The Tale of Kamar al-Zaman

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, I shall tell you the tale of Prince Kamar al-Zaman, whose name means “Moon of the Age,” and Princess Budur, called “Full Moon,” whose love story became one of the most celebrated romances in all the lands of Islam, a testament to the power of destiny and the mysterious ways that Allah brings together souls that are meant to be united.

In the days when the Islamic world stretched from Spain to India, and great sultans ruled from magnificent capitals built beside rivers and seas, there lived in the Khalidan Islands a mighty king named Shahriman. This king possessed every blessing that mortals could desire—vast dominions, loyal subjects, treasure houses filled with gold and precious stones, and armies that made his enemies tremble at the mere mention of his name.

Yet for all his worldly success, King Shahriman carried a burden that grew heavier with each passing year. His only son and heir, Prince Kamar al-Zaman, had reached the age when he should take a wife and provide the kingdom with heirs, but the prince steadfastly refused to consider marriage, declaring that he had no interest in women and wished to remain forever in the state of bachelor freedom.

Prince Kamar al-Zaman was indeed worthy of his name, for his beauty surpassed that of the full moon on a clear night. His features were so perfectly formed that poets exhausted their vocabularies attempting to describe him, and his character was as noble as his appearance was striking. He was learned in all the sciences, skilled in every martial art, accomplished in music and poetry, and possessed of a wisdom that impressed even the most experienced counselors of the realm.

Despite these virtues, the prince had developed a peculiar aversion to the very idea of marriage. Whenever his father raised the subject, Kamar al-Zaman would argue that matrimony was a source of endless troubles, that women were creatures of unpredictable moods and unreasonable demands, and that a wise man would avoid such complications entirely.

“My beloved son,” King Shahriman would plead, “you are now twenty-five years of age, and the kingdom needs an heir. Moreover, Allah has created men and women to find completion in each other. How can you reject such a fundamental aspect of human existence?”

But Prince Kamar al-Zaman remained unmoved by these arguments. “Honored father,” he would reply, “I have read the works of philosophers and poets, and they all agree that women bring nothing but trouble to men. I am content with my books, my horses, and my freedom. Why should I voluntarily surrender my peace of mind for the dubious pleasures of marriage?”

This debate continued for years, with the king growing increasingly concerned about the succession and the prince becoming ever more adamant in his refusal to consider taking a wife. The court watched these discussions with anxiety, for they all recognized that the kingdom’s future depended upon resolving this impasse.

Meanwhile, in a distant land separated from the Khalidan Islands by months of travel over desert and sea, there ruled another king whose situation mirrored that of Shahriman in the most remarkable way. King Ghayur of China had a daughter named Princess Budur, whose beauty was so extraordinary that she was known throughout the East as “Full Moon” for the luminous perfection of her features.

Like Prince Kamar al-Zaman, Princess Budur had reached marriageable age but absolutely refused to consider matrimony. She had been courted by princes and kings from every corner of the known world, but she rejected each suitor with the same argument: that marriage was a form of slavery for women, that men were tyrannical and untrustworthy creatures, and that she preferred her independence to any relationship that would require her to submit to masculine authority.

“My precious daughter,” King Ghayur would entreat, “you are now twenty years old, and I am growing elderly. The kingdom needs security, and you need the protection that only a husband can provide. How can you continue to reject every worthy suitor who seeks your hand?”

Princess Budur’s response was as firm as that of her distant counterpart: “Beloved father, I have observed the marriages of other women, and I see only unhappiness and restriction. Men claim to love women, but they seek only to control them. I am content with my studies, my gardens, and my freedom. Why should I trade my autonomy for the uncertain affections of a husband who might prove faithless or cruel?”

Both King Shahriman and King Ghayur, frustrated by their children’s obstinacy, eventually resorted to the same strategy. Each decided to confine their stubborn offspring to a tower until they agreed to consider marriage. The kings reasoned that isolation and boredom might make their children more receptive to the idea of matrimonial companionship.

Prince Kamar al-Zaman was placed in a magnificent tower overlooking the sea, furnished with every luxury but containing no human company save a single faithful servant. Princess Budur was similarly confined to an elegant tower in her father’s palace, attended only by an elderly nurse who had cared for her since childhood.

What neither king knew was that their children’s fates were about to be intertwined by forces far beyond the reach of mortal planning.

