It has reached me that you both abstained from a beautiful state I offered you and granted you, intending thereby closeness to Allah and to perform an obligation Allah made mandatory upon me. Furthermore, my soul seeks to attain noble character and reach high matters. My nature is one of liberality and generosity, and whenever no one is found to accept bounty, generosity, and favor, then generosity has no existence. I have chosen for you both to change this path you are upon and to walk with me the path of sincere, loving brothers. If you both oppose me in a matter I desire from you—by which I draw close to Allah—then there is no bond between me and you, nor brotherhood, except by the obedience of a brother to his brother, so long as his obedience does not take him out of the obedience of Allah, Exalted Glory."

My Master said to him: "What then does the King—may Allah prolong his life—choose from us?" The King said: "I have chosen for you that your eating be with my eating, your drinking with my drinking, your sleep with my sleep, your prayer with my prayer, and that we be as a single soul." My Master said: "I have accepted that, so long as you do not take me out of an obligation Allah has made mandatory upon me." The King said: "I seek refuge with Allah from that!"

Then we continued with him in a discourse more beautiful than pearls until the time for Noon (al-Ẓuhr) came. The King stood and prepared for prayer, ordering us to do the same. We did so and stood at a prayer niche (miḥrāb) of his that overlooked the exterior of the city. The King ordered my Master to step forward and lead the prayer, and he did so. We prayed the supererogatory prayers, then returned to the assembly where we had been. He ordered the food to be brought, and it was. He ordered us to eat, and there was no dish presented to us but that we ate from it until we finished the meal. When we washed our hands, we were moved to an assembly where there was drink. The King drank a cup while standing, then mentioned Allah, Exalted Glory, over it. Then he filled the cup and handed it to my Master, ordering him to drink. He did