The Story of ‘Ala al-Din (Aladdin) and the Magic Lamp

Notable Characters

  • ‘Ala al-Din
  • ‘Ala al-Din’s mother
  • The king
  • Princess Badr al-Budur
  • The African magician
  • The African magician’s brother
  • The Demon of the Ring
  • The Demon of the Lamp
  • Fatima

Plot Summary

‘Ala al-Din and his family were not wealthy, but they felt lucky when an African magician took an interest in ‘Ala al-Din and asked for his help. ‘Ala al-Din retrieved the lamp for him, but he refused to give over the lamp, so the magician collapsed the cave in anger and left him for dead.

The ring given to ‘Ala al-Din by the magician was special, and a demon appeared when he rubbed it and offered to serve him. ‘Ala al-Din used the help of the demon to escape with his life and return home. He then discovered that the lamp did the same thing, so he began requesting food and money from the demon of the lamp to help his mother and himself live comfortably.

One day, ‘Ala al-Din saw the face of Princess Badr, and he knew he wanted to marry her. His mother went to the palace each day to get an audience with the king, but each day she was ignored. Finally, a day came that she was there and the king asked to hear what she wanted. She explained that her son wanted to marry the princess, and she gifted the king with very large and valuable jewels to prove ‘Ala al-Din’s worth.

‘Ala al-Din got rid of the other suitor, and soon enough he and Princess Badr got married. He used the demon for anything he needed, from a new palace for himself and the princess, to any food or money they could need. He also provided very well for his mother, and everything was happy for a while.

The African magician returned one day and was startled to find out that ‘Ala al-Din had survived. He tricked the staff into trading the lamp, and he used it to transport ‘Ala al-Din’s palace to a place in Africa.

When ‘Ala al-Din returned from his hunting trip, he realized what had happened and used the demon of the ring to take him to his palace. He devised a plan with Princess Badr that involved her seducing the African magician and then poisoning him.

Once the magician was dead, ‘Ala al-Din retrieved the lamp and returned his palace to where it belonged. Life carried on like normal until the African magician’s brother visited and realized his brother had been murdered. He killed the holy woman, Fatima, and took her place to trick people into letting him near ‘Ala al-Din.

Disguised as Fatima, he tricked Princess Badr into requesting something from ‘Ala al-Din. When he made the request to the demon, the demon was offended and refused to do it. The only reason ‘Ala al-Din was not killed was that the demon knew it was the magician’s brother who had orchestrated the event. ‘Ala al-Din killed the magician’s brother, and he and Princess Badr lived happily ever after.