ood; after which she sprinkled the dogs with the water
saying, “Quit the form of dogs and return to the shape of men!”
Whereupon they became men as before and the spell of the enchantment was
loosed from them. Quoth they, “I testify that there is no god but _the_
God and I testify that Mohammed is the Apostle of God!” Then they fell
on their brother’s feet and hands, kissing them and beseeching his
forgiveness: but he said, “Do ye forgive me;” and they both repented
with sincere repentance, saying, “Verily, the damned Devil lured us and
covetise deluded us: but our Lord hath requited us after our deserts,
and forgiveness is of the signs of the noble.” And they went on to
supplicate their brother and weep and profess repentance for that which
had befallen him from them[543]. Then quoth he to them, “What did ye
with my wife whom I brought from the City of Stone?” Quoth they, “When
Satan tempted us and we cast thee into the sea, there arose strife
between us, each saying, I will have her to wife. Now when she heard
these words and beheld our contention, she knew that we had thrown thee
into the sea; so she came up from the cabin and said to us:—Contend not
because of me, for I will not belong to either of you. My husband is
gone into the sea and I will follow him. So saying, she cast herself
overboard and died.” Exclaimed Abdullah, “In very sooth she died a
martyr[544]! But there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great!” Then he wept for her with sore weeping
and said to his brothers, “It was not well of you to do this deed and
bereave me of my wife.” They answered, “Indeed, we have sinned, but our
Lord hath requited us our misdeed and this was a thing which Allah
decreed unto us, ere He created us.” And he accepted their excuse; but
Sa’idah said to him, “Have they done all these things to thee and wilt
thou forgive them?” He replied, “O my sister, whoso hath power[545] and
spareth, for Allah’s reward he prepareth.” Then said she,