34. Exile Over a Fart
After fleeing his wedding, mortified at the humiliation of his huge fart, Abu Hassan ended up on the coast, where he caught a ship headed for India. Landing on the Malabar Coast, he eventually joined the service of a local king and rose in his service. After a decade abroad, however, Abu Hassan pined for his homeland. Finally, he snuck away and returned to Yemen, but unsure of his reception, he donned the disguise of an impoverished dervish, and headed back to his hometown.
Abu Hassan endured many weird and wacky adventures en route, surviving encounters with lions, enduring snake bites, and hiding from bloodthirsty bandits. Eventually, he reached his hometown, and his eyes brimmed with tears when he looked down upon it from surrounding hills. However, he was wary of the type of reception he might encounter, and told himself: “They might recognize me, so I will wander about the outskirts and listen to what people are saying. May Allah grant that they do not remember what happened“. Allah did not grant Abu Hassan’s wish.
