Of 4,000 concubines, 2,000 Greeks and 2,000 slave-born Arabians and Abyssinians were in the palace of Caliph Al-Mutawakkil, whereby Obaid bin Tahir had given him 200 whites and 200 Abyssinian and native-girls.
Amongst the slave-borns, Mahbubah was extremely beautiful and played upon the flute well with an art of making verses. The Caliph fell for her and she planned to use him selfishly. He though forsook her and forbade the people of the palace to speak with her.
One morning, he arose and said his courtiers he dreamt of reconciling to Mahbubah. Suddenly his maidservant whispered him that he heard singing and lute-playing in her room. The Caliph then heard her talking to the Allah about her dream of reconciling to the Caliph.
Delighted by the sheer coincidence of their similar dreams, he stayed with her for seven days and she wrote his name ‘Jaafar’ on her cheek in musk.
When Jaafar died, there was none of his other concubines, but Mahbubah who could never forget him.
Shahrazad stopped, perceiving the dawn of day.
