and, though reviled and beaten, he would bear it patiently, so that when he was persecuted in Mecca he departed for Egypt. There his denunciations grew ever more uncompromising, and the people expelled and abused him; whenever he feared a violent reprisal he would muddle his speech and feign madness.

He then stayed for a while in al-Thaghr, after which he sailed to the Maghreb. He related that he had drunk seawater twice during the voyage. Aboard ship he went about censuring the passengers and obliging them to perform the prayer, whereupon they maltreated him. He eventually reached al-Mahdiyya (1), then under the authority of Ibn Bādis, and lodged in a hanging mosque. Whenever he saw any wrongdoing or wine he would smash the vessels and scatter their contents. A group therefore banded together against him and kept him occupied. Ibn Bādis summoned him; when he saw his state and heard his words he asked him to offer a supplication, and he said, “May Allah set you right for the sake of your flock.”

He made his way to Béjaïa, continued his habitual denunciations, and was banished. He then went to the village of Malāla, where he met ʿAbd al-Muʾmin (2), who would later seize power. The young man was beardless yet intelligent, and he said to him, “Young man, what is your name?”

“ʿAbd al-Muʾmin,” he replied.

“Allahu akbar! You are the one I was seeking. Where are you headed?”

“In quest of knowledge,” he answered.

“You have found knowledge and honor; accompany me,” he said.

He looked closely at his features, and they matched what he already knew—some claim that he had consulted the Book of al-Jafr (3), though Allah knows best—so he asked, “To which people do you belong?”

He replied, “From …”