Long ago in the capital of China, Mustafa the poor tailor died, leaving his wife and an idle son, Aladdin. Aladdin spent the whole day playing in the streets with other boys who were as lazy as he.
One day, a stranger came up to Aladdin and asked him if he was Mustafa’s son.
Aladdin nodded, saying, “But he’s dead now, sir.”
The man wept and hugged Aladdin, “ Oh, my child! I’m your father’s brother!”
The man went to Aladdin’s home to meet his mother. Aladdin wondered why he had never heard of this uncle. He did not know that this was actually a wicked magician from Africa. His mother was equally puzzled, but they were polite.
His uncle took him around the city seeing all the sights and gave him a fine dress to wear. One day, he walked to the neighbouring mountains. Aladdin was tired and wished to get back, but his uncle lit a fire and threw some coloured powder into it. The earth shook and a large stone appeared on the ground with a ring on it.
“Pull out the door,” said his uncle, giving a ring to Aladdin, “Go down the steps and don’t touch anything in the three rooms you pass. When you reach a garden, you’ll find an old lamp. Bring that to me. Take this ring to keep you safe.”
Aladdin went down the steps and did exactly as his uncle had instructed, returning with the lamp. His uncle leaned in and said urgently, “Give me the lamp quickly!”
When Aladdin asked to be pulled out of the cave, his uncle got furious and rolled the stone back shutting Aladdin into the cave. Aladdin realised that he wasn’t his father’s brother at all.
Aladdin wept and then he clasped his hands to pray. He rubbed the ring that the magician had given him. A smoke-like figure arose before him. “I am the genie of the ring and am here to serve you, master,” said the genie.
“Get me out of here,” pleaded Aladdin. Instantly, he found himself outside the cave. He went home with the jewel-like fruits of the garden and the lamp and told his mother all about the magician. His mother thought they could sell the lamp, so she decided to polish it.
As soon as she rubbed the lamp, a huge genie rose out of it and she fainted out of sheer shock! The genie asked Aladdin for orders.
“Lay out a feast for us!” ordered Aladdin.
The genie served a feast in silver bowls and twelve silver plates, as Aladdin revived his mother. He sold the plates one at a time and they soon became prosperous.
One day, Aladdin happened to see the face of the Sultan’s daughter as she lifted her veil. She was beautiful! Aladdin fell in love with her.
He sent his mother to the Sultan to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage for him. His mother laughed at him and told him to forget the idea, but Aladdin was determined. He told her to take the jewel-like fruits for the Sultan with his message.
Aladdin’s mother went again to the Sultan and showed him the jewels. The Sultan sought his Vazir’s opinion. The Vazir wanted his own son to marry the Princess, so he advised the Sultan to wait for three months. Therefore, the Sultan asked the woman to return after three months and let him know if her son still felt the same.
But after two months, Aladdin’s mother heard that the Vazir’s son was to marry the Princess that night. She rushed to Aladdin with the news.
Aladdin was very upset at being deceived. He called the genie of the lamp and asked him to bring the bride and the bridegroom that night to him. The genie obeyed him. Aladdin asked him to put the bridegroom out in the cold.
Then he told the princess that she was his promised bride and that he had been cheated. In the morning, he sent them back. This happened again the next night. The Princess and the Vazir’s son were very frightened.
The Sultan learnt the truth from the Princess and the Vazir’s son, who said he simply wanted to go back home. On the Vazir’s advice, the Sultan asked Aladdin for jewels to be carried by eighty servants for his daughter. The genie arranged for the servants and the jewels, and Aladdin sent them to the Sultan. Then, dressed in costly clothes and riding a beautiful horse, he rode down the streets, with servants scattering gold coins around him.
The Sultan agreed to marry his daughter to Aladdin who built a magnificent palace of gold and silver, studded with gems. Then he and the Princess were married and lived there. Everyone loved and respected him and he became the commander of the Sultan’s army.
Far away in Africa, the magician was furious at learning that Aladdin had escaped from the cave and was now rich and married to the Sultan’s daughter. He came to the town disguised as an old man selling new lamps in exchange for old ones, bent upon destroying Aladdin.
Aladdin was away hunting and his wife, unaware of the magical lamp, exchanged it for a new one. The magician immediately called up the genie and transported the Princess and the palace to Africa.
When the Sultan found the palace and his daughter had vanished, he was going to execute Aladdin but the people who loved Aladdin forced him to stop the execution.
Aladdin went out searching for his wife. As he sat down to pray, the genie of the ring appeared. Aladdin asked him to take him to his wife. His wife was delighted to see him and said that the magician carried the lamp in his robe.
Aladdin told her to act happy and ask the magician for African wine during dinner. When magician went to fetch the wine, Aladdin’s wife put powder in his cup. As soon as he drank it, the magician fell dead. Aladdin took the lamp and the genie transported them with the palace back to China.
The magician’s brother, who was equally wicked, came disguised as a woman called Fatima to avenge his brother. He made friends with Aladdin’s wife and suggested she should hang a roc’s egg in the palace to make it even more beautiful. Roc was the master of the genie; and the brother thought the genie would kill Aladdin and his wife for such a request. But the genie revealed the brother’s plan to Aladdin and his wife. Aladdin was so angry that he killed the magician’s brother. After that, he and his wife lived happily ever after.
