Genie ring

Written by: Ahmed Al-Mandhari

Here is the translation of the text you provided: "Today, I will tell you my story with the other world, the world of jinn. This story began with the father of my grandfather, more than 100 years ago. My grandfather’s father was known for crafting silver and copper, engraving them, and making trays, utensils, and mirrors. He had a small shop in the jeweler’s market inside the old city of Taroudant. He was a very simple man, moving between his shop, his home, and the mosque. He didn’t interact much with people, especially the other jewelers who disliked him and tried to harm him because he always sold at lower prices. He was content with little profit, asking Allah to bless it. Therefore, his shop was always crowded with buyers, which stirred the jealousy of other shop owners. They began spreading rumors that the silver he used was counterfeit, which is why his prices were low. As these rumors spread, his customers decreased, but he remained grateful to Allah, content with his lot. One day, he went to buy goods and returned to his shop at night to store them. He closed the door, prayed the evening prayer in the shop, then began arranging the merchandise. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. He asked, “Who’s there?” but no one responded. He was puzzled, especially since the market was completely empty at that hour, with all the shops closed. The knocking continued, so he approached the door. When he opened it, he found a strange man standing in front of him. My grandfather says that this man had eyes like nothing he had ever seen before. From his eyes, one could tell he wasn’t human. The visitor greeted him and asked, “Are you [name]?” My grandfather’s father replied, “Yes, I am.” The strange man said, “I’ve known you since you were a child, and I knew your father, Hajj Al-Arabi, may he rest in peace.” My grandfather’s father says that while the man was speaking, some of his teeth appeared to be made of shiny silver. The man added, “I was passing by here and thought I would greet you and ask about your well-being.” My grandfather’s father invited him to come to his home to honor him in remembrance of his father and their old association. He said, “Wait for me here, I’ll change my clothes, and then we can go.” He went inside to change, but when he returned, the man was gone, as if he had evaporated into the air or been swallowed by the earth. In the place where the man had stood, he found a silver ring, exquisitely engraved with strange inscriptions, and set with a black gemstone. My grandfather’s father waited for hours, but the man never returned. He placed the ring beside his other rings, then closed the shop and returned home. He told his wife what had happened, and she said, “Perhaps he forgot the ring, and surely he will come back for it.” Since that day, the number of his customers increased, and his sales grew, which amazed the other merchants. They began repeating that he had used magic and that what was happening was unbelievable. But he paid no attention to their words, and his business continued to flourish, until he withdrew my grandfather from the Quran school to teach him the craft and help him in the shop. My grandfather says that anyone who saw that ring was astonished by it and would offer a high price to buy it, but my great-grandfather would always say it was a trust and not for sale. That summer, a group of visitors from an Arab country came to the jewelry market. One of them noticed the ring and made a huge offer, but my great-grandfather refused to sell it, saying, “I cannot sell what I do not own.” After three months, while my great-grandfather was praying the night prayer at home, he saw something moving in the corner of the room. He looked closely and found the same man who had visited him in the shop, gesturing to him with his hand and wearing the ring on his finger. His movements were very heavy, and when my great-grandfather saw him, he fainted. In the morning, my grandfather found his father lying on the floor. He woke him up and asked why he was sleeping on the ground, but he didn’t answer. My great-grandfather hurried to the shop to check the ring and found it in its place. He thought he had gone mad and didn’t understand what was happening. He asked my grandfather to bring a spiritual healer. The next day, the healer came to the shop, and my great-grandfather told him everything that had happened. The healer asked to see the ring. When he saw it, he coveted it and said, “I must take it with me to read over it; perhaps it is inhabited.” My great-grandfather trusted him and gave him the ring. But that very night, the healer came knocking on the door after midnight, returned the ring, and left without speaking or explaining what had happened. That night, my grandfather dreamt of a majestic man who placed a silver crown on his head and said, “Tell your father to keep the trust and not squander it.” A year later, my great-grandfather became one of the major silver traders in the region and bought a large house. In the middle of the old city of Taroudant, one night, he woke up to pray before dawn and woke my grandfather to pray with him, as usual. My grandfather says that sleep overcame him while his father was praying in front of him. Suddenly, he saw someone standing next to his father, placing his hand on his shoulder. My grandfather was shocked by what he saw and thought he was