The seven stories of Sinbad the Sailor are descriptions of his journeys. They are all similar but still different. The stories were told to the ruler Shahryar by Scheherezade.
One all of the journeys Sinbad was convinced he'll die but his faith in Allah kept him alive. He always said that every journey was his last, but he never settled down. He wanted to travel and see the world.
All of the stories have the same beginning. The journey is calm and pleasant, but then something happens. Sinbad was always saved by Allah and his faith in him grew with each voyage.
After Sinbad the Sailor told Sinbad the Carrier his stories he gave him 700 goldfinches. He said the stories so that Sinbad the Carrier would appreciate his life more and believe more in Allah. After that Sinbad the Carrier repented for his sins and asked Allah for forgiveness.
Scheherezade told him stories about Sinbad the Sailor and many others and everything was possible in her stories. The main characters rise from poverty to richness and the other way around, depending on what they deserve. Nothing is ever finished, and there is always the possibility for a story to go on.
The Emperor brought some of his best men to write her stories down and today they are known under the name "One Thousand and One Nights".
Genre: story
Place: sea and islands
Time: undefined but it is assumed that it's summer because they mention certain fruits.
Book Summary
Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad was a carrier and he lived under the regime of caliph Harun al-Rashid. As a carrier, he had to carry the load on his head. He was a poor man.
He carried a heavy load every day, so he decided to sit on a bench and take a few minutes to rest. Nearby there was a store, and when Sinbad saw the luxury, he started thanking Allah.
The owner of the store heard him and sent a young boy to bring him, Sinbad. Sinbad entered the house and was amazed by everything in it. The host came to welcome Sinbad and then he asked him to repeat the verses he was saying outside the store.
The host then decided to tell Sinbad, the carrier, all about his life changing the story. He told him everything that happened before he got rich and happy.
Sinbad the Sailor went on seven journeys, and every one of them is a magical story. Sinbad the Sailor believed it was all thanks to Allah because everything is meant to be and one cannot run away from his faith.
The first journey
Sinbad the Sailor told the story of his first journey. He traveled a lot, saw many islands and then he stopped near one that looked like Heaven itself.
He and his crew unshipped on it and lighted a fire so they could cook some food. Some of them cooked and some of them walked the island.
All of them were happy and cheerful, but it didn't last long. The captain told him that they had to hurry to the ship because the island was a giant fish getting ready to dive into the sea.
Some of them were saved, but some of them stayed on the giant fish. Sinbad the Sailor stayed on the fish, but Allah sent him a wooden trough and he saved himself. Then he came to another island.
One day he decided to walk around and explore the island. He saw a man riding a giant horse.
The man took him into a chamber underneath the ground. There he met an emperor that gave him an assignment. He had to write down every boat that landed on the island.
One day a boat from Bagdad came and Sinbad the Sailor decided to go home with it.
The second journey
Sinbad the Sailor decided to travel again. He came to an island that also looked like Paradise.
Sinbad was tired, so he fell asleep on the island, and when he woke up, he was all alone. His crew left without him. Since he was left alone, he had to do something to survive.
He saw a giant bird and decided to tie himself up to her legs in hopes she'll carry him to an inhabited island.
The bird carried him high to a mountain and underneath it was a valley. He went to the end of the valley and saw something strange. A piece of meat fell from the sky. He tied himself to the meat, and then an eagle came and carried him to the top of the mountain.
He encountered a group of merchants, and he traveled with them back to Bagdad. He lived a carefree life, but soon he wanted to go on a new adventure.
The third journey
They traveled to another sea when the wind got to them and blow them away to the mountain of monkeys. Nobody came out alive from that mountain. The monkeys surrounded the boat and threw them to the island where they saw a castle.
They got into the castle, and it was empty, so they decided to spend the night there. In the morning, a big monster woke them up, grabbed their captain and threw him to the ground. After that, he stepped onto his neck, demanded a fire to be lit and then he baked and ate the captain.
The same situation happened the next day when the sailors wanted to outsmart the monster and kill him. Before nightfall another one of them was dead. After that slaughter, the monster decided to sleep.
The sailors grabbed to spears and shoved them into his eyes. They managed to beat him like that.
They built up a boat and went back to Bagdad. Sinbad the Sailor lived happily, but his inner voice made him travel again.
The fourth journey
Sinbad the Sailor went to another journey. Everything was going well until a storm broke their boat in half. Allah saved him again by sending him a piece of board that helped him get to an island.
They wandered around the island until they encountered a group of naked man and they managed to save themselves because they were much smarter.
After that Sinbad ended up in a small town. The citizens welcomed him and the Emperor married him to his daughter. He spent his days peacefully but one day he decided to head back to Bagdad. Even thought he had everything he needed to live nicely, he wanted a new adventure.
The fifth journey
Again Sinbad traveled from one island to another. He encountered many misfortunes and ended up on a big island where he got into serious troubles.
He was even accompanied by an old man who kept on telling him how lucky he is to be alive. Sinbad saved his life, and now the old man didn't want to leave his side. Sinbad was wise, so he got the old man drunk and ran away from him.
He saved himself thanks to Allah. He worked on an island to raise money for his trip back to Bagdad. When he got home, he forgot him troubles and decided to plan a new adventure.
The sixth journey
Sinbad traveled with a group of merchants. They had a happy journey, but the captain put an end to it. He realized they got off of their route, and they unloaded on an island.
All of the merchants soon died, and Sinbad was left alone. Sinbad had to survive, so he wandered until he found an Emperor that lived a happy life. With his help, he finally managed to get back to Bagdad.
The seventh journey
Sinbad got some money from his previous journey, but he still wanted to travel more. They had a pleasant trip but then the captain told him that the wind took them to remote seas.
They were attacked by whaled who could be compared to the biggest mountains. All of them knew they won't get out alive.
Sinbad remembered that every time he was in trouble, he would pray to Allah, and he would save him, but then again he would get into trouble. He swore to Allah that if he survives, this time, he'll never sail again and search for troubles. Allah saved him and Sinbad never traveled again.
Characters: Sinbad the Sailor, Sinbad theCarrier, captain, merchants, emperors
Characters Analysis
Sinbad the Sailor - the rich merchant who lived in Bagdad. His life was full of excitement because he couldn't resist new adventures. He desired them and wanted to see new places and learn new things. He got into a lot of troubles but his faith in Allah was strong, and he always saved him. On his last journey, he promised Allah that it was his last one to survive. He lived his life peacefully in Bagdad. He had a great heart and was very thankful for his life. He told his life stories to Sinbad the Carrier because he thought that he did not respect his life enough. After that Sinbad the Carrier started to believe in Allah and became thankful for his life.
Author is unknown, the stories are from the book of stories ''One Thousand and One Nights''.
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