Companions of Paradise (38 page)
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Authors: Thalassa Ali
| sharif, a. | noble, glorious |
| Sher Darwaza, u. | f. Lion's Gate, a mountain southwest of Kabul; the Kabul River flows through the Sher Darwazapass |
| sirdar, u. f. | chief |
| sura, a. | chapter of the Holy Qur'an |
| Sura Ha Mim, a. | Qur'anic chapter whose title is the Arabic lettersH and M |
| Sura Inshirah, a. Sura Nur, a. | Qur'anic chapter entitled “Expansion” |
| Qur'anic chapter entitled “Light” | |
| T | |
| takht, u. f. | padded platform, also used as a throne |
| tandoori, u. f. a. | baked in a brick oven |
| tashreef, a. | to confer honor upon an inferior, usually bygiving him a gift [see khelat] |
| taweez, u. a. | the Merciful Prescriptions: a series of cures andhealings practiced by the Sufis; in this case asilver box containing a Qur'anic verse andworn about the neck |
| tik hai, u. | It is good, it is all right |
| tujhun, p. | white Siberian goshawk, considered the rarestand finest hunting bird in Central Asia |
| U | |
| uml, u. f. a. | Sufi practices that have been described ashalfway between magic and miracle |
| V | |
| vizier, u. f. a. | government minister |
| Y | |
| ya, u. f. a. | oh |
| yabu, u. f. | small, hardy pack pony used for mountaintravel |
| yakhni, u. f. | broth made with mutton or chicken |
| yar, u. a. | friend [also Punjabi] |
THALASSA ALI was born in Boston. She married a Pakistani, and lived in Karachi for a number of years. Although she has since returned to the United States, her deep connection to Pakistan remains unbroken.
COMPANIONS OF PARADISE
A Bantam Book / April 2007
Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt on page 3, from
An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text
by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Excerpt on page 28, fragment of Sa'adi, translated by Samuel Robinson of Wilmslow, 1883
Excerpt on page 43, from
An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text
by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Excerpt on page 74, fragment of Jalaluddin Rumi, translator unknown
Excerpt on page 78, from
The Mystic Persians—Rumi
by F. Hadland Davis
Ashraf Publications, Lahore, Pakistan, 1967
Excerpt on page 86, from
An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text
by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Durood on page
96
, translation by Syed Akhlaque Husain Tauhidi
Excerpt on page 100, from a pamphlet by the Afghan Antiquities and Museums Service and Instituto Italiano per il Media ed Estremo Oriente, 1966
Excerpt on page 212, fragment of Jalaluddin Rumi, translator unknown
Excerpt on page 238, fragment of “Hohenlinden” by Robert Campbell
Excerpt on page 245, from
An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text
by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Second excerpt on page 283, fragment of Sa'adi, translated by Samuel Robinson of Wilmslow, 1883
Excerpt on page 307, from
An English Interpretation of The Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text
by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
Excerpt on page 316, from
An English Interpretation of the Holy Qur'an with Full Arabic Text
by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers and booksellers, Lahore, Pakistan, 1975
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2007 by Thalassa Ali
Title page art from an original photograph by Mira Pavlakovic
Map by Laura Hartman Maestro
Bantam Books and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Ali, Thalassa.
Companions of paradise / Thalassa Ali.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-48316-4
1. British—India—Fiction. 2. Afghanistan—Fiction. 3. Punjab (India)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3601.L39C66 2007
813′.6—dc22
2006048502
v3.0
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