In a footnote to his translation of “The Arabian Nights,” Cansinos Assens stated that “the Night of Al-Qadr is the night of destiny, marking the anniversary of the night when the angel Gabriel brought the Qur’an to Muhammad from heaven. According to folk tradition, Allah grants his servants whatever they ask for on that night. In his book, Muhammad devotes a surah to it, the 97th, with the title of Al-Qadr. It says: In the name of Allah, the pious and merciful! 1. Indeed it is we who sent this (Book) on the Night of Al-Qadr (“glory” or “power”). 2. And what shall make thee understand how excellent the Night of Al-Qadr is? 3. The Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. 4. Therein do the angels descend, and the Spirit also, by the permission of their Lord concerning every matter. 5. Salam until the rising of the morn. (“qadr” means “power,” to the letter).
In “The Arabian Nights,” a somewhat shameless story is set on that particular night. This tale has crossed cultural boundaries and is also found in medieval European folklore. It and other stories will enliven yet another evening of “The Arabian Nights,” told one by one, with new tales at each session.Héctor Urién (Madrid, 1977) makes a living from storytelling. As a professional storyteller, he performs his art and stage work at theaters in Spain and Latin America. Drawn by his curiosity and and a deeply ingrained scientific streak, Urién has developed his own regular storytelling workshop in Madrid, where students and teacher discover the inner workings of stories and the mystery of oral storytelling together. As an on-stage storyteller, his most original and exciting project is related with “The Arabian Nights,” whose tales he normally tells one by one every Tuesday night at a small theater in downtown Madrid. A short, straightforward storyteller, he
has taken part in several national and international festivals and co-directs the annual festival “Ávila de cuento.” He has had several essays published, including La narración fractal: arte y ciencia de la oralidad (Fractal Storytelling: Art and science of orality, Palabras del candil, 2015), El arte de contar bien una historia (The Art of Telling a Good Story, Planeta, 2001), Teoría y práctica de la narración fractal (Fractal Storytelling Theory and Practice, Amazon Dkp, 2021).