On the same night that both young people had spent exactly forty days in their respective towers, two powerful jinns happened to meet in the upper atmosphere above the earth. These were Dahnash, a rebellious spirit who delighted in observing the follies of mortals, and Maymunah, a jinnia of great wisdom who served as a guardian of virtuous souls.

“Sister Maymunah,” called Dahnash as they encountered each other in their flight across the night sky, “I have just come from visiting the most beautiful mortal man ever created by Allah. Prince Kamar al-Zaman of the Khalidan Islands surpasses the moon in beauty and the sun in radiance. Yet he foolishly refuses to marry, claiming that women are nothing but trouble.”

Maymunah laughed at this declaration. “Brother Dahnash, you speak in ignorance. I have just been observing Princess Budur of China, whose beauty makes the stars dim by comparison. She is more lovely than all the houris of Paradise, yet she rejects marriage, declaring that men are unworthy of her consideration.”

The two jinns began to argue about which of their protégés possessed superior beauty, each insisting that their chosen mortal was incomparably lovely and the other’s merely ordinary by comparison. Their debate grew so heated that they finally agreed to settle the matter by bringing both young people together so that they could judge the question objectively.

Using their supernatural powers, Dahnash and Maymunah transported the sleeping Prince Kamar al-Zaman from his tower to Princess Budur’s chamber, placing him on the couch beside her so that both young people lay in peaceful slumber, their faces illuminated by the gentle light of oil lamps set in crystal holders.

When the jinns observed the two sleepers side by side, they were amazed by what they saw. Both young people possessed such extraordinary beauty that it was impossible to declare either superior to the other. Moreover, their features complemented each other so perfectly that they seemed to have been created as matching halves of a single soul.

“Look,” whispered Maymunah in wonder, “how perfectly they suit each other. Surely Allah has destined these two to be united, despite their current foolish resistance to marriage.”

“Indeed,” agreed Dahnash, “but let us test the strength of this destiny. We shall awaken each of them in turn while the other sleeps, and observe their reactions to this miraculous encounter.”

First, they awakened Princess Budur while Prince Kamar al-Zaman continued to sleep. The princess opened her eyes to find herself gazing upon the most handsome man she had ever seen or imagined. His beauty was so overwhelming that her heart immediately filled with a love so intense it seemed to stop her breath.

“Who is this magnificent being who has appeared in my chamber?” she whispered to herself. “Surely this must be the prince my father has chosen for me to marry. But how can any mortal man possess such divine beauty? Perhaps this is an angel sent to me in a dream.”

Unable to resist the impulse, Princess Budur leaned closer to study Prince Kamar al-Zaman’s sleeping features. She marveled at his noble brow, his perfectly formed nose, his lips that seemed shaped for speaking words of wisdom and love. Overcome by emotions she had never experienced before, she gently kissed his forehead and whispered a prayer that Allah would grant her the blessing of awakening beside this wonderful stranger every morning for the rest of her life.

Before departing, she slipped her signet ring from her finger and placed it on his hand as a token of her instant and complete devotion. Then the jinns caused her to fall back into deep sleep.

Next, they awakened Prince Kamar al-Zaman while Princess Budur slumbered peacefully beside him. The prince’s reaction was exactly what the jinns had anticipated—he was struck speechless by the vision of feminine beauty that greeted his opening eyes.

“What miracle is this?” he breathed, staring at Princess Budur’s lovely face framed by hair that shone like polished ebony. “Never in all my arguments against marriage did I imagine that such perfection could exist among mortal women. Her beauty surpasses every description I have heard in poetry or song.”

Like the princess before him, Prince Kamar al-Zaman felt his heart seized by a love so sudden and complete that it transformed his entire understanding of human existence. All his philosophical arguments against marriage melted away like snow in the desert sun, replaced by a passionate desire to spend his life in service to this enchanting creature.

He too leaned closer to study her sleeping features, marveling at the delicate perfection of her face and the graceful way her hands rested beside her cheek. Unable to restrain himself, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and made a solemn vow that he would search the entire world if necessary to find this woman and make her his wife.

Before the jinns returned him to sleep, Prince Kamar al-Zaman removed his own signet ring and placed it on Princess Budur’s finger, hoping that this token would somehow help him identify her when they met again in the waking world.

When both young people were once again asleep, Dahnash transported Prince Kamar al-Zaman back to his tower, leaving no trace of his visit save the ring that now adorned Princess Budur’s hand and the ring she had given him in return.

When morning came, both young people awakened with vivid memories of their encounter, but each believed the experience had been nothing more than an extraordinarily realistic dream. Yet the rings they wore proved that something supernatural had indeed occurred.

