It was a long, long time ago. In the city of Tungi lived a princess named Sonabhan. In a world of men, she possessed a vast kingdom of her own. Elephants, horses, soldiers, and subjects—her kingdom had them all. In strength and pride, she was second to none. Therefore, Sonabhan was exceedingly proud of her own power. One day, she summoned her vizier and said, “Tell me, vizier—is there anyone in the world who can defeat me in battle?” The vizier, with some trepidation, mentioned the name of Hanifa. He was the son of Hazrat Ali, the grandson of the Prophet. The moment she heard the name of the great warrior Hanifa, Sonabhan flew into a rage. She would go to Medina at once, fight Hanifa, and conquer the battlefield. No matter how much the viziers and ministers tried to stop her, she was not one to be deterred. Meanwhile, news had already reached Hanifa in a dream—Bibi Sonabhan would come to fight him in the city of Medina! After first telling his mother the news, Hanifa also saddled his horse. He put a golden bridle in its mouth. After dressing up his horse, he galloped off to meet Bibi Sonabhan.
Hanifa thought, since Sonabhan is a woman, what kind of fight could she possibly put up? He imagined he could go and defeat her in a matter of minutes. In truth, Hanifa could not accept that a woman could rule as a king.
Upon arriving in Medina, Hanifa stayed at the house of Hasan and Hossain, chatting with Bibi Fatema about the news from his dream. Everyone told him that victory in this battle would be his. Lost in thoughts of victory, just as Hanifa went to sleep, he saw in his dream an incomparably beautiful woman—Bibi Sonabhan.
“My name is Sonabhan, I was at peace,
When the tale of your beauty reached my ears.
Since then, my heart has been restless—
Unable to stay, I have come to see you.
I am burning to ashes in the fire of desire.
Soothe my whole body with your love,
Or I shall die, burning in the fire of passion.”
Receiving such a sweet proposal of love instead of a challenge to fight in his dream, Hanifa’s head was about to spin. He then told Sonabhan in the dream that only through marriage could their love be fulfilled. But alas, before their sweet conversation could end, Hanifa woke up. Waking up and searching everywhere, he could find no trace of Sonabhan. He then decided he would go to the city of Tungi to find the princess. But he did not know the way. After wandering here and there for many days, when he was utterly exhausted, he met a wondrous Pir (holy man). That Pir showed Hanifa the way to Sonabhan’s city. Following the path shown by the Pir, “In six days and nights, covering a six-month journey, the hero went to the city of Tungi.” Arriving in this new city, Hanifa’s eyes fell upon Bibi Sonabhan’s royal palace.
“As he roamed the city, he saw the palace,
And his heart was pleased by the fine building.
Built of stone, with pillars of gold and silver,
Adorned with crimson and gold.”
Outside that strangely beautiful palace, under a tree, sat a frail old woman. This old woman was a very trusted person of Sonabhan’s. Her job was to do the marketing and run various errands. But at such an old age, could she bear such tasks? So Hanifa cunningly tempted the old woman with money. He said that if the old woman could arrange his marriage to Sonabhan, she would no longer have to do any work. In addition, she would receive eight types of ornaments, armlets, bracelets, and a necklace. The old woman was not young, but she had no shortage of greed.
At the mention of a Sita-haar necklace, anklets, a nose ring, earrings, a necklace, and golden bangles, she agreed in a single word. Then began the scheming to persuade Sonabhan. But Sonabhan had only one condition—she would accept as her husband only the one who could defeat her in battle on the field. The old woman then slowly informed her that an unknown youth had arrived in the city of Tungi. He was waiting outside the palace, hoping to marry Sonabhan. Sonabhan then sent the old woman back to find out the youth’s identity. Upon learning his identity, the old woman was aghast! He was the son of a Muslim, while Sonabhan was the daughter of a Brahmin.
“The old woman said, ‘Sonabhan, listen to this news.
He is from the family of Ali, from the city of Medina.
His name is Hanifa, the grandson of the Prophet.
Hasan and Hossain are his brothers; he is of the Muslim faith.’”
The old woman then went on to deviously mention the rewards Hanifa had promised her. Hearing the old woman’s matchmaking attempts, Sonabhan became secretly furious. She then called her handmaidens and said, “Handmaidens! Listen carefully! Give this wicked old woman such a reward that she will carry its mark on her body for the rest of her life.” Hearing this, the handmaidens did not delay; they all began to slap and punch the old woman mercilessly, while some, in their overzealousness, brought sticks and clubs. Then, they shaved the old woman’s head, smeared her face with lime and soot, branded a large mark on her forehead, and threw her out of the palace.
Weeping, where else could the old woman go but to Hanifa. She said, “You sent me on a fine errand, brother—how am I to eat now?” Seeing the old woman, Hanifa’s heart wept. Alas, it was because of him that the poor old woman was in this state! He then took off a ring from his finger, gave it to the old woman, and said, “Go, old mother. Use this to buy food from the market. If fate wills it, one day you will rule a kingdom. Cry no more. Go.”
