Over there, on the top of the hill, you can see the ruins of a palace. Once upon a time, life flourished here - the water gurgled, the gardens turned green and olive trees bountifully bore fruit, so large that their branches seemed to reach the sky. Thousands of birds sang in the treetops. And above all this towered a white marble palace. There lived in that palace a woman, the most beautiful in the world. Her name was Lalla ed-Doha, which means Lady of the Morning. The heart of the beauty who lived in the beautiful palace was filled with kindness and nobility.
Many years ago, the beloved husband of Lalla ed-Doha left to fight his enemies and did not return. From then on, she vowed never to marry again. The beauty was constantly in sadness, she sat all day long in a high tower and did not take her eyes off the deserted road, waiting for a miracle - the return of her beloved.
One day a woman learned that her husband was wounded in battle and soon died. Then she put on mourning and decided to devote her life to the poor, the sick and the poor.
But one day, noble people of the city came to Lalla’s palace. They came to ask her to marry, because they were afraid that she, a weak woman, would not be able to repel the enemies if they attacked the country. And then she herself and all her subjects will perish. That's what they said. But Lalla ed-Doha flatly refused:
“I will never leave my people in trouble, who believe in me and who love me.” Yes, I’m just a weak woman, but I have enough strength not to let the enemy enter our lands. I feel and know that in case of need, my beloved husband will protect me just as Allah protects him now.
This is how Queen Lalla answered the noble people of the city. They left the palace, and soon all the people repeated the words of their mistress, glorifying her courage and loyalty. This is how the song was born:
Praise be to the Almighty, praise for being the best of wives
He bestowed such a generous gift.
She has both the beauty and the courage of a lion,
And tenderness and spiritual fervor.
That woman is Lalla ed-Doha,
And intertwined in her name
And the sweetness of honey, and the bitterness of a sigh.
Enemies attacked this region more than once, but each time they were repulsed! And this is the merit of Lalla ed-Doh.
So, both to the south and to the north the wind carried praise of the beauty and nobility of Lalla, and the whole Maghreb paid tribute to her.
This woman lived for a very long time and died calmly in a thunderstorm, just at the moment when a rainbow flashed in the sky.
Since then, when people see a rainbow, they say that Allah created it so that the souls of saints could ascend to heaven along it.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru