Hijazi and the deposits you have with me. I only came to you this day and sat for a long time to deliver all that you have with me to you. After that, I want to hand over the goods of the Hijazi and the Indian to you, entrust my testament to you, and bid you farewell. For I am returning to the place where I was. May Allah ease that, acknowledge it, and keep us and you firm with the firm word in the worldly life and in the hereafter; indeed He is Near, Answering.

Then he delivered the people's belongings and all that he mentioned to me, bid me farewell, and marched. I have no knowledge of what became of him after that. The wealth is with me, and he had commanded me to spend it on the doors of righteousness. The King—may Allah prolong his stay—has appointed me over this town and commanded me to gather wealth and add that to the doors of righteousness. For any of the believers who come to us when they travel, I inquire about their wealth: whoever had a trade or goods and was struck by a loss, I look at the value and compensate him. Whoever I see seeking science, I provide for him until he reaches his desire and what he wants. Whoever I see soliciting something, I cause him to reach his beloved. When I saw you two and asked you, I wanted to see if you had a need for anything of this wealth to give it to you. When I recognized and knew that you did not travel to these lands out of a desire for trade but only for the pursuit of science—for you both shall appear in the world enriched by science and the religion you are upon—I wanted to know from you what you are upon and why you purposed [this journey]."

I [Muhammad ibn Khalid] said: "My master, the matter for which we came and traveled to these lands cannot be mentioned to you except after you make known to us your name, how you recognized us and experienced us, from which town you are, and the case that brought you to this place. After we know that from you, we shall make known to you the case that brought us out of our lands and the reason for which we traveled." He said to us: "The discourse you want from me cannot be mentioned except in another assembly. If you two choose that, I shall