Prince Kamar al-Zaman immediately summoned his servant. “Tell me,” he demanded urgently, “did anyone enter my chamber during the night? Did you observe any unusual occurrences?”

The puzzled servant assured him that the tower had remained securely locked and that no one had come or gone. But the prince’s questions revealed the dramatic change in his attitude toward marriage.

“Go to my father at once,” commanded Prince Kamar al-Zaman, “and tell him that I am now eager to marry. But I have specific requirements—my bride must be the most beautiful woman in the world, with hair like polished ebony, eyes like stars, and a voice like music. Moreover, she must possess this exact ring as proof of her identity.”

He showed the servant Princess Budur’s signet ring, which bore inscriptions in a script that none of the court scholars could identify.

Meanwhile, in her distant tower, Princess Budur was making similar demands of her nurse. “Tell my father that I have reconsidered my position on marriage,” she declared. “But I will only wed a man whose beauty surpasses that of the full moon, whose bearing shows noble birth, and who possesses this ring as a sign that he is my destined husband.”

She displayed Prince Kamar al-Zaman’s ring, which bore Arabic inscriptions that were completely unfamiliar to the scholars of the Chinese court.

Both King Shahriman and King Ghayur were delighted that their children had finally agreed to consider marriage, but they were also frustrated by the impossibly specific requirements their offspring had established. How could they find brides or grooms who matched such precise descriptions and possessed particular rings of mysterious origin?

Both kings sent envoys throughout their realms and to neighboring kingdoms, searching for potential spouses who might meet their children’s strange criteria. Months passed without success, and both Prince Kamar al-Zaman and Princess Budur fell into deep melancholy, convinced that they would never find their dream partners in the real world.

The prince refused all food except what was necessary to sustain life, spent his days staring out to sea, and composed poetry about his longing for the beautiful woman who had appeared in his vision. The princess similarly declined to eat properly, gazed constantly toward the horizon, and wrote verses about her yearning for the handsome stranger who had visited her dreams.

Both young people grew thin and pale, and their fathers began to fear that lovesickness might cost them their lives. Court physicians could find no cure for ailments of the heart, and wise men offered no solutions for longing that seemed to have no earthly object.

After a full year of fruitless searching, King Shahriman decided upon desperate measures. If his son’s mysterious beloved could not be found through normal channels, perhaps she might be discovered through extraordinary ones. He equipped a magnificent ship with supplies for a long voyage and placed his most trusted minister, Marzawan, in command of an expedition to search every port and kingdom in the known world for a woman matching Prince Kamar al-Zaman’s description and possessing the strange ring.

By remarkable coincidence, King Ghayur made the same decision at almost the same time. He sent his own trusted advisor, accompanied by Princess Budur disguised as a young man, on a similar worldwide quest to find the mysterious prince of her dreams.

The two search expeditions set out within days of each other, heading in opposite directions around the inhabited world. Princess Budur, dressed in male clothing and calling herself Prince Badr, proved to be an excellent traveling companion whose intelligence and courage impressed everyone who met her.

After months of travel, during which both expeditions visited dozens of ports and cities without finding any trace of their quarry, fate finally intervened to bring the searchers together. King Ghayur’s ship, carrying the disguised Princess Budur, was driven by storms to seek shelter in the very harbor where Prince Kamar al-Zaman’s minister had stopped to resupply his vessel.

When the two ships anchored side by side, Marzawan invited the distinguished foreign travelers to dine with him, as was the custom among civilized men meeting in distant ports. Princess Budur, still disguised as Prince Badr, accepted this invitation, and during the evening meal, the conversation turned to the purposes of their respective journeys.

“We seek a princess of extraordinary beauty,” explained Marzawan, “who possesses a ring bearing these particular inscriptions. Our prince had a vision of her and will marry no other woman.”

Princess Budur’s heart leaped when she recognized the description of her own ring, but she maintained her masculine disguise while carefully questioning Marzawan about the prince he served. Every detail he provided matched perfectly with her dream visitor.

“A remarkable coincidence,” she said, controlling her excitement with great effort. “We too search for a prince of unusual beauty who possesses a ring with specific markings. Perhaps our quests are related in ways we do not yet understand.”

That night, while the ships rested at anchor, Princess Budur made a momentous decision. Rather than immediately revealing her true identity, she would continue her disguise and accompany Marzawan to meet Prince Kamar al-Zaman. Only when she was certain he was indeed her dream prince would she disclose who she truly was.

