Long ago, scholars used geometry to learn the size and scope
of the Earth for the first time.
In which case, is it also possible to use geometry to determine
the size and scope of the fate we hold in our hands?
This is the story of a witch who made a vast continent her plaything.
Jaadugar
And just where are you trying to fly to, my little bird?
You are such a handful, child.
A.D. 1213 Tus Eastern Iran
Tus
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I love how full of life the bazaar is.
Mistress.
When your iddah mourning period for the late master ends, let's come shopping.
Good idea.
For today, though, I hope Allah will lead us to a fine slave.
Not as fine as you, of course.
All of them are hard workers.
This woman, for example, is skilled at cooking.
This one is a skilled seamstress.
And this one's a talker,
so perhaps she'd make a good conversation partner for you, Lady Fatima.
Perhaps.
But what we most need help with right now is...
The cleaning. That huge mansion is too much for me to handle alone.
Yes, and I still haven't finished sorting through my late husband's belongings.
Ah, say no more.
Then, how about this woman?
She has a true gift for cleaning.
My name is Anis.
Cleaning isn't about what you wish to discard,
but what you wish to keep.
Your days will be neat and tidy. I give you my word.
That would be wonderful.
How much for her?
I'll let you have her for 800 dirham.
I know slaves aren't cheap, but my goodness...
Mr. Ahmad, please. Can't you go a little lower?
I would normally refuse,
but I could make an exception and let you have her for half price.
What?
But in return...
Come.
Go on. Do as I taught you.
Oh, how cute.
Who's this?
I acquired her just the other day. Her name is Sitara.
Oh, your name means "star." How lovely.
She's a bit bashful, but as you can see, her smile is quite fetching.
If properly educated, I reckon she could be a servant to someone of high standing.
So here's my proposal.
Lady Fatima.
Yours is a scholarly household,
and Young Master Muhammad's keen mind shines brightly even here in Tus.
Studying in your home will give her real cachet.
So might I trouble you to take her in for a while?
You agreed to his deal?
Please. You're the only one qualified to be her teacher now, Brother.
I'm still in my iddah, and I don't know any teachers outside our family.
Besides, slave or no, seeking knowledge is the duty of every Muslim.
I suppose.
Recitation is the cornerstone of all learning.
The first step on that journey is to recite the Quran properly.
Now, repeat after me.
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
Now you.
Go on. Try saying it.
It's hopeless. This girl has absolutely no talent.
Try as I might, she just smiles and shows no interest in learning.
But I promised I would take her in.
I'll pay back the discount you got on the other slave.
I'm sorry, Brother.
I'll have him come fetch you. Wait here a while, all right?
Mr. Ahmad's establishment, right? I'll go.
Yes. Sorry to trouble you.
I have to get away.
I don't wanna get sold off to who knows where. I'm going home.
I'm lost.
Where's the way out?
A boy?
And Young Master Muhammad's keen mind shines brightly even here in Tus.
Excuse me.
Where's the door?
Th-This is most improper.
A female mustn't show herself before a man with her hair uncovered.
It's okay. I'm still little.
You're too close.
Besides, you look like you're still a child to me,
Young Master Muhammad.
Who are you, anyway?
My name is—
Ah! There you are!
I've looked high and low after you ran off.
The roses were so pretty, I had to come look.
She was looking for the way out.
Unbelievable. How could you try to escape?
Now, now. My brother will be back with Ahmad any minute now.
I'm so sorry.
You wanted to go back, didn't you?
Not to that man's place.
To the house I lived in with my mother.
My mother died, and her master sold me off.
Then it's not your house.
You're a slave.
If you want a real home to return to,
study hard so you'll be bought by a good master.
Then, I'm never ever gonna study!
I don't wanna study! I won't make cute faces anymore, either!
It only makes me more valuable!
If I study, I'll get sold off again somewhere even farther away than this!
I'm sick of going places where I don't recognize anything!
Little girl. Your name is Sitara?
So that's the reason you came here to study?
Our lots in life might be rather different, and yet...
Say, Zumurrud.
Would you fetch me a water bucket from the kitchen?
The larger the better.
Of course.
Come with me.
Where are we going?
The roof?
Will this do?
Yes, thank you.
I'm going to drop this into the courtyard, okay?
Young Master?
Is that girl really a lost cause?
Wh-What was that? What's going on?
What was that noise just now? Is everyone all right?
Did lightning strike the house?
A-Are you sure we aren't under enemy attack?
Is it those barbarous nomads?
A water bucket?
They're all in a panic.
Young Master, your little prank went too far.
If I might ask, why are you two so calm and composed?
Well, why wouldn't we be?
We knew it was going to hit the ground, so we covered our ears.
So one might say you predicted a future in which there would be a loud noise
and took appropriate precautions. Is that correct?
Well, uh, yes, I suppose.
Perhaps that is what learning is all about.
At this moment in time, you don't know where you are,
what is happening,
or what is going to become of you.
Your life is full of unknowns.
In a way, my uncle and the others down there are the same.
But if you study and become wise,
you will know the best course of action to take, whatever trouble you're in.
That can never be a bad thing.
That's what studying is?
Uncle!
Sorry for startling you! That was me!
This water bucket is all bent and won't stack anymore.
It no longer sparks joy.
Go and have it repaired.
I'll see to the cooking.
Why, hello there, Sitara.
If you have questions about anything, feel free to ask.
I... I will.
Thus Sitara found herself serving in a scholarly household,
while studying hard.
You look so pretty, Mistress!
