In the village of Al-Mutuna, amidst walls that did not bow to the ravages of time, history stands witness to a man who was not merely a tribal sheikh or a village dignitary, but a sanctuary in years of famine and a beacon of humility in an age of arrogance.”
Sheikh Abu Muayad Salman Amer lived. He was born in eighteen seventy-one, carrying the vastness of the earth in his heart and the generosity of the clouds in his palm. People titled him 'Sultan Hassan' (he is a great leader of the Banu Hilal, famous in history for his generosity). These titles were not for luxury; the Sheikh owned vast stretches of land and about a thousand heads of sheep and goats, among other things. He would sell half of the offspring of the sheep and kids, while the rest he kept as sacrifices for his guests. Rather, these titles were a recognition of a heart that embraced the stranger before the kin, and the needy before the guest.”
Sheikh Salman Amer lived in the late nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, an era that was not easy. However, despite years of scarcity and drought, the fire of his coffee pot never extinguished, and the door of his guesthouse never closed. This guesthouse has remained, and continues to this day, preserving its old splendor, telling generations how nobility is a behavior, and how generosity becomes an immortal legacy.
One of the famous stories about him: A guest arrived in ragged clothes.
The Sheikh asked him: "Oh guest, if you are in need of livestock, we will give you some, and if you are in need of money, we will help you.
Speak and do not be shy."
The man replied: "I am a traveler, and I wanted to rest with you for some time." Not long after, a Mansaf with a freshly slaughtered animal was cooked before the guest.
After the guest had his meal, he said: "Oh Sheikh, you did not ask me who I am, yet you honored me and went to such expense."
The Sheikh said: "Oh guest, we are not accustomed to asking our guest for three days, so you are welcome and at home."
The guest said: "I am a Sheikh of the Anazzah tribe, but I came as you see me to test your generosity, and by God, you deserve your title (Sheikh of the Youth)."
Peace be upon the soul of Sheikh Abu Muayad Salman Amer, and peace be upon the village of Al-Mutuna that embraced this legacy, so that 'Sultan Hassan' remains a story to be told and a beacon for generations to follow on the paths of nobility and virtue.”