After sending the old woman away, Hanifa seethed with rage! How dare she, Sonabhan—this woman had such audacity!
Standing in the middle of the market, the brick and mortar of the road seemed to tremble with Hanifa’s anger. Just then, Sonabhan’s handmaidens were passing by with pitchers on their hips to fetch water. Seeing them, Hanifa asked, “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” When the handmaidens replied with Bibi Sonabhan’s name, Hanifa lost all control. It was as if someone had lit a match in a mountain of gunpowder. He smashed all the handmaidens’ pitchers. He beat some of them so badly that they managed to flee, weeping. The handmaidens ran straight to the princess and reported that a strange young man had come to the city who flew into a rage at the mere mention of Sonabhan’s name!
Hearing all the news, Sonabhan decided that she must now go before the young man. He had gone too far. Tying her hair in a bun on the left side of her head, Sonabhan donned iron armor. She picked up a mace weighing a thousand maunds. The handmaidens brought thirty maunds of water and twenty maunds of milk. After drinking fifty maunds of the milk and water mixture and eating eighty maunds of food, she was now fully prepared for the battlefield.
In a terrifying guise, burning with rage, Sonabhan gnashed her teeth and advanced towards Hanifa. Her horse began to run so fast that the people around thought a storm had come. And a storm it was—a marvelous tempest of beauty, virtue, and strength! This storm had only one destination—Hanifa.
Furious, Sonabhan went to meet Hanifa, intending to fight. But Hanifa began to hurl insults at her. Hanifa told her that as a woman, she had done a very wrong thing by coming to the battlefield like this. He proposed marriage to her. But Sonabhan paid no heed to his words and instead continued to insult him. At one point, a fight broke out between them, and Sonabhan defeated Hanifa in strength and valor. She then picked Hanifa up with both hands and threw him so far that he could not be found. In Hanifa’s dire state, God sent Jibrail (Gabriel) to resolve the situation. Jibrail came and safely transported him to the city of Medina, though Hanifa knew nothing of this. How could he know? He was deeply unconscious.
Upon regaining consciousness, Hanifa remembered everything one by one, and he was so overcome with shame his ears might as well have been cut off. He could not bear the fact that he, a great warrior, had been defeated by a woman. Finally, he decided—he would go to the city of Tungi again. He would meet Bibi Sonabhan, and whatever was in his fate would happen.
“The hero traveled with such force, heeding nothing.
He covered a six-month journey in six days.”
Thus, sometimes on foot, sometimes on horseback, Hanifa galloped towards the city of Tungi—to the place where Sonabhan lived. Upon entering the city, Hanifa began to shout so loudly that elephants, horses, people, and camels all trembled in fear. The sound also reached Sonabhan.
“Sonabhan was seated on her throne,
Unconscious, the lady fell to the ground.
After a short while, she regained some sense,
And asked, ‘What calamity has come to the city?’”
The vizier then whispered, “It is that hero Hanifa! The one you threw into the sea of Medina has returned to the city of Tungi.” Hearing this, Sonabhan also prepared herself for another battle. Going to the field, she saw that Hanifa had come even more prepared this time. On his feet were golden anklets weighing eighty maunds, and on his head was a ten-maund iron helmet. His entire body was wrapped in sixty maunds of iron armor.
Sonabhan, pretending not to recognize him, said,
“O foreign rider,
From where have you come, and what is your name?”
Hanifa then mocked her tenfold and said,
“You do not recognize me, my lady—
Hanifa is my name, your husband.”
Hearing such words from Hanifa’s mouth, Sonabhan was enraged. But seeing her anger, Hanifa did not stop. He continued, “Why did you appear in my dream? Why did you call me to this unfamiliar city of Tungi? Now you don’t even recognize me! Think carefully in your heart, my lady, who has been shameless?”
“The two grappled fiercely in a great struggle,
Fighting day and night, eating nothing.”
In this way, eight whole days passed. Neither could defeat the other; they were evenly matched. At one point, Sonabhan went to Hanifa and said, “This fight is futile, why do you prolong this pointless talk?” But Hanifa did not relent. He boasted of his strength, saying he would never lose to anyone. Hearing this, God became angry. He wanted to punish Hanifa. And so, he could not win against Sonabhan. In this state, Sonabhan dragged him to the Shiva temple. She intended to sacrifice Hanifa to the deity.
“Sonabhan said, ‘O Lord, I make this offering,
His name is Hanifa, the son of Ali.
The nephew of the two Imams, the grandson of the Prophet,
I have brought him here for human sacrifice.’”
