It is told that a king of the great kings, his heart was softened for a small orphan child that some of his servants picked up, so he ordered to raise him and attach him to his family. He chose for him a name to call him by, named Ahmed the Orphan. Ahmed was a smart child, and signs of success and intelligence appeared on him since his early age. The king taught him and took care of him for what he saw in him of signs of kingship.
When the time of the noble king approached, he entrusted Ahmed to his son and his heir after him, and requested from him to take him as one of his men, and took a covenant with him on that. The prince complied with the order of his father the king, and when the king died, the prince assumed the throne and became the new king. He did according to the advice of his father and brought Ahmed the orphan close to him and preferred him over other men of the entourage.
He was a loyal and trustworthy servant to the king, so he advanced him in his works, and he became having a word over all the prince’s entourage. He also entrusted him with managing the affairs of the palace for what he saw in him of good thinking and quality of administration. One day, the king requested from Ahmed to bring something from some of his private stones, and while passing by them, he heard a sound.
He looked to discern the matter, and found a slave girl from the close maids of the king committing adultery and being lewd with a servant of hers. So the slave girl implored him to keep the news and not reveal what he saw. She tried to bribe him from himself so that he would ensure his silence and not reveal what he saw, but he refused to commit adultery with her and said to her: fear God oh slave girl, how can I anger God and harm him who did good to me!
After that Ahmed left departing and left the slave girl behind him on the condition of keeping the secret, but the cunning slave girl feared that Ahmed would reveal her secret to the king and he would order to cut off her head, so she placed a plot to entrap Ahmed. When the king came to his palace, she rushed to him crying and complaining of what that young man did to her, whom the king had raised and brought close to him. She told him that Ahmed the orphan propositioned her and tried to force her into that until she would yield.
When the king heard that, he became extremely angry, how could one of his servants dare to approach his honor! After that, the king decided to kill him in secret so that people would not know of the king’s intention and think of fleeing, because everyone in the kingdom loved him also, and his death would cause a great disturbance.
Therefore the prince sent to summon his great servant and said to him: if I send to you a messenger requesting from you a platter with so and so, cut off his head and put it in the platter, then send it to me. The servant complied with the order of the king and said to him hearing and obedience oh my master. The next day, the king summoned Ahmed the orphan and ordered him to go to the great servant and request from him a platter with so and so.
Ahmed complied with the king’s order and went to the great servant, but on the way he found some servants quarreling, and they requested from him to judge between them in the matter, so he apologized to them and told them that he was commissioned by the king to perform some work, so they said to him judge between us, and we will send a servant who will inform you about the matter until you decide in our affair.
The faithful young man answered them to what they requested, so they sent from among them one who was himself the young man whom Ahmed had seen committing adultery with the slave girl. When the servant reached the great servant, he requested from him the platter that the king ordered, so the great servant took him to the place that he had prepared, and cut off his head suddenly, then put it in the platter and covered it to present to the king.
When the king looked at the platter, he found in it a head other than Ahmed’s head, so he was amazed at the matter and sent to summon him. When Ahmed the orphan stood before him, he asked him what he did when he sent him to the great servant. Ahmed told him what happened, so the king said: do you recognize for this servant a fault? Ahmed said yes oh my master, I have seen him with the slave girl and she requested me to keep the news.
When the king heard that, he ordered to cut off the head of the slave girl, and praised God that he did not commit unpleasantness to his faithful servant Ahmed the orphan, and returned to what he was of love for the young man and honored him and gave him generous gifts. This was the reward of loyalty and the end of betrayal, and evil plot only falls on its people.