I said: 'Give me what you choose yourself.' He summoned an agent and ordered him to bring a scale and a bag. He brought them, weighed four hundred dirhams, and gave them to me. I took them from him and left him, hurrying to find the man. I found him in his place and gave him the dirhams, saying to him: 'Assist yourself with this.'

When the Khorasanian saw me in a hurry, he had ordered the agent to follow me to see what I would do. When he saw me give the dirhams to the man, he returned to his master and told him the news. The master said to him: 'Take the rest of the money and hasten with it to give it to him.' The agent caught up with me and gave me the rest of the money, which was six hundred dirhams. I gave it to the man and adjured him to take it. He took it and parted from me at that moment. I happened upon you while you were displaying jewels, and I wanted to know the value of what I sold. This is my story and this is my news."

He said: "At that, my master ordered me to give him the dirhams. I gave them to him, he received them from me, thanked Allah for that, and intended to depart. My master said to him: 'I would like you, O youth, to go to the camp of the Khorasanians and ask from what place this man is to whom you sold the jewel, what is his name, and by what is he known?' The youth went and returned to us after an hour, saying to us: 'The man is from Samarkand, his name is Muhammad ibn Ahmad, and he is known as the Merchant.' My master recorded his name.

As the youth intended to depart, my master said: 'Inform me of your house; do you have a residence here, and tell me in what place you are and what is your name?' He said: 'As for my house, it is sleeping at the Station here until Allah decrees what He decrees. As for my name, it is Abd Allah ibn Ja‘far, and my birthplace is Homs.' Then he departed."

"Then my master rose at once and pitched his tent in the camp of the Khorasanians, beside the tent of the man—meaning Muhammad ibn Ahmad the Merchant. When the Khorasanians traveled, we traveled with them until we reached Samarkand. We stayed in one of the houses of the agents and remained until the pain of travel had left us. At that