But neither Shiva nor Kali would accept Hanifa’s sacrifice. Therefore, Sonabhan, exhausted, tucked Hanifa under her arm and carried him back to the battlefield. Then she threw him to the ground, sat on his chest, and held a knife to his throat. This time, Hanifa’s machismo dwindled. He began to cry loudly in the name of Allah-Khoda. Seeing his devotee’s tears, God’s heart melted. So, no matter how much Sonabhan slashed with the knife, not a single hair on Hanifa’s body was harmed. At Hanifa’s request, Jibrail went and appeared in Bibi Fatema’s dream and told her everything. The news did not take long to arrive. Upon receiving the news, Hanifa’s parents, brothers, and relatives all set off for the city of Tungi to save their son.
When they all reached the battlefield, they saw Hanifa lying on the ground. They picked him up and took him to Medina. It took several days for him to recover in Medina. As soon as he regained some strength, Hanifa again pestered his mother, insisting he would go back to the city of Tungi to fight. But this time, not alone. He would take his brothers with him. Taking permission from his mother, Hanifa set off for Bibi Sonabhan’s city. His brothers went ahead, and Hanifa followed behind.
This time, Hanifa went straight to Sonabhan’s palace. He went and threatened Sonabhan, saying that last time he had lost due to God’s curse. This time, he would not spare anyone. He had made a vow this time: he would only be at peace after marrying Sonabhan.
But this time too, Sonabhan was victorious in the fight. To ensure Hanifa would not torment her anymore, Sonabhan came up with a strange plan. She brought a huge iron chest, put Hanifa inside it, then locked the chest and set him adrift in the middle of the sea.
“Hanifa floats away in the middle of the river,
The people of Medina will weep and cry, ‘Alas, alas.’”
In the middle of the river, at last, Khwaja Khijir came and took the chest into his lap. He reassured Hanifa, saying that God himself had sent him, and Hanifa would not die in this sea—there was no need to fear.
“Know my name is Khwaja Khijir,
You are in my lap, what is there to worry about?”
Meanwhile, Bibi Fatema had learned of her son’s plight in a dream. Tears flowed from her two eyes. Ali and Fatema spoke ill of Sonabhan and worried for their son. As they were praying at the holy shrine, a divine voice came and told them all the news about Hanifa.
“Muhammad Hanifa went to the city of Tungi,
Hanifa was fighting with Sonabhan.
The lady captured Hanifa and put him in a chest—
Putting him in a chest, she threw him into the river.
He floats about in the raging river,
The hero is safe by the grace of Allah.
He is in trouble in the city of Tungi,
Hearing this, Hasan and Hossain cried, ‘Alas, alas.’”
Hanifa’s three previous wives were still at home. The first was Mallika, who was Sonabhan’s cousin. The second was Somorttobhan. And the youngest was Joigun Bibi. All of them were brave warriors. Hasan and Hossain devised a plan: they would send these three wives to fight Sonabhan. Only a woman could win a battle against a woman. Taking permission from Bibi Fatema, this time Mallika, Somorttobhan, and Joigun set off for the city of Tungi.
“To the city of Tungi they all go with joy,
All the eight types of ornaments they wore on their bodies,
They wrapped in cloth and kept for themselves.
They forsook food and drink, taking no rest.
Day and night they traveled, making no camp.
The three wives went as one,
Like a storm descending upon the city of Tungi.”
After much discussion and planning, the three wives first went to the riverbank and found Hanifa. Hearing the wives’ calls, Khwaja Khijir could not stay away and handed over the chest to them. Later, the wives rescued Hanifa from the chest. Then they all went to Sonabhan’s palace. Mallika, being a relative, went first. A battle between the two of them lasted for twenty-two straight days. If one slapped, the other would grab by the throat. After twenty-two days, the beautiful Joigun told Mallika,
“You will fight no more with Sonabhan,
I will go to fight, whatever God wills.
I will drag her by the hair and take her to Medina.”
With this proclamation, Joigun stood before Sonabhan. The two of them fought for eight straight days.
“Eight days and nights passed,
The two fought day and night, locked in embrace.”
At this time, Somorttobhan joined the fight. She roared like a tigress at Sonabhan. After a short battle, she threw Sonabhan to the ground. By then, the beautiful Joigun had brought Hanifa to the battlefield. Hanifa, weeping, told Mallika, “The one for whom I suffered so much, how can she be killed?” Mallika conveyed this to Somorttobhan.
Somorttobhan then gave Sonabhan a choice—either she marry Hanifa, or she would break all her bones. Seeing Somorttobhan’s anger, Sonabhan became very frightened. She was then forced to agree to the marriage.
Who could contain Hanifa’s joy upon hearing this news? His long-held wish had been fulfilled. He immediately arranged for the wedding. An angel, disguised as a fakir, came and performed the marriage ceremony.
Do you remember the old woman who was the guard of Sonabhan’s palace? Hanifa kept his word by entrusting Sonabhan’s kingdom into her hands.
“Rule the kingdom, old woman, sitting on the throne.
We shall now depart for our own country.
Taking Sonabhan, they all departed.
They arrived and showed themselves in the city of Medina.”
And after that… what else? “The manuscript is complete, listen, everyone.”