dreaming or imagining it, but he didn’t interrupt the prayer and finished it, though confused, until his father greeted him. He then told his father what he had seen, and his father said, “I felt the same thing and knew that someone else was behind me, but I didn’t want to turn around.” My grandfather says that the person who was behind his father looked strong, his body and even his face were covered, his features hidden. Neither my grandfather nor his father were afraid of this being because he had never harmed them. Their business continued to flourish, which only increased the other merchants’ jealousy. One night, they heard loud knocking at the door and a voice shouting, “Get up, your shop is on fire!” My grandfather and his father rushed to the shop and found the fire consuming it. They tried to extinguish it with simple methods, and some neighbors gathered around to help. After two hours, the fire was put out. When they entered the shop, they found the walls blackened by smoke and fire, but the silver and copper goods were unharmed, which was strange and amazing. A month later, my grandfather sold his shop and bought a bigger one, as the demand for his trade had increased beyond what it was before. Later, we learned that the two traders who had set fire to the old shop were each running a shop opposite my grandfather’s. The first one was found dead in his shop, and no one knew the cause of his death. The second one later came to my great-grandfather, asking for forgiveness and telling him that his dead partner was the one who had conceived the wicked plan. He expressed deep regret for his heinous act. My great-grandfather was kind-hearted and forgave the man. He began to see the jinn from the ring in his dreams, urging him to donate to the mosque and the poor. This became our custom, and it continues to this day, especially on Fridays, in addition to the annual charity from the shop’s business. This has only brought us more blessings and good. Today, I will tell you my story with the other world, the world of jinn. This story began many years ago, during the days of my grandfather’s father, more than 100 years ago. My grandfather’s father was known for his silver and copper crafting, engraving on them, and making trays, utensils, and mirrors. He had a small shop in the goldsmith market in the old city of Taroudant. He was a very simple man, moving between his shop, home, and the mosque, and he didn’t socialize much with people, especially with the other goldsmiths who despised him and tried to harm him because he always sold at lower prices than them. He was content with small profits and would pray for God’s blessings in his work. Therefore, his shop was always full of customers, which caused envy among the other shop owners. They started spreading rumors that the silver he used was counterfeit, and that was why his prices were lower. With the spread of these rumors, his customers decreased, but he remained content and grateful to God for what He had given him. One day, he went to buy goods and returned to his shop at night to store them. He closed the door, prayed the Isha prayer in the shop, and then sat down to organize the goods. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door, so he asked, “Who’s there?” but no one answered. He was surprised, especially since the market was completely empty at that time of night, and all the shops were closed. The knocking continued, so he approached the door. When he opened it, he found a strange man standing there. My grandfather’s father said that this man had eyes unlike anything he had ever seen in his life, and through them, one could tell that the person before him was not human. The visitor greeted him and asked, “Are you so-and-so?” My grandfather’s father, surprised, replied, “Yes, that’s me.” The stranger said, “I have known you since you were a child, and I knew your father, the late Hajj Arabi.” My grandfather’s father said that, while the man spoke, some of his teeth were aligned with shining silver. The man added, “I was passing by and thought I’d greet you and ask about your well-being.” My grandfather’s father invited him to his home to honor him in memory of his father and their old companionship. He said, “Wait for me here; I will change my clothes and we’ll go.” He went to change, but when he returned, the man was gone, as if he had vanished into thin air or been swallowed by the earth. In his place, he found a pure silver ring, meticulously engraved with a strange design and a black gemstone. My grandfather’s father waited for hours, but the man did not return. He placed the ring beside his other rings, then locked the shop and returned home. He told his wife what had happened, and she said, “Perhaps he forgot the ring, and he will surely come back for it.” Since that day, his customer base increased, and his sales grew, which puzzled the other merchants, who started to claim he had used magic and that what was happening was unbelievable. However, he paid no attention to their words, and his work flourished until my grandfather was taken out of the Quran school to learn the craft and help in the shop. My grandfather said that anyone who saw the ring was amazed by it and offered an enormous price to buy it, but his father would say that it was a trust, not for sale. That summer, a group of visitors from an Arab country came to the goldsmith market. One of them noticed the ring and made