I was rummaging the library in my home until I came across this book:
Its about Ibn Batuta who is famously known for his experience when he was travelling. Though the book is written like reading a children story book, but I pretty much enjoyed being a kid again reading the story.
Want to know what is the story?
Well… Once upon a time,Ibn Batuta was busy preparing for his next travel, so as the day pass, he felt something missing but don’t know why & what is troubling him. Until one day, he notice that his shadow was missing. Imagine in the midday, you have no shadow (no not even when he look under his feet).
One paragraph says:
In reality, he should not have been astonished, for shadows are not what they seem. But to understand this, as to understand anything, one needs to start at the beginning
***
“A long time ago, when the past is still present and when men could still speak the language of the animals and the birds, there lived a King. King Armauld, was taught by the finest philosopher and trained by the fiercest soldier. He was greatly loved by his people for he was both brave and wise, generous but not foolish.
One night, the King had the strangest dream. He saw himself sitting on his throne, and ask his counsellor (Minister) “We have a shortage of milk, from now on, all my subjects will eat nothing but grass. Since cow eat grass and produce milk, so shall we!”
And woke up. “What a strange dream!” the King said. The dream keeps on repeating every night, and the King wonders what it means.
So one day, he decided to ask his Minister, “What is the state of our milk?”
The Minsier was puzzled and replied, “The milik is plentiful, there is no shortage of milk”
The King said, “Excellent! How about the grass?”
The Minister replies “The grass is green Your Majesty!”
And then the King ask the state of his country, every time he meets his Ministers, he will start with the same question until one day, one of the Minister reported that there is a shortage of milk.
And the King went to his Vizier (Advisor) and told the dream he had. Just as they were trying to figure out how to solve the problem, came an old women seeking to meet the King to talk about the shortage of milk. The old woman came,and so the King ask her who is she and how did she know about the dream. So she said:
” Your Majesty, who I am and how I know is not important. What is important is what needs to be done. Before we get to that, have you noticed anything missing lately?”
“No,I do not think so” said the King.
“Would Your Majesty mind walking to the window and answer the same question?”
And the King followed, and still thinks there is nothing missing after checking himself.
The old woman said, “Your shadow is missing Your Majesty”
And the King was shocked that he could not find his shadow even under his feet.
“I do not understand! I thought shadows were just shadows!” said the King.
The old woman said,
” Your Majesty, when God created man. He also created two things to accompany him, man’s shadow and his dreams. Both exist because of man. Neither can exist without him. During the day the shadow accompanies its owner but at night the shadows return to their home – The Shadowlands – to rest while the dream take over. Now there is normally no problem, but ocassionally, as in your case, the shadows and dreams may cross paths on their way to work or on their way home to rest. And as tend to happen,they start to talk. Soon both complained about how hard they have to work. Both resent being at their owners constant service. And so, from idle talk,plots are hatched, and that is what happened to you.”
The King asked, “You mean they are plotting against me? How dare they! Do they not know who I am? I will declare war on them. I will teach them, I will show no mercy, I will…”
And the King stopped into silence. How could he declare a war against his own shadow? So he asked the old woman what to do.
The old woman explains, “Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. For the solution to any problem is to understand it. And you now understand the problem. You see, the plot is very clever. While the dream kept His Majesty occupied,the shadow set about touring the country ordering the cows to stop producing milk. Since the milk reservoirs were plentiful,it took a year for the shortage to be felt.
As Your Majesty know, cows are very good natured but they are not the brightest of God’s creatures. If someone who looks like the King, speak like the King, visits them,and order them to stop producing milk,then they are only glad to obey.”
The King ask, “You say the shadow ordered the cows, do shadows speak?”
The old woman replied, “Speak? The shadow are regular chatterboxes. They would spend the whole day talking if they could. You should hear them. But of cause God ordered them to be silent when accompanying their owners. Now shadows may be mischievous and naughty but not even they would dare go against God’s will”
The King stop and think and continues, “This means my shadows in this very moment be impersonating me somewhere in the country?”
The Vizier interrupted and ask the old woman, “How do we get His Majesty shadow back?”
The old woman replied, “Easy! As shadows and dreams cannot exist independently, they are destined to follow their owner. They have to, they have no choice. All you have to do, is remind your shadow who is meant to follow them”
The King was puzzled, “Remind him? But who knows where he is my shadow now?”
The old woman said, “Oh it doesn’t matter where he is, he will hear you. He has to,he is your shadow. He will return, he may sulk for a while,but he will return.”
The King huffed, “Very well then”
In a loud voice, he ordered his shadow to return,
“NOW LISTEN HERE SHADOW! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME. GOD HAS WILLED THAT YOU FOLLOW ME UNTIL I REACH MY GRAVE. AND YOUR ABSENCE HAS BEEN NOTED. I COMMAND YOU TO RETURN AT ONCE!”
And his shadow returned.
The King was very happy, and ask how he can thank the old woman. The old woman said, “You can thank me by asking no further questions for there is some knowledge which can only be revealed in Paradise. But remember, Heaven is watching you, and a King above all must be just.” Then, the old woman left.
That night, the King reflected, he would get a good sleep,the first for a very long time.
***
So, going back to Ibn Batuta, he finally understands even at first he did not believed fairy tale, but as he thought it through, even fairy tales can have their uses.
And so in the midday sun,he knew exactly what to do.
“SHADOW! IF YOU ARE THINKING OF RETURNING TO YOUR SHADOW FRIENDS IN TANGIER THEN THINK AGAIN! IF I CHOOSE TO TRAVEL EVEN IF I CHOOSE TO GO AS FAR AS CHINA. THEN YOU WILL FOLLOW. IF I CHANGE MY TURBAN TWICE A DAY THEN SO WILL YOU. IF I TRAVEL ON HORSEBACK,THEN YOU WILL NEED TO FIND A HORSE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? NOW I AM LEAVING TOMORROW AT DAWN, AND I EXPECT YOU TO BE HERE READY TO DEPART!”
That night he had a strange dream, he was back in Tangier,surrounded by his family and friends. And he woke up from that dream, there was still few hours before dawn. And his shadow still have not come back. Taking a deep sigh. He blew out the candle and said,
“There are another two hours before dawn,shadow. And do not for a moment think that you and your dream can convince me to return to Tangier. We – myself,you and dream,still have a lot ore travelling to do. May Heaven help you if you are not here when I depart!”
With these words, he went straight to sleep, and there were no further dreams that night. At dawn, Ibn Batuta’s shadow was waiting for him,and together they travelled.
Occasionally, Ibn Batuta glanced and saw his shadow pulling faces at him, or even sticking out his tongue, but he did not mind and smiled to himself for he knew that his shadow would not dare to leave him again.
What Ibn Batuta could not see was the shadow himself smiling. For deep down, he did not mind being recalled. Over the years, he come to like this young Moroccon. As far as the owners went, the shadow reflected, he wasn’t too bad at all.
***
So what is the morale of the story children?
1) Get a good rest, because even shadows need to rest.
2) Don’t let our shadow control us, be the King of your own shadow.
3) There’s a deeper meaning in this story for those who too reflected 
And so, I too went to sleep hoping that my shadow does not sulk on me for I too may have give myself a hard time on myself . Good night my shadow friend, rest well for we have a lot of path to walk in our next journey ahead (“,)
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