16 One of the people I requested a loan from was Ahmad bin Ibrahim al-Mulla. He owned a café, established in 1953, in the majlis of the house of Hassan bin Abdul-Rahman al-Midfa‘, which overlooked the Sharjah suq and creek. When I asked him for a loan, he said, “How much do you need?” “100 Rupees,” I replied. “Allahu Akbar! What? 100 Rupees? I sell a cup of tea for 1 Anna. I need to sell 16 cups to make 1 Rupee, and you want a 100 Rupees?!” he exclaimed. “What are you going to buy with this amount, anyway?” he asked. “Books,” I answered.
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