Office of Dewan

A certain person had a friend employed hi

the office of Dewan, with whom he had not chanced to meet

for some time. Somebody said to him, 11 It is a long time since you saw such an

one.” He answered, “ Neither do I wish to see him.” It happened that one of the

Dewan’s people was present, who asked what fault his friend had been guilty of,

that he was not inclined to see him. He replied, “ There is no fault ; but the

time for see ng a De- wan is when he is dismissed from his office. In greatness

and authority of office, they neglect their friends in the day of adversity and

degradation, they impart to their friends the disquietude to their hearts.”

Abu Horiera

Abu Horiera used every day to visit Mustafa (Mohammed), upon whom be the

blessing and peace of God! The Prophet said, “0 Abu Horiera,

come not every day, so that affection may increase.” They observed to a holy

man, that notwithstanding the benefits which we derive from the sun’s

bounteousness, we have not heard any one speaking of him with affection. He

replied, “That is because he can be seen every day, excepting in the winter,

when being veiled he is beloved.”

There is no harm in visiting men; but let

it not be so often that they may say, ‘ It is enough.’ If you correct yourself,

you will not need reprehension from another.

My friends at Damascus

Having become weary of the company of my

friends at Damascus, I retired into the desert of Jerusalem, and

associated with the brutes, till I was taken prisoner by the Franks, and

consigned to a pit in Tripoly, to dig clay, along with some Jews. But one of

the principal men of Aleppo, with whom I had formerly been intimate, happening

to pass that way, recollected me, asked me how I came there, and in what manner

1 spent my time ? I answered, “I fled into the mountains and deserts to avoid

mankind, seeing on God alone reliance can be placed ; conjecture then what must

now be my situation, forced to associate with wretches worse than men. To have

our feet bound with chains in company with our friends, is preferable to living

in a garden with strangers.” He then had compassion on my condition, redeemed

me for ten dinars from the Franks, and took me with him to Aleppo. He had a

daughter, whom he gave me in marriage, with an hundred dinars for her dower.

When some time had elapsed, she discovered her disposition, which was

ill-natured, quarrelsome, obstinate, and abusive; so that she destroyed my

happiness, in the manner that has been said: ‘A bad woman in the house of a

good man, is his hell in this world. Take care liow you connect yourself with a

bad woman: defend us, 0 Lord, from this fiery trial! Once she reproached me,

saying, “Art thou not he whom my father redeemed from captivity amongst the

Franks for ten dinars?” I answered, u Yes, he ransomed me for ten dinars, and

put me into your hands for an hundred.”

I have heard that a certain great man

delivered a sheep from the teeth and claws of a wolf, and the night following

applied a knife to his throat. The expiring sheep complained of him, saying, “You

delivered me from the claws of a wolf, but I have seen you, at length, act the

part of the very wolf, towards me.”