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Praise to the Prophet…
A fisherman lived in a very simple house. He had a new wife who had two daughters. He also had a daughter called Hamda.
Every morning, after saying his dawn prayer, the fisherman went fishing in his boat.
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He worked very hard. When his net was full, he returned to shore. Hamda helped him to carry the fish to the house.
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Hamda’s stepmother was a mean person who made her work very hard.
One day, Hamda carried a large basket of fish to the house. Her stepmother said, “Go and clean these seven fish and cook them for our lunch. Do it quickly!”
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Suddenly, a big silver fisaikra in the basket spoke to Hamda. “Please save me,” it said.
Hamda was shocked. The fish spoke again.
“Please put me back in the sea. Please help me!”
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Fisaikra said, “I will make all your wishes come true if you put me back in the sea.”
“I am afraid that my stepmother will be angry,” said Hamda. She felt sick with fear.
“Nothing will happen to you. I promise,” said Fisaikra.
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Hamda felt sorry for the fish so she picked it up and carried it to the sea.
Fisaikra swam away. She leapt happily over the waves and waved her fins joyfully at Hamda. 8
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When she arrived home, her stepmother counted the fish in the basket.
“One, two, three… Hamda! Where is the fisaikra?” she shouted angrily at Hamda.
“There were seven fish but now there are only six!
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“It jumped out of my hands into the sea,” said Hamda.
“How could that happen?” screamed her stepmother. “That fish was your lunch. Go and cook our food.”
Hamda’s stepmother made her watch them eat. She was sad and very hungry.
Later Hamda went to the beach to see Fisaikra to ask her to give her some food.
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Hamda waited patiently.
Suddenly she heard Fisaikra. “Hamda, Hamda, my beautiful friend, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“I am very hungry,” Hamda replied. “My stepmother won’t let me eat.”
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“Close your eyes”, said Fisaikra.
When Hamda opened her eyes there was a table of food – grilled fish, rice and sweet dates. Hamda ate until she was full, thanked Fisaikra and went home.
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With the food from Fisaikra, Hamda started to look more beautiful every day.
One day, the Sheikh invited everyone to a party. 13
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Hamda’s stepmother allowed her two daughters to go to the party, but not Hamda.
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Hamda desperately wanted to go to the party.
She asked Fisaikra to help her.
“Everyone has gone to a great party except me,” she cried. “I really want to go but I have nothing to wear. What can I do?”
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Fisaikra asked the sea creatures to help her.
“Please help me to make Hamda as beautiful as the moon in a cloudless sky.”
The sea creatures dressed Hamda in a red gown with gold embroidery and perfumed her with oud scent and rose water.
Fisaikra brought Hamda a pair of sparkly golden slippers that were covered in jewels.
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Hamda was so happy. She thanked her new friends.
Fisaikra made Hamda promise two things. “You must leave the party before it ends. And don’t tell anyone your name.”
Hamda promised to do this.
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When Hamda arrived at the palace, people stared at her beauty.
The sheikh’s wife thought she was a beautiful princess from a distant land.
Even her stepmother and step sisters did not know who she was. 20
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Hamda enjoyed the party.
She remembered her promise to Fisaikra and left the party before it finished.
As she ran hurriedly past a pond, one of her precious slippers fell into the water.
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At the beach, Fisaikra asked where the other slipper was.
“Forgive me,” said Hamda. “It must have fallen into the pond at the palace.”
The fish smiled.
Hamda changed her clothes and hurried home.
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The next morning, the Sheikh’s son left the palace to ride on his white horse. 23
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The young man noticed something shiny and bright in the pond near the palace.
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His servant jumped into the pond and found a golden slipper studded with jewels.
The Sheikh’s son decided immediately that he would marry the owner of this shoe.
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His mother looked at the slipper and saw that it belonged to the beautiful girl from the party.
The Sheikh’s son told the lady of the palace to visit every house in the land and find the girl who could fit the slipper!
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News spread excitedly throughout the land.
The lady visited many houses but the slipper did not fit anyone.
The Sheikh’s son asked sadly, “Have you visited every house?”
“Yes sir, every house except for the fisherman’s house by the sea,” she replied.
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“Then you must go there immediately,” said the Sheikh. 28
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The lady of the palace knocked on the door of the fisherman’s house.
“Just a minute” called out Hamda’s stepmother.
Hamda’s stepmother quickly pushed Hamda into the tanoor oven and covered it with a large basket.
She sat her two daughters in the liwan and invited in the lady from the palace. 29
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The golden slipper did not fit the girls.
“No, wait!” shouted the stepmother. She tried to force it onto the foot of her first daughter, and then her second daughter. It was too small.
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Suddenly there was a cry from the cockerel.
“Hamda is in the tanoor covered in grains.”
The lady from the palace was so shocked.
The stepmother yelled angrily at the cockerel, “Be quiet you horrible bird!” 31
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 The lady from the palace asked the stepmother, “Do you have a third daughter called Hamda?”
The stepmother was very angry.
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The lady from the palace lifted the basket from the tanoor and saw a girl as beautiful as the moon.
Hamda tried the golden slipper and it fit perfectly.
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 The next day the Sheikh asked the fisherman if his son could marry his daughter.
When they asked about the dowry, his wife said, “A bag of onions, dried fish, dates and strong smelling herbs.”
The Sheikh was surprised but he sent his servant to fetch it.
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Hamda’s stepmother told Hamda to eat all of the dowry.
She wanted Hamda to be sick on the day of her wedding.
Hamda was very scared of her stepmother so she ate as much as she could. She felt very sick. 35 35
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 Hamda felt terrible. She called Fisaikra to help her.
“Fisaikra, Fisaikra…help me please. I am so sick..”
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Fisaikra asked her friends to help.
“We need to make Hamda well. We need to make her look beautiful on her special day.”
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The turtles fetched coral and pearls from the bottom of the sea.
The stingray fetched the other golden slipper.
The minnows were found the beautiful scents of rose petals and oil of oud.
Other creatures found a jewel covered crown and a beautiful wedding gown.
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Fisaikra took Hamda to the bottom of the sea. She held her breath. 39
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When she opened her mouth, the sea water came in and all the food that hurt her stomach magically floated away.
Fisaikra then filled Hamda’s stomach with pearls and coral and gave her clothes and jewels.
She told her, “Don’t put them on until you enter your husband’s room.”
Hamda was so happy. She thanked her dear friend Fisaikra. 40
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On the night of the wedding, Hamda asked her husband to give her his cap.
She opened her mouth and all the beautiful pearls and coral came out.
The room smelt of oud and rose petals.
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The Sheikh’s son was amazed.
Hamda told him the wonderful story of Fisaikra.
They all went with Hamda to the beach to thank Fisaikra and the sea creatures for their kindness. Everyone celebrated Hamda’s happiness.
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