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Once upon a time, there was The Great Magician. The Great Magician was called such for his outstanding talent in the mystical arts. People from the lowest commoner to the highest king from distant lands paid respect to The Great Magician in search for his assistance.
One such traveler was a young woman who later became The Great Magician's wife. Over the years, the happy couple had three sons and became a happy family. However, grief interrupted this happiness when The Great Magician's wife died. The Great Magician wished to retire and dedicate his life to raising his sons, but he could not. Instead, The Great Magician used his vast wealth to buy everything his sons could ever be in want of, from toys to tutors. As the years passed, The Great Magician watched his sons grow into men of their own.
The eldest son, Abanoub, became a proficient magician and skilled in swordsmanship. Draped in shining armor and noble deeds, the people praised Abanoub as the protector of the land.
His second, Malik, was by far the most talented in magic matched only by his cleverness. His well-spoken manner and warm smiles became the jewel of the nobility.
His youngest, Mustapha, though not without talents, paled in comparison to in the face of his gifted brothers.
The Great Magician grew older wished to provide for his sons even after death. As per custom, The Great Magician observed his sons in secret to determine what kind of inheritance would best benefit them. However, The Great Magician soon discovered hidden sides to his sons.
Abanoub was vain. His noble deeds were performed only in times an audience would applaud him. His immaculate armor was kept clean in favor of performing acts of service.
Malik was greedy. As often as he used his charm and cleverness in proper diplomacy, Malik used them far more to speak sweet words to cheat others.
Who surprised The Great Magician most of all was Mustapha. His youngest helped those in need without a hope for a reward using magic that surpassed The Great Magician.
At The Great Magician's death, his three sons were shocked to find out the contents of the will. Mustapha had inherited most of their father's fortune, with a sum of gold to Abanoub and Malik.
The elder brothers were furious. More than the vast treasures their father owned, which included a growing garden of jewels, Abanoub and Malik desired the magical lamp and ring, which each contained a powerful genie.
Mustapha ran once he realized what his brothers were plotting. In hopes of hiding, Mustapha sealed away his power and possessions. Thus the jewel gardens, the ring, and the lamp became hidden among the dunes of the desert.
Mustapha traveled East for many days before he settled himself in a small town in China. Over time, Mustapha began a new life as a tailor's apprentice and fell in love with his mentor's daughter. The two tailors married and months later Mustapha was ecstatic to hear that their family would soon welcome a small addition. Mustapha named his son after his father: Aladdin.
Mustapha and his family lived many happy years together, though not without its problems. It was time for Aladdin to pick up a trade; however, Aladdin did not want to. While his wife despaired over their son's laziness, Mustapha noticed Aladdin's kindness and pure desire to enjoy his childhood. One night, Mustapha resolved to talk to his wife about allowing Aladdin more time as a child, but this was not to be.
On his walk home, a shadow loomed over Mustapha. It was Abanoub on a magic carpet! Mustapha tried to escape, but without powers, he was quickly overwhelmed by Abanoub.
Abanoub knew where Mustapha had hidden his treasures; only he could not access them. Instead, Ababoub cornered Mustapha and demanded the genie of the lamp in exchange for Mustapha's life. Mustapha refused. In his fury, Abanoub murdered Mustapha and devised a plan to get his unsuspecting nephew to deliver the lamp to his father's killer.
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Author's Note:
In the original "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp," Alladin was an idle boy with a tailor father, Mustapha. The father was so sad that his son was a burden on society that he died. A magician pretended to be Mustapha's merchant brother and brought Alladin to a secret entrance which contains the jewel gardens, the genie with the ring, and the genie with the lamp. The evil magician tells Alladin to take the ring, go into the magical cave, and bring him the lamp in return for treasures.
Alladin obtains the lamp, but on his way out, the magician tells Alladin to give him the lamp already. Alladin refuses to do so while he is still in the cave. The magician traps Alladin in the cave.
Alladin rubs the lamp, and the genie from the lamp appears and saves Alladin, brings him home. Aladdin can make as many wishes as he likes from the genie. Years pass. Alladin falls in love with the princess. Eventually, Aladdin and the princess married. However, the evil magician and his younger brother still posed problems for the happy couple.
When I read the original story, I was confused for why Aladdin was chosen by the first evil magician to obtain the lamp. What more, why did the evil magician pretended to be Aladdin's uncle. How did the evil magician know that Aladdin's father was Mustapha, the tailor? I thought to myself, wouldn't it have been more interesting if Aladdin wasn't just a convenient lamp obtainer. What if Aladdin was the evil magician's nephew? What if only Aladdin could obtain the magical lamp because it was his birthright.
In the original story, Mustapha died because he was sad that Aladdin was lazy. I thought, what if Mustapha was proud of Aladdin because he had a good heart? What if Mustapha remembered his cruel brothers who lusted for power. Why would Mustapha die then? Because his brothers would return and want to obtain their late father's treasures.
From this thought process, I came up with a back story for why Aladdin was chosen to obtain the lamp and created this prequel to "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp."
Concerning names:
Mustapha was the original name of Aladdin's father, and the meaning of that name in Arabic can be "the chosen." I decided that the evil magician brothers should also have Arabic names with significance. Abanoub and Malik are both Arabic names which can be roughly translated to "King."
Bibliography:
Original Story: "Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp" from "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments" by Andrew Lang, illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898). Source.
Image Information: Lamp Photo Taken by Vicki Nunn. Source.