The combined expedition set sail for the Khalidan Islands, where Prince Kamar al-Zaman waited in his tower, still pale and melancholy from his year of fruitless longing. When Marzawan arrived with the disguised princess, King Shahriman received them with desperate hope that this strange young foreign prince might somehow provide a solution to his son’s mysterious ailment.

Princess Budur, still calling herself Prince Badr, was brought to meet Prince Kamar al-Zaman. The moment she saw him, her heart confirmed what her mind had already suspected—this was indeed the man who had appeared in her dreams and captured her soul with a single glance.

Prince Kamar al-Zaman’s reaction was equally intense but more puzzling. He found himself strangely drawn to this foreign prince, feeling a connection he could not explain. There was something about “Prince Badr’s” features that reminded him of his dream princess, yet he could not understand why a male face should evoke such feelings.

“Noble prince,” said Kamar al-Zaman, “your presence brings me comfort, though I cannot explain why. Will you stay as my guest and perhaps help me solve the mystery that has tormented me for a year?”

Princess Budur agreed to remain at the court, and over the following days, she carefully guided their conversations toward the subject of Prince Kamar al-Zaman’s vision. She learned every detail of his experience and confirmed that it matched her own memories perfectly.

Finally, when she was completely certain of his identity and convinced of the sincerity of his feelings, Princess Budur chose a moment when they were alone together to reveal the truth.

“My dear friend,” she said softly, “I have a confession that may seem incredible. I am not Prince Badr of China, but Princess Budur, daughter of King Ghayur. I too had a vision of a beloved stranger, and I have traveled across the world to find you.”

As she spoke, she removed her masculine disguise, allowing her true appearance to emerge like the moon stepping out from behind clouds. Prince Kamar al-Zaman stared in amazement as the companion who had seemed mysteriously familiar transformed into the woman of his dreams.

“You are she!” he cried, falling to his knees before her. “You are the princess who appeared to me in that miraculous vision! But how is this possible? How did you find me across such vast distances?”

Princess Budur showed him the ring he had placed on her finger during their supernatural encounter, and he displayed the ring she had given him. The perfect match of these tokens proved beyond doubt that their meeting had been more than a dream—it had been a manifestation of divine will bringing together two souls destined for each other.

Their reunion was celebrated with wedding festivities that lasted for forty days and forty nights. King Shahriman sent word to King Ghayur announcing the miraculous discovery and requesting his permission for the marriage, which was joyfully granted. Representatives from both kingdoms attended the ceremony, marveling at the strange story of how two young people who had never met could fall in love through supernatural intervention and find each other across the vastness of the world.

The marriage of Prince Kamar al-Zaman and Princess Budur proved to be everything their fathers had hoped for and more than the young couple had dreamed possible. Their love, which had begun with a single glance in an enchanted moment, grew deeper and stronger with each passing day. They found in each other not only physical beauty but intellectual companionship, emotional understanding, and spiritual harmony.

Their story became legendary throughout the Islamic world, inspiring countless other tales of destined love and divine providence. Poets would sing of how two stubborn young people who rejected marriage were brought together by forces beyond human understanding, and how their initial resistance to love was transformed into devotion that served as an example to lovers everywhere.

In later years, when Prince Kamar al-Zaman and Princess Budur ruled their combined kingdoms with wisdom and justice, they would often reflect on the mysterious ways that Allah had guided their lives. Their experience taught them that sometimes what we resist most strongly is precisely what we need most desperately, and that the hand of providence works through means so subtle that mortals often mistake divine intervention for coincidence.

They established a tradition in their court of welcoming travelers and listening to their stories, for they never forgot that their own happiness had come through the kindness of strangers and the willingness to embark on journeys into the unknown. Their palace became a refuge for lovers separated by circumstances beyond their control, and many couples found their way to reunion through the assistance of the royal pair who understood the power of love to overcome every obstacle.

The children of Prince Kamar al-Zaman and Princess Budur grew up hearing the story of their parents’ miraculous meeting, and they carried forward the family tradition of believing that love guided by divine wisdom can accomplish what seems impossible to human effort alone.

Thus ends the tale of Prince Kamar al-Zaman and Princess Budur, whose love story reminds us that the heart often recognizes its true companion before the mind understands what is happening, and that those who trust in providence while working toward their goals may find that the universe conspires to fulfill their deepest and most worthy desires in ways more wonderful than they could ever have imagined.