem." "A thousand, thousand greetings!" "Which country are you from, Waseem?" "From Yemen.

• "Welcome, Waseem! You have twenty seconds to answer."
• Time is running out... What do you do, Wassim? Reply: Perfumer.
• Congratulations, is your answer correct?
  Congratulations on your half a million dollars
• Yes, the name is Attar, the letter ‘ayn was removed, so it flew away.
  You are the winner of today's prize,
  Connect with the studio behind the curtain,
  To complete your data to receive your prize.
• The golden question was removed from the screen after Wassim won with the answer.
  Studio: Mr. Wassim, give me your account number.
  So that we can deposit the prize amount into your account.
• Hello, hello, Mr. Waseem, please respond to us." "Hello, hello, can you hear us?" "Your voice isn't clear, it's garbled." "Unfortunately, the call was cut off." "We'll try to call you back another time
• "How did that happen, Hind? I was hearing perfectly well. Why couldn't my voice be heard then?" Hind replied, "You're still following your desires. All of that is deceit and trickery." Waseem lay down on the bed, hoping to find an explanation for what had happened. "Do you hear, Waseem?" He turned off the TV. "Do you hear it?!" "Yes, sounds of a chase and drumming, as usual: their source is the ominous basement." He grabbed the lamp and went downstairs, beginning to move the piled-up stones at the basement door. Hind followed him, "What are you doing? You should secure it shut, not open it!" "We have to see what's inside! Take the lamp, and I'll pull out the stones and clear the dirt." Behind them, a closed door appeared, difficult to open! Hind noticed some holes and a crack in the wooden door. She quickly went out, brought a sharp tool, and started widening the crack until the door opened. What was inside the basement became clear: it was a dome. They walked around it, their fingers touching its surface. Nothing but the dome. "Perhaps the sounds are coming from inside it! We need to puncture it to see what's inside! Come on, go up and get the hammer and iron chisel!" She took the lamp and went up, leaving Waseem in the dark. As soon as darkness filled the basement, the dome glowed with a phosphorescent light. Waseem imagined it spinning in front of him, adorned with engravings of reptiles and birds. Hind returned, carrying the tools, to find Waseem lying beside the dome, unconscious. She screamed, and with each scream, the sounds grew louder; intertwined voices saying, "Waseem is dead." She continued screaming, the hammer in her hand. With each scream, she hammered the surface of the dome in a hysterical state. Suddenly, the escalating sounds stopped. She looked and found she had made a hole where she had hammered the dome. Then she went up, brought water, and sprinkled it on his face. He woke up. "Tell me, what happened to you?" "The dome is glowing! Turn off the lamp, and things will become clear to you!" "Here, I've turned it off. There's no light." "Look! I've punctured the dome. You need to widen the hole!" He regained his composure, grabbed the hammer, struck it, causing a loud sound, then stopped. "It's too late. The neighbors might wake up." "There's no one. They've gone to visit the village." Waseem continued until the opening was widened. They looked through it and saw a coffin and a small box next to it inside the crypt. They entered the crypt, opened the coffin, and saw inside: the corpse of a smiling woman, as if she had just died. On her head was a crown studded with jewels, and she wore bracelets, rings, and earrings. They tried to remove the crown in vain; it was as if it was a fixed part of the skull. They made a great effort to remove the rings, bracelets, and earrings but failed. Disappointed, they closed the coffin, carried the small box, and left. Hind stayed up all night, determined to open the box.
