The Perplexed Sultan

Description

“The judge: I mean, my lord Sultan, you have a choice; you can use it for work, or you can use it for decoration. I acknowledge the sword’s undeniable power, its swift action, and its decisive effect, but the sword gives power to the strongest, and who knows who will be the strongest tomorrow! … Now, my lord, you must choose between the sword, which compels you but exposes you, and the law, which challenges you but protects you.”

This play revolves around a just sultan who brought prosperity and security to his people. However, a rumor spread throughout the land that this sultan was a slave; his previous master, the sultan, had died before freeing him, thus making him legally ineligible to rule. The statesmen gathered in the Sultan’s council to discuss the matter. The minister advocated resorting to force by killing the one spreading the rumor, while the judge proposed resorting to the law by selling the Sultan at public auction—since he had become part of an estate without heirs—with the buyer pledging to emancipate him and reinstate him as the legitimate Sultan. Which option would the Sultan choose? And what would be the consequences of his choice? Through this play, Tawfiq al-Hakim addresses the issue of “the rule of law versus the tyranny of power.”