A beggar then came in, whereupon Ibrāhīm handed him three loaves and some dates, gave me three, and kept two loaves for himself.

I was travelling with him when we passed a mound-shaped grave. He invoked Allah’s