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 of his counsel.
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 motherless 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.
His 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 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 small sum of gold to Abanoub and Malik.
The elder brothers were furious. More than any other of their father's wondrous treasures, the gold, the growing garden of jewels, Abanoub and Malik desired the magical lamp, which contained a powerful genie.
In their jealousy, the elder brothers decided to kill Mustapha and split the treasures amongst themselves.
Mustapha fled once he realized what his brothers were plotting. However, no matter where Mustapha traveled, Abanoub and Malik were not far behind. Mustapha understood that the magical energy from himself and his treasures diminished any chance of hiding! With little choice, Mustapha sealed away his power and possessions. No doubt, Abanoub and Malik would trace this final spell, so Mustapha added an extra layer of security. The magical seal would only open to Mustapha or one of his direct descendants. Thus the jewel gardens and the lamp became hidden among the dunes of the desert.
Mustapha traveled East for many days with nothing but the clothes on his back. Once Mustapha reached China's border, his strength gave out. Mustapha awoke in a small home that belonged to a tailor. His hosts welcomed him, and soon, Mustapha began a new life as the tailor's apprentice. Over time, Mustapha found happiness in his new life and fell in love with his mentor's daughter. The two married and months later, Mustapha was ecstatic to hear that their family would soon welcome a small addition. When Mustapha held his son for the first time, he decided to name the baby after his father: Aladdin.
Mustapha and his family lived many happy years together, though not without their 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. Mustapha was proud of Aladdin and knew that once Abanoub and Malik were gone, that Aladdin would be a fine heir to his grandfather's treasures. For now, Mustapha was content to allow Aladdin more time as a child. He resolved to discuss the matter with his wife that evening, 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, Abanoub quickly overwhelmed him.
Abanoub had traced Mustapha's final sealing spell, but as Mustapha intended, he could not access the hidden treasures. 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. Abanoub devised a scheme for his young nephew to deliver the lamp to his father's killer.
Author's Note:
In the original "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp," Aladdin is an idle boy with a tailor father, Mustapha. The father becomes so sad that his son is a burden on society that he dies. A magician pretends to be Mustapha's merchant brother and brings Aladdin to a secret cave, which contains the jewel gardens and the genie with the lamp. The evil magician tells Aladdin to go into the magical cave, and bring him the lamp in return for treasures.
Aladdin obtains the lamp, but on his way out, the magician tells Aladdin to give him the lamp already. Aladdin refuses to do so while he is still in the cave. The magician traps Aladdin in the cave.
Aladdin rubs the lamp, which summons the genie from the lamp who can grant Aladdin an unlimited amount of wishes. With the genie, Aladdin returns home safely. Aladdin can make as many wishes as he likes from the genie. Years pass. Aladdin falls in love with the princess. Eventually, Aladdin and the princess marry. Aladdin's adventures continue as the evil magician and his younger brother still pose problems for the happy couple.
When I read the original story, I was confused about why Aladdin was chosen by the first evil magician to obtain the lamp. What's more, why did the evil magician pretend to be Aladdin's uncle? How did the evil magician know that Aladdin's father was Mustapha, the tailor? Wouldn't it have been more interesting if Aladdin wasn't just a chosen to obtain the lamp out of convenience? What if Aladdin really 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."