confidence, knowing that he was of the brothers. Our affair continued in that manner for a short time.

One day, when drunkenness had touched him, he said: 'I wish to deliver you from what you are in.' I said: 'I have known, O my master, that it is mandatory upon you, may Allah prolong your life, to fulfill what my brother designated for you and not to oppose it. I am not one who desires to listen to anything you wish to manifest to me except by my brother's view and choice. Furthermore, I am aware of what you want to say to me, and that which prevented my brother is what he sees from me of the love of the world.'

He said to me: 'That which he denies of you is not forbidden if you employ what is mandatory in it, conceal what you heard, and raise yourself above ugly deeds. If you do that, then you and your brother are one thing in this matter.' I said to him: 'If the matter is like this, do not address me with anything until my brother permits it. If he permits me to listen to you, I shall ask you about that.' So he fell silent from his speech. Then he consumed the rest of the wine according to the custom until he was drunk and I was drunk. At that point, he took me to himself and spoke to me the words that you know.

I said to him: 'O you! You have erred in opposing my speech, yet you have done good to me. May Allah strengthen you upon what you taught me, grant you good reward from me, and excuse you from your sin in opposing my brother.' I took his hand and kissed it, and ordered that a bed be furnished for him according to the custom.

When morning came, I requested fine clothes and put them on him. I brought out many dinars and gave them to him. He said to me: 'You have chosen something; what do you say about it?' I said to him: 'Mention what you choose, for I am not one to oppose you.' He said to me: 'I wish for you to grant me a maidservant from among your maidservants; I saw her, fell in love with her, and my heart is occupied with her.' I ordered the maidservants to be brought. They arrived, and I