opened the ears of my heart with your advice and educated me with your kindness." The Muslim said: "May Allah keep you firm with the firm word in the worldly life and the hereafter; indeed, He is Hearing, Answering."
The idolater said: "O Sheikh, a need has occurred to me from you; will you fulfill it?" He asked: "What is your need?" He said: "Know, O Sheikh, that Allah — Exalted Glory — has blessed me with a blessing I cannot count, the greatest being what occurred to me at your hand of the gnosis of Allah. I have a great blessing and much wealth; I want you to travel with me to my residence so I may present to you the wealth I have, that you may take what you like from it and manage me however you choose." He said to him: "I have no path to that." He asked: "And why is that?" He said: "If I did this, my faith would weaken and I would contradict the report." He asked: "And what is the report?" He said:
The saying of our masters, the People of the House — Exalted Glory —: 'The believer is neither a seeker of spoils, nor a seeker of prestige, nor a hoarder.' Whenever I have provisions for three days and take from you the provision for the fourth day, I would be contradicting the report. I have provisions for a month, two, or three, so what is the reason for my seeking spoils from you?" He said to him: "Will you then connect with me yourself, provide me intimacy through your nearness, and make me a place for your affection and a location for your love?"
He said: "As for this, yes." So, they rose, embraced, and remained close, though their bodies parted. Had you witnessed this assembly, O Abu al-Tahir, and heard what happened between them, what would you say?" I [Abu al-Tahir] said: "By Allah, I have witnessed this assembly and contemplated it all; nothing of what happened between them was hidden from me. I have known the intent, the existence, and the obligation, and my tongue falls short of explaining what is in my heart. I ask Allah to take charge of rewarding you, for you have given me a drink of kindness and revived me with a life in which there is no death.