• "What are you doing?" "Help me open it so we can see what's inside." "It's heavy." Waseem took the box in his hands and blew the dust off it. He found an engraved inscription: "If this box is placed in the Temple of the Sun, it will open by itself. And whoever opens it elsewhere will perish at that very moment." She said, "Who lived in this house before us?" "What's the benefit of knowing who lived here and who came after? The house is old; we don't know who built it. Haven't you noticed how cats appear in it? And the intertwined sounds and discontent? And we hear the hum of wind from evening until morning?" "Yes, I also feel very scared and close all the doors tightly, only to hear them open after we fall asleep." "And even more astonishing, haven't you seen my phone when it rings? It comes to me through the air as if it's swimming in space, until it's level with my ear while I'm lying on my bed." "I almost forgot, and now you've terrified me by reminding me. Let's sleep." After they placed the box next to the bed, Hind started from her sleep upon hearing a creaking sound. In the moonlight, she spotted a mouse next to the box, standing on its hind legs and speaking. And the box was shaking, humming in response. She shook Waseem. "Wake up!" The mouse disappeared. And shouting was heard throughout the house.

The box disturbed their sleep and peace. They continued to keep its secret but remained perplexed by it. Waseem went to an elderly, renowned scholar in the city. He asked him about the house, who built it, and who lived there. The elder replied, "It's rumored that the one who built this house was a powerful and evil leader, one of Abraha Al-Ashram's lieutenants and a high-ranking commander in his seasoned army, from the time Abraha moved the throne of Bilqis and built Al-Qalansuwah." "It was known as Abraha's temple." "And where was her throne?"

• "In the east of the country, between Thamud and Aad, that is Ma'rib, with its Temple of the Sun and the heritage of ancestors. It remains a standing archaeological landmark, drawing in tourists and visitors." "As for Bilqis's throne, it has vanished, and there's no news of it." "And the crypt inside the house, do you have any information about that?" "I've only heard of it from you.
• Waseem heard what he wanted and returned to Hind. They stocked up on provisions and money, then set off towards the Temple of the Sun. They arrived at midday, after the temple was empty of visitors. They looked at the temple, perplexed as to who had built and constructed it. Hind went back to the car, brought the box, and gently placed it next to a temple pillar. Then she stepped back until she was standing next to Waseem
• The box opened in the blink of an eye. From it emerged a hideous snake, terrifying and hissing loudly. It had two horns and its body was covered in scales. It wrapped itself twice around the temple pillar, after flicking out its forked tongue. It looked in all directions with piercing eyes. Then it unwound itself from the pillar and flew into the air, before plunging and burying itself in the sand a short distance away, disappearing from sight
• Waseem and Hind stood frozen, stunned by what they had witnessed. They could no longer even swallow air; their throats were dry. Hind quickly threw herself into Waseem's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck
• Waseem tried to calm his wife, saying, "We thank God that this snake didn't appear in the car or the house. The One, the All-Powerful, kept it away from us." Both of them trembled like young saplings. Then they headed toward the car with faltering steps, having decided to leave quickly. Waseem got in, but Hind remained standing by the door, silent. Then she said, "We left the box; we didn't even see what was inside. What do you think, Waseem? Should we go back and get it?" Waseem took his pistol in hand, while Hind placed her hands on his shoulder. They returned with trembling steps, like someone walking to their doom. They stopped not far away and found the box empty. The snake appeared immediately from under the sand, lowered its head to the box, and vomited what was in its belly into the box until it was full. Then it rested on its tail and flew into the air until it disappeared into the sky. Waseem and Hind remained standing, clinging to each other and trembling. Meanwhile, a camel herder arrived at the scene, leading a camel. He noticed their panic, terror, and the drawn weapon. He initiated conversation and greeted them. They told him about seeing a flying snake. He smiled, laughing and curled up like a tire, then said, "Don't worry, it's all illusions that affect many who stand in this place, which is inhabited by vermin." Their fear subsided with the herder's presence and his explanation. They headed toward the car, determined to leave. Waseem started his car, with the herder standing beside him. Waseem turned to Hind and said, "We forgot the box next to the temple pillar!" The herder, of his own accord, said, "I'll go get it." Then he returned with the box in his lap. He said, "I won't hand this box over to anyone but the tribal elder. It's full of gold guineas! Where did you get it from?" Waseem got out of the car, pointing his pistol at the herder's head, saying, "Oh, herder of camels, put down the box if you wish to live!" The herder shouted