In a town where people believed that death could be escaped by simply moving to a place untouched by it, a woman once decided to leave everything behind. She had a son and a daughter, and one morning she told them that she had heard of a city where nobody ever died. Believing that such a place would offer them a peaceful life, she broke up her household and set off with her children.
When they reached the city, the woman immediately searched for a cemetery. She found none. Convinced that the absence of graves proved that death had no power there, she happily decided that they should remain.
Years passed, and her son grew into a young man. He married a girl who had been born in the city. For a while, the family lived together peacefully, but the young husband eventually became restless and decided to travel. He left his mother, his wife and his sister behind while he went in search of adventure.
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His absence created an opportunity for something terrible to happen.
One evening, the old mother complained that she was unwell. She told her daughter in law that her head was aching terribly. Instead of caring for the older woman, however, the daughter in law went to a group of butchers and arranged for them to kill her mother in law.
The old woman was murdered.
Her daughter was away in the woods at the time. When she returned and learned what had happened, she was terrified. Her brother was far away, her mother was dead, and she had no one left to protect her.
She fled the city.
After travelling for some time, she reached a lonely place where she believed she would be safe. She sat down and wept bitterly.
A man eventually came along and asked why she was crying. She told him that her mother had been killed, that her brother was far away and that she was alone.
The man offered her protection.
She accepted.
He took her down beneath the earth to a great underground city and eventually married her. In time, they had a son.
The boy was named Mohammed.
But Mohammed was unlike other children.
Whenever he stretched out his little finger, he could see events happening far away. His strange gift allowed him to see what was taking place as far as two days away.
People began calling him Mohammed with the Magic Finger.
As Mohammed grew older, his unusual ability became increasingly useful. He could see things that ordinary people could never see, and his gift allowed him to discover events before others knew they had happened.
Meanwhile, Mohammed’s uncle eventually returned from his travels.
He went directly to his wife and asked about his mother and sister.
His wife did not immediately tell him the truth.
Instead, she asked him to eat something first.
But the man refused. He could not think about food until he knew what had happened to his family.
Finally, his wife revealed the terrible truth.
She told him that his mother had been killed and that she had received money from the butchers in exchange for her life. She also explained that his sister had escaped.
The man was horrified.
He took what remained of his mother’s body and left the city. His only purpose was to find his sister.
Far away, Mohammed used his magic finger.
Suddenly, he announced that his uncle was coming.
His mother was astonished. She could not understand how the boy could possibly know that her brother was approaching.
But Mohammed’s gift had shown him what was happening.
When his uncle finally arrived, the family was reunited.
Yet Mohammed’s adventures were only beginning.
The boy and his uncle eventually travelled together and encountered a series of dangerous situations. Mohammed’s supernatural sight repeatedly helped them, but his cleverness was just as important as his magical ability.
At one point, Mohammed and his uncle arrived at a Bedouin camp and were welcomed for the night.
Before sleeping, Mohammed suddenly warned the owner of the camp that his ram would kill his greyhound.
The Bedouin laughed at the strange warning.
He could not imagine how a ram could possibly kill a dog.
Mohammed calmly suggested that if the ram did kill the dog, he should be allowed to take the ram in exchange.
The Bedouin agreed.
But Mohammed had deliberately created the situation.
During the night, he killed his own greyhound and placed its body across the ram’s horns. Then he began shouting loudly.
The Bedouin rushed out.
Mohammed insisted that the ram had killed his beloved dog.
The Bedouin was shocked.
He had seen nothing happen, but the evidence seemed to support Mohammed’s claim. He eventually gave Mohammed the ram as compensation.
Mohammed continued his journey.
At another Bedouin camp, he repeated the trick.
This time, he warned the owner that his daughter would kill his ram.
The man immediately rejected the accusation. He insisted that his daughter would never steal meat.
Mohammed accepted the challenge.
During the night, he killed the ram and cooked some of its liver. He secretly placed pieces of the meat on the sleeping girl’s clothes and in her hands.
Then he began shouting.
The girl’s father came running.
Mohammed accused his daughter of killing his ram.
The father was horrified when he found the pieces of meat beside her.
Believing Mohammed’s story, he punished his daughter and eventually allowed Mohammed to take her with him.
Mohammed continued travelling with the girl and his uncle.
Again and again, his cleverness allowed him to obtain what he wanted from people who believed they could see through him.
But the journey eventually brought them into greater danger.
They encountered another Bedouin family, and Mohammed once again warned the owner that something terrible would happen to his animal.
His ability to predict events made people believe that he possessed knowledge far beyond that of an ordinary traveller.
Yet Mohammed’s greatest challenge came when he encountered an old woman connected to the supernatural world.
His magic finger allowed him to discover information that others could not see. Instead of confronting danger through physical strength, Mohammed used his knowledge to manipulate the situation.
He instructed his uncle carefully and devised a plan that would allow them to escape.
At one point, Mohammed told his uncle to take his stick and mantle and travel ahead to a group of shepherds. Mohammed himself remained behind with the old woman.
He ordered her to perform tasks that she believed were impossible. He even demanded that she capture seven singing birds.
The old woman protested that he had never told her about such a task.
Mohammed simply insisted that it was part of her responsibility.
She hurried into the bushes in search of the birds. The task was difficult, and thorns pierced her feet as she struggled to catch them.
Eventually, however, she returned with the seven birds.
Mohammed’s plan had succeeded.
His unusual gift had allowed him to understand circumstances that others could not see, while his quick thinking enabled him to turn that knowledge into action.
Throughout his adventures, Mohammed repeatedly demonstrated that his magic finger was not simply a supernatural curiosity.
It was a tool.
But the boy himself was the real source of his success.
He knew when to speak.
He knew when to remain silent.
He understood how to make people believe what he wanted them to believe.
Most importantly, he understood that intelligence could be more powerful than physical strength.
Mohammed had been born into a world where his family had suffered terrible betrayal. His grandmother had been killed, his mother had been forced to flee and his uncle had returned to a family tragedy he had never expected.
Yet Mohammed’s unusual ability helped reveal what others could not know.
He became a protector of his family.
He also became a master of clever solutions.
The boy with the magical finger could see farther than ordinary people, but his greatest strength was knowing what to do with what he saw.
His adventures show that extraordinary abilities are valuable only when combined with courage, intelligence and resourcefulness.
A person may possess a gift, but it is wisdom that determines how that gift is used.
Mohammed’s magic finger allowed him to see beyond the horizon.
His clever mind allowed him to survive what he saw.
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Moral Lesson
Intelligence and courage can turn an unusual gift into a powerful strength. What matters most is not simply what we can see or know, but how wisely we use that knowledge.
Knowledge Check
1. What was unusual about Mohammed?
Whenever he stretched out his little finger, he could see events happening far away.
2. Why did Mohammed’s uncle leave home?
He left to travel and seek adventure, unaware of the terrible events that would happen in his absence.
3. What happened to Mohammed’s grandmother?
His uncle’s wife arranged for butchers to kill her while he was away.
4. How did Mohammed use his magic finger?
He used it to see distant events and discover information that helped him and his family.
5. How did Mohammed outwit the Bedouins?
He created situations that made his predictions appear to come true, allowing him to obtain animals and other things he needed.
6. What does Mohammed’s story teach about intelligence?
It shows that intelligence, resourcefulness and courage can help someone overcome dangers that physical strength alone cannot solve.
Source
Adapted from Hans Stumme, Märchen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis in Nordafrika, 1898, pp. 104 onward, and the English version published in Andrew Lang’s The Grey Fairy Book, 1900, as “Mohammed with the Magic Finger.”