Thank you. But I must admit, I feel quite self-conscious.
Don't be silly.
This is your first day going back to the hammam baths after your iddah.
Go freshen up, put on some makeup, dye your hair and hands with henna,
and chat up a storm with the other wives.
If you insist.
I'll take you with me someday,
Sitara.
Sure.
"And to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens,
and all that is in the earth."
My recitation is still different than Uncle's somehow.
I'll have him teach me again.
Mother, can we talk?
Uh, where is Mother?
Mistress Fatima went to the hammam.
Didn't she tell you?
What? Oh, was that today?
Is there no room up there for anything but your studies?
As I've told you, please don't leave your room with your hair uncovered.
And as I've told you, I'm still little.
Besides, you're still only 12, Young Master Muhammad.
What's so bad about someone who still can't grow a beard
setting foot in a woman's room?
I'm not a child!
Am I immature in your eyes too?
My teacher told me I was too ignorant in the ways of the world.
Your law teacher?
Yes, Ustad Kamal al-Din. Father introduced me to him before he died.
But lately, there are times when I sense we view things differently.
He does not even give clear answers to questions I put to him.
You have far too little experience to understand such things.
I... intend to go on a journey.
I wish to travel to Nishapur and visit its renowned teachers.
And I won't stop there. I will eventually visit other cities
and engage with wisdom
from any and all sources, not just Islam,
in search of truth.
I believe that to be the path my father, a scholar himself, wanted for me.
That is so admirable.
Well, I have washing to do, so I should go.
Sure.
"And to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens, and all that is in the earth."
No matter how hard I study,
I'll never match Master Muhammad, will I?
Well, Mother, I'm off.
Devote yourself to your studies there so as not to bring shame on your father.
I will.
Take good care of yourself.
Well, I'm off.
I'll see you partway there.
Thank you, Uncle.
Wait a moment.
Girl.
I'm told you are still unable to read.
Yes.
I see.
I shall write letters to you.
When I become a teacher in the future,
I'll need to convey lessons to young children like you.
So I will write as simply as I can.
I'm your way of practicing?
I ask you to study hard so you can read them to my mother.
Understood, Sitara?
Never stop learning, okay?
I understand. I won't.
I'll be off now.
Muhammad, a boy of Tus who would go on to become a scholar of some renown,
and Sitara, a slave girl.
This would be the last time they would ever see each other face-to-face.
8 Years Later
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
Huh?
It's the Tus militia.
Ms. Zumurrud?
They must be off to scout around outside the city.
Apparently, armed nomads have been seen in the area.
My little brother is among them somewhere.
I haven't seen him in ages, though.
Oh?
Mikhail and I were born in a land far to the west.
One right by the sea.
When the evening sun set, everything turned a lovely purple color.
The sea?
We were poor,
but how I loved watching the sea.
Sitara?
Might I trouble you to read this letter?
Yes! Right away!
In the usual room, yes?
My goodness, look how happy she is.
Here goes.
"Mother. Uncle."
"In the eight years since I left, I have studied many fields of learning,
such as philosophy, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy."
Nishapur is a large city where noted scholars gather.
For example, I was instructed by Fadl al-Din Damad
in the medical arts founded by Ibn Sina.
Unlike theology, in which you simply parrot what you are taught,
science is knowledge built upon real-world experience gained by scholars.
I find this manner of learning far more agreeable.
"And also..."
"If our little star, Sitara, will deign to listen,
please tell her about Euclid and Ptolemy."
Come with me.
Thank you for showing me all these precious books.
Think nothing of it. Seeking knowledge is the duty of every Muslim.
That's what my late scholarly husband told me.
Euclid's Elements is that one there.
Sure.
"A point is that which has no part."
"A line is breadthless length."
"The ends of a line are points."
It's like he's stating obvious things in an overblown way.
But what makes "obvious things" obvious?
It is by amassing examples one by one that we prove universal principles.
Was that too hard?
Yes, sorry. I just don't see how I can apply this knowledge.
In that case, let's find a more interesting one for you.
Al-Biruni's Book of Instructions in the Elements of the Art of Astrology.
A book on astrology?
More down to earth, right?
Look at this.
"The diameter of the Earth is 2,163 and 1/3 farsakh,
and its circumference is 6,800 farsakh."
This person traveled to the ends of the Earth?
Of course not. That's impossible.
By forming a right triangle using a spot on the ground,
a mountaintop, and the center of the Earth,
it is possible to determine the Earth's radius.
A mountaintop?
You can also calculate the Earth's circumference using the angle of shadows.
Using shadows?
All of this was derived from the universal knowledge found in Elements.
Well? Does it pique your interest?
It's burning!
Huh?
It's been one failure after another with you lately.
I'm sorry, Ms. Anis.
Listen, Sitara.
Slaves do all sorts of jobs.
Some slaves are given an education in order to entertain their master.
We sometimes even receive a pledge to be set free.
You shouldn't get your hopes up too high, though.
We don't get to decide such things.
We aren't people. We're property.
Girls, please...
Gather around.
Can you also go fetch Zumurrud?
What's the matter?
The Tus militia has been defeated by the nomads.
Heaven did not answer our prayers with mercy, but with fire.
Instead of rain, fire embers fell across the land, followed by silence,
which took the place of the flames.
Highness, as you can see, we have put down
the fools who took up arms against us.
We will enter their city within days.
Ah...
Speaking of which, are there scholars in Tus?
Highness?
I'm looking for something, you see.
The Roses That Bloom in Safar
Next time: "The Roses That Bloom in Safar."