a huge offer to buy it, but my grandfather’s father refused, saying, “I cannot sell what I do not own.” Three months later, while my grandfather’s father was praying at night in his home, he saw something moving in the corner of the room. Upon closer inspection, he found the same man who had visited him in the shop, pointing at him with the ring on his finger. His movements were very heavy, and when my grandfather’s father saw him, he fainted. In the morning, my grandfather found him lying on the ground and asked why he was sleeping there, but he did not answer. My grandfather’s father rushed to the shop to check on the ring and found it in its place. He thought he had lost his mind and did not understand what was happening. He asked my grandfather to bring him a healer. The next day, the healer arrived at the shop, and my grandfather’s father told him everything that had happened. The healer asked to see the ring, and when he saw it, he coveted it and said, “I must take it with me to read over it; it might be inhabited by spirits.” My grandfather’s father trusted him and gave him the ring. However, that night, the healer returned after midnight, knocking on the door of the house and returned the ring without saying a word or explaining what had happened. That night, my grandfather had a dream in which a majestic man placed a silver crown on his head and said, “Tell your father to protect the trust and not to waste it.” A year later, my grandfather’s father became one of the most prominent silver merchants and bought a large house. One night, in the middle of the old city of Taroudant, before dawn, he woke up to pray and woke my grandfather to pray with him as usual. My grandfather said that he was feeling sleepy while his father prayed in front of him. Suddenly, he saw someone standing next to his father, placing his hand on his shoulder. My grandfather was shocked by what he saw and thought he was dreaming or imagining things, but he did not interrupt the prayer and finished it, though confused. After finishing, he told his father what he had seen, and his father said, “I felt the same thing, and I knew someone was behind me, but I did not want to turn around.” My grandfather said that the person who was behind his father seemed to be of a strong build, covering his whole body and even his face, with no features visible. My grandfather and his father were not afraid of this being because it had never harmed them, and their trade continued to flourish, increasing the envy of other merchants. One night, they heard a loud knock on the door and a shout, “Get up, your shop is burning!” My grandfather and his father rushed to the shop and found the fire devouring it. They tried to put it out with simple methods, and some neighbors came to help. After two hours, the fire was extinguished. When they entered the shop, they found the walls blackened by smoke and fire, but the silver and copper goods were unharmed, which was strange and amazing. A month later, my grandfather sold the shop and bought a larger one, as demand for his trade had increased. We later learned that two merchants, each owning a shop across from my grandfather’s, had set the fire. The first was found dead in his shop, and no one knew the cause of his death, while the second came to my grandfather asking for forgiveness, telling him that his deceased partner had been the one who had conceived the wicked plan and expressing regret for his actions. My grandfather, being kind-hearted, forgave him. My grandfather started to see the jinn who had given him the ring in his dreams, urging him to give charity to the mosque and the poor. This became our custom, and it still continues to this day, especially on Fridays, in addition to the yearly charity from the shop’s earnings. This brought even more blessings and goodness to our lives. After nearly ten years, my grandfather bought a large house (a large two-story house with many rooms overlooking the central courtyard, which contained a fountain). After they settled in the house, my grandfather asked his wife to stop doing housework at night. She was a woman who never stopped working, cleaning and doing chores at all hours. She argued with him, claiming that there wasn’t enough time during the day to finish all the chores. He told her that he had seen two women in a state between wakefulness and sleep, who called his name in a strange, broken voice. When he opened his eyes without fear, they were covering their heads with cloths, and their faces were hidden. He asked, “What do you want?” One of them said, “Listen, we have been living in this house long before you came. We have nothing to do with you. Tell your wife to stop working at night. You can have the day, but the night is ours.” But my grandfather’s mother didn’t believe him and thought he was just trying to scare her. One night, after he and my grandfather were invited to a feast by a friend who had just returned from Hajj, she stayed alone at home with her daughters. When the daughters went to bed, she went to the kitchen and began washing the dishes. When she finished and was heading to the bedroom, she felt someone lift her up and drop her to the ground. She didn’t see who it was or what they looked like because they disappeared in an instant. When my grandfather and his father returned, they found her lying in bed, unwell. She told them she had slipped and fallen but didn’t want to tell the truth