loudly, "Oh, my precious! Oh, my precious!" Waseem fired a shot over his head. The herder bent down, placed the box, and opened it. Then he took a handful of gold and said, "This is my payment! Otherwise, I'll call my family and tribe!" Waseem nodded cautiously and pushed the box with his foot toward Hind. They sped off down the road. Hind kept turning the gold over, utterly astonished. Waseem's mood darkened, and he became depressed. He asked Hind to distribute the gold and hide it under the seats. She did as he asked; a quarter of the gold remained in the box. Waseem saw armed bandits setting an ambush on both sides of the road. Waseem stopped, and one of the masked men stepped forward, placing the barrel of his rifle at his head. Hind screamed, trying to free him. He said, "Silence, woman! Look after yourself. Hand over the box before I blow your brains out!" Then another masked man punched him. She held the box tightly in her lap, and another masked man came and snatched it from her. They gathered around the box like ravenous lions, opening it with a sharp tool. Fiery flames erupted from it, consuming them, leaving no trace. Waseem breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God for what had happened. He drove his car at maximum speed, fearing that the bandits might return. They arrived home exhausted, hardly believing they were safe. Waseem said, "You know, Hind! The ambushers saved us from danger. The snake won't come to us because we no longer have the box. Come on, gather the gold from its places. Tomorrow we'll go to the goldsmith to examine it." She turned and saw the box next to her on the seat. She exclaimed, "Oh, One! Oh, Unique! Oh, Individual! Oh, Self-Sufficient!" Waseem looked, stunned, then said, "We must hurry inside before curious people notice us." Hind collected the gold she had hidden. The evening prayer call was approaching. They entered, swaying and exhausted. Waseem lay down on the bed to sleep, while Hind went to the kitchen to prepare food. She brought the food as usual and woke Waseem from his sleep. They sat around the table. Waseem dropped the bread from his hand when he saw the box in its place. He said, "Did you bring the box from the car?" She replied, "What are you saying?" Then she looked and said, "This is unbelievable!" They left the food and rushed out to the car without anyone seeing them. However, they didn't find the box on the seat. They immediately went inside, exchanging advice. Hind said, "Let's take the gold and leave the house." Waseem remained standing, stammering, while Hind knelt on the stairs, waiting for him to speak. Suddenly, a black cat entered through the fence window, its eyes glowing like phosphorus. It jumped and landed on Hind's back. Hind screamed and was terrified, tumbling down the stairs. Waseem woke from his heedlessness and saw what had happened to his wife. He quickly went up, gathered his belongings and ID. They went to a tourist hotel and stayed there until morning. They went to a jeweler and showed him some guineas.
• "This is Sabaean gold, with an image of Abraha the Abyssinian's elephant and an engraving of King Shammir Yur'ish. Perhaps some deception has occurred." "If you wish to sell it, may I see your identification card?" Waseem whispered in Hind's ear, saying, "I think the person we're facing is a cursed devil, and he'll draw us into an interrogation. Look! Some young men have gathered around us
• They left immediately, followed by gazes of astonishment. They entered a resort where foreigners were present. One of them was riding a horse. He spoke Arabic fluently, so Waseem offered him a golden guinea. He examined it carefully, then said, "Wait, I'll be right back." He returned smiling, then said, "Give me everything you have!" Waseem handed him some more guineas, and he gave Waseem a sum of dollars. They exchanged phone numbers and agreed not to reveal each other's secrets. Deals between them recurred at different times. Waseem found a house, like a grand palace, with birds circling its borders. A garden, a paradise on earth, surrounded it, with grapevines and pomegranates hanging from its walls. Its price was exorbitant, beyond what anyone could afford. It had a gardener, a guard, an unrivaled doctor, a skilled cook, a cleaning technician, a fluent lawyer, solar panels, wind power, automatic rotating windows that controlled pressure and temperature, grounding wires and obstacles against lightning and thunderbolts, a shelter for emergencies during wars and disasters, and springs and bolts in its foundations against volcanoes and earthquakes. Waseem locked his old house with a bolt and placed guards on it after buying this grand estate and illuminating it. Its price was easy for him, like a handful of well water. Waseem and Hind returned to the house, but they couldn't open the coffin. So, they placed the box next to it, brought plaster and lime, sealed the hole in the basement wall over the box, and restored it to its original appearance. His father came to visit him after a long absence and was surprised by the guards at the door. He asked, and one of them stepped forward and replied, "This house is abandoned by its residents. It belongs to wealthy people, and we are paid guards. They come to visit it from time to time." "Strange! Isn't this Waseem Ma'tooq Ka'bool's house?
