Authors: Thalassa Ali

Companions of Paradise (38 page)

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]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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

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