When I finished the call, the sun reached the earliest time of the afternoon. He prayed the afternoon prayer with us, then the sun set. He then prayed the sunset prayer with us, then the late night prayer, and the night was pitch dark. Our Master walked toward the tent with his hand on my shoulder. I began to lead him away from the path where I had buried the sword. Our Master—exalted be his glory—said: "O Qanbar, lead us where you buried the sword." Qanbar said: "That indeed happened, O my Master." He came to the spot and said to him: "Bring out the sword." Qanbar wept, and our Master said to him: "Do not weep, O Qanbar; there is no blame upon you today. God forgives you. Have we not prayed the prayers in their times?" I said: "Yes." Amir Almuminin—exalted be His power—said: "O Qanbar, that land upon which the Kharijites stood was a land God caused to swallow its people; your Master was not one to pray therein."

(265) Our Master al-Sadiq—exalted be his glory—was asked regarding what Qanbar—peace be upon him—said of burying the sword? Our Master al-Sadiq—exalted be his glory—said: "Qanbar is cleared of such an act. However, the Meaning manifests His signs and power through the hands of His noble elite and saints so they may relate them, reaching you so you may believe and surrender to Him."

(266) It is related that three men came to the Messenger of God—exalted be his glory—from the land of Yemen, from a place known as Hadramaut. They said: "O Messenger of God, we are a people who believed in you before seeing you. We have come to witness the proofs of Prophecy from you and increase in certainty of your knowledge." He said to them: "Speak." They said: "God took Abraham as a friend, spoke to Moses directly, and permitted Jesus to revive the dead. You are the best of them and their seal; so what has He given you?" The Messenger of God—exalted be his glory—said: "If God took Abraham as a friend (Khalil), He took me as a beloved (Habib), and the beloved is nearer than the friend. If God spoke to Moses on the earth, He spoke to me in the heaven, and addressing in the heaven is better than addressing on the earth.