• Yes, it is the same, as you say,
• Can you give me his address and place of residence?
• You're welcome, but who will take over as guard?
• Leave it alone, what could there be inside it but rotten wood?
• He got into the car with the best guard in the neighborhood.
• He asked him to stand next to the gate of a magnificent palace, saying, "Here we are, this is Waseem's house. Get out and stand there, at the back of that queue! Be polite and well-behaved, and if you win a gift, I'll get a share of it. I'm going back to guarding; the queue is long, and I can't stand delays. Give me your phone number; I'll call and come to you right away."
• Waseem's father stood astonished! Then he said, "This is an official's palace! You must not understand what I'm saying. Is it conceivable that this is the house of Waseem the madman, who achieves nothing and reaches nowhere?" The guard replied, "You're delaying my work. You seem intoxicated. Look, his name is written on the plaque above the door: [House of Waseem Ma'tooq Ka'bool]" "You spoke the truth. I am his father. Let me in to see the master thief!"
• "What do you mean, 'master thief'!" "This person, unmatched before or after, is a generous giver, donating as he did, and you call him a master thief?!" He looked at him with a look of disgust, then left and walked away. Ma'tooq pleaded with him to let him in, so he gave him the house phone number. A worker answered: "Yes, this is Waseem's house?" "I'm his father, standing at the door!" "Wait, we'll inform him and get back to you." Waseem came down to his father, kissed his hands and knees, and let him in. He toured and saw the queues and the ATM. He said, "You've reached a status no one else has. There will be no difference between you and the head of the country." "Tell me: How did that happen?" He replied, "A snake called me. It came to me in the Temple of the Sun. Whatever I asked for, it gave me. It didn't leave me until it had made me rich
• "Your answer is confusing, and everything you've said is wrong. No sane person would comprehend it, nor would an ignorant one believe it. Tell me honestly, did you steal a safe? I'll keep your secret; I won't tell anyone else." He replied, "Father, let's set that aside. Tell me your purpose and what brings you here, and what pleased us about your arrival and seeing you?" He replied, "After we eat, I'll give you the crux of the matter." So, he set a table for him, placing all delicious and good food within his reach.
• After that, he explained to him the situation of his sisters and the reason for his visit. Jalal had failed in all his endeavors, while all of Mu'ad's possessions had been seized after a company began legal proceedings against him. Waseem said, "I will not be an obstacle to them, nor will I refuse you, father. State your desire, and you will find it within your reach." He replied, "May God bless you and your treasury. You have relieved the distress of your siblings." His father left with a light heart, carrying checks the size of notebooks. Hind visited her family in the village. She dug an artesian well, built a private school, and reclaimed an agricultural estate. Waseem also established an orphanage, a center for the visually impaired, a home for the elderly, and a complex for people with disabilities, and he allocated university seats for the destitute. They lived happily and prosperously, inclined to give, spending freely and generously for both close and distant relatives, on every level, throughout the years. However, they were deprived of having daughters and sons. They died without heirs; their wealth was lost and scattered, the news became fragmented, and the knowledge of the house faded away. After Waseem died, a memorandum from his notes was found in one of the drawers, in which he had written his life story. The search is still ongoing for the location of the house so that they can retrieve the box from the wall, and excavation is being carried out by archaeological researchers. (End of story) (And whoever loves the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him…) Questions Who built the Temple of the Sun: humans or jinn? Is it true that the Kingdom of Sheba sank into the sands?