The Rose Garden: A Historical Novel

By Hussein Ladak

The Rose Garden is a story of Man,
his greed and his broken world,
his sleepwalking to a disaster of his own making.
This is a story of Man,
it tells why things reached to the catastrophic point,
and warns of his unprecedented end.
This is a story of Man,
whose time is running out.
This is a story of Man,
his survival or extinction on the Planet Earth.
This is a story of Man,
it advises him to open eyes wide and save the World for his children’s sake.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398463295

Hussein Ladak

Hussein was born in Karachi and after his BA and Masters in History from the Karachi University, he came to the United Kingdom to work under the supervision of Professor Bernard Lewis at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, for his doctorate. And, so, the seeds for The Rose Garden were successfully planted over many years.

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Preface

One night in December 1982, it was my turn to tell a bedtime story to my eight-year-old. There was nothing very special about this story of Abid and King Harrold. Like many children stories, it began as Once upon a time, and after traveling to and fro in time and space for a while, when it landed and I closed it with the words lived happily ever after, there was nothing unusual of that either, EXCEPT that exactly twenty years later, on Friday, 29 November 2002, I was literally woken from my slumber and advised that the story had not ended then, in 1982, and had continued during the last twenty years, and that it is still very much alive as a part of the an ongoing very profound narrative and novel to be called… Furthermore, because it was me in the first instance who had started the story, I should, therefore, now also partake in its conclusion and then write it and share it.

HL.

November 2002.

1. Introduction: 1982

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, there lived in Baghdad, Iraq, a young man named Abid.

How old was Abid, Dad?

Abid was eighteen years old…

And I am eight; so, Abid was ten years older than me, Dad.

Abid was a good student. He was a hard-working student. He loved reading books, mostly the books about saints and mystics…

A mystic like Rumi, Dad?

No, Rumi was born much later in the thirteenth century, and Abid lived in the eight century. Abid’s one favourite saint was Hasan, in Basra. Abid always said his prayer, and many a night, he would find a quiet place, somewhere far from the city noise, to pray and meditate. One night, as Abid was getting ready for meditation, an angel came near him and said, ‘Greetings, Abid, how are you doing?’

"Surprised, but pleased, Abid replied, ‘Not very good, I am afraid. But tell me, Gabriel, what are you – one favourite angel of the Lord God – doing here in this lonely place?’

"Gabriel said, ‘I am on my way to Basra to give our Lord’s greetings to Hasan al-Basri there.’

"Excited and happy to hear the name Hasan, Abid said, ‘Please, Gabriel, can you also add my greetings to him?’

"Gabriel asked, ‘Abid, have you met Hasan?’

"Abid replied, ‘Not so far, but one day, I will go to Basra to be his student.’

"Gabriel said, ‘Abid, I must go now; peace!’ and he left.

"Next evening when Abid reached the same place for prayer and meditation, he heard Gabriel saying, ‘Abid, I got a message for you. Hasan said, on my way back, to tell you to aim for something extraordinary.’

"Abid was thrilled; he was over the moon. Hasan had received his greetings and had responded with a message. He asked Gabriel if Hasan had said anything further. Gabriel replied that this was the whole message for him.

That night Abid decided he will go to Basra to find out more from Hasan himself about his message.

Dad, how far was Basra from Baghdad?

About 340 miles.

It’s a long way. How will Abid travel, Dad?

"Abid arranged to go to Basra for one week. He travelled on a camel, in a caravan, and reached Basra at noon, on Friday 5 Rajab, in the year 728. His journey terminated near the main mosque of Basra. Abid walked straight to the classroom of Hasan, in one corner of the mosque. Nobody was in the classroom. Abid ran into the mosque. It was a Friday, and it was a time for the Friday prayer, but nobody was in the mosque either. Abid was in panic.

"He started searching for someone to tell him where everybody was. Luckily, he saw an old man sitting in a far corner inside the mosque. Abid went near him and asked, ‘Baba, why Hasan is not in his classroom, and why nobody is here for the Friday prayer?’

"The old man looked up at Abid and said, ‘Young man, you must be a stranger in Basra. Hasan left this world early in the morning and everybody is attending his last rites and funeral. If you want to pay your respects to Hasan, better run and join the congregation.’ Abid was shocked. He rushed to join the crowd and paid his last respects to Hasan. Abid was exhausted by now. He found a room in a rest house for one night and tried to get some sleep. But so many questions were bothering him: why he left it for so long to come to Basra? How will he find the purport of Hasan’s message? Who will now explain to him the message? Abid was very sad. He came to Basra to meet Hasan and since Hasan was not there anymore, he thought he would go back to Baghdad in the morning.

"Late in the night, Abid managed to fall asleep, and in his sleep, he heard, ‘Abid, I saw you in the crowd; I am glad you came to Basra. Do meet Rabia in the morning; she will now teach my students, in the same classroom.’

"In the morning Abid rushed to the classroom and stood at the entrance door. Rabia saw him and said, ‘Abid do come in and find yourself a place.’ When Abid sat down, Rabia said to the class: ‘Abid is our guest, he came yesterday morning from Baghdad.’ Then she continued her lecture.

"Abid was amazed. He had never met Rabia, then how did she know his name, where he came from and when he arrived in Basra?

"When the lecture ended and the students left, Abid went near Rabia to pay his respects. Rabia asked Abid about things in Baghdad, and she asked him how long he would stay in Basra. Abid answered he would be leaving for Baghdad that same afternoon.

"Rabia sensed a kind of pain in Abid’s voice and said, ‘Abid, don’t be sad, Hasan was from the Lord, and he is back with the Lord.’ As soon Rabia said that, a call for the midday prayer from the mosque next door was heard. Rabia picked her prayer mat, and one for Abid, from one corner of the classroom. She spread her prayer mat on the floor, and Abid spread his next to it.

Rabia and Abid went together in the prayer. At the very end, Abid turned his face to his right and said ‘salam’, then, when he turned his face to his left to say his second ‘salam’, he got the shock of his life…

What happened, Dad?

"Rabia was not there. Abid raised his eyes high and saw Rabia many feet up in the air, still on her prayer mat and saying her two ‘salams’, then gently coming down and rest at the same spot, next to his prayer mat.

"Abid was spellbound. He realised why Hasan advised