for fear of being scolded for working at night. Strange events continued to happen in that house, especially after my grandfather was led astray by sinful behavior with several women, giving them jewelry from the shop. When his father returned after recovering from illness, he found the shop nearly empty. This made my grandfather’s father very angry, and he expelled him from the shop and the house. The French woman my grandfather had been infatuated with was sent back to France when her family found out about her dubious relationship with a Muslim man. After being expelled from the house, my grandfather moved to live with a witch, who asked him to perform certain rituals to please the jinn. He was led astray and enticed by the devil, becoming known in the city for the jinn parties he hosted, which included strange dances, offerings to the jinn, and the consumption of blood and raw meat. Later, he worked with some treasure hunters, spending many days with them. They wanted to take him to Yemen, where there were treasures they could retrieve using the jinn’s power and incantations. But he refused to go with them and returned to the witch’s house. When he entered, he was struck by a foul smell. Inside, he found the witch dead, surrounded by papers filled with symbols, rags, and other objects. What a tragic end! It was an awful fate. May God protect us and all Muslims from such a fate. My grandfather was arrested and investigated for a long time, accused of killing the witch. After a year, he was released, as there was no evidence to convict him. It was discovered that the witch had died of a heart attack, not from foul play. He was released from prison and went to live alone. He then learned that his father was very ill and that the shop had been closed for over three months. He went to visit his father, but at first, his mother refused to let him in, and his father, on his deathbed, refused to speak to him. However, my grandfather begged for his father’s forgiveness, and they reconciled. But my grandfather was shocked when he saw the ring on his father’s finger, not knowing how he had gotten it back from the witch. He asked, but his father did not answer, choosing to keep the secret to himself. After two weeks, my grandfather’s father passed away. My grandfather’s younger sister, who was with him, said that on the way to the graveyard, she saw a tall man in black, and after her father’s death, my grandfather became responsible for the house. The ring was kept hidden by my grandfather’s mother, who didn’t want to give it to him. He returned to work at one of his father’s shops. The strange events continued in the house they lived in, and his younger sister was the one who witnessed and heard things that were too frightening for anyone to believe. It seemed that she had a special connection with the supernatural. One night during Ramadan, when she got up for suhoor, she saw a family of a father, mother, and children sitting around a table. She didn’t know who they were or where they came from, but they all looked at her with a terrifying gaze before disappearing. She began to cry and told her mother that she would never eat at that table again because it had belonged to the jinn. Every night, they heard someone walking around the house, knocking on every door. After two years, during Eid al-Adha, they slaughtered the sacrificial animals in the back courtyard where the old fountain was. The day passed peacefully, but at night they heard the sound of someone running in the courtyard, and in the middle of the house, as if a wild horse was galloping, accompanied by loud noises and knocks on the doors. My grandfather’s mother, may God rest her soul, went out and saw something she couldn’t bear to look at, something no one could explain. Afterward, she was left completely paralyzed, unable to speak, only able to move her eyes. Five months later, she passed away, and her secret was buried with her. After that, my grandfather decided to sell the house and gave his sisters their share. The first had married, and the second lived with him until someone proposed to her, and she also married and left for her new home. My grandfather bought a house near his shop, where he worked, and returned the ring to its place alongside the other jewelry and trinkets. As for the ring given to him by the witch, he says he buried it in the graveyard. My grandfather later proposed to a girl he saw for the first time with her mother at his shop. She bought a chain and ring, and he was so taken with her that he asked about her, and they eventually married. She and her parents were some of the kindest people he knew. He never returned to the path of sin or deception. Two years later, my aunt was born, and then my father, who became very close to my grandfather, who taught him the trade from a young age. My grandfather’s shop flourished again, attracting visitors from inside and outside the country. Most of them asked about the price of the amazing silver ring, and he would always say that it was not for sale. Thus ended the story of the amazing ring, and its secret remains hidden in the folds of the past, known only to God About ten years later, my great-grandfather bought a large mansion (a “riad,” a luxurious house with more than one floor and many spacious rooms overlooking a central courtyard with a water fountain). Once they settled into the riad, my great-grandfather asked his wife to stop..."