"[FN#87] A
certain man once said to one of his friends, "Thou hast made me
desolate, for that I have not seen thee this long while." Quoth
the other, "I have been distracted from thee by Ibn Shihab; dost
thou know him?" "Yes," replied the first; "he hath been my
neighbour these thirty years, but I have never spoken to him."
"Indeed," rejoined his friend, "thou forgettest God in forgetting
thy neighbour! If thou lovedst God, thou wouldst love thy
neighbour. Knowst thou not that a neighbour has a claim upon his
neighbour, even as the right of kindred?" Quoth Hudheifeh, "We
entered Mecca with Ibrahim ben Adhem,[FN#88] and whilst making
the prescribed circuits about the Kaabeh, we met with Shekic the
Balkhi. Quoth Ibrahim to Shekic, 'What is your fashion in your
country?' 'When we are vouchsafed [food],' replied he, 'we eat,
and when we suffer hunger, we take patience.' 'This is the
fashion of the dogs of Balkh,' rejoined Ibrahim. 'But we, when we
are blest with plenty, we do honour to God, and when we suffer
famine, we praise Him.' And Shekic seated himself before Ibrahim
and said to him, 'Thou art my master.'" Quoth Mohammed ben Amran,
"A man once asked of Hatim el Asemm[FN#89], 'What maketh thee to
trust in God?' 'Two things,' replied he, 'I know that what God
has appointed for my daily bread shall be eaten by none but
myself; so my heart is at rest as to that; and I know that I was
not created without God's knowledge and am abashed before Him.
Pages:
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178