for me what you wish to clarify, and provide in that what gladdens my heart, adding this to your previous favors, then please do so.'¹

He said to me: 'It was the story of the beginning of my gnosis of Allah — Exalted Glory — so what do you want with that, for it is a long story?' I said: 'Favor me with that.' He said: 'Know, may Allah support you, that the beginning of this matter was that I had a father who was a gnostic of this matter upon which you and I stand. He followed the religion of Allah through it, yet he used to hide it from me. He loved me with an intense love and had taken care of me until I learned the Quran and recited it, and I knew grammar and linguistics, and I gained understanding in religion. I knew the paths of the people and their differences, and I knew something of the speech of the ancients. Whenever I attained a branch of science and reached a high goal in it, I would present it to him, but he would not be concerned by what he heard from me and would say: "O my son, salvation lies in other than what you know." Thus, I knew that what he was upon was better than what I was learning.

When I was alone with him, he would seat me and kiss my hand and my eye. But as soon as the gatekeeper would enter and say: "Your brother so-and-so is at the door," he would not wait for him to come up; rather, he would walk to where he was, meet him, press him to his chest, and kiss him with the kiss of a yearning one. When food was brought to him and he had enough, he would remove what remained in the dish. Every brother who came to him was presented with something other than that dish, and would eat what he needed. When evening came, he looked for those of his brothers who were absent and sent to them the remainder of the food; none of his servants or entourage would partake of it. He used to disclose to his brothers matters that he hid from me. He would not spend the night nor sleep until he knew the news of his brothers, who was absent and who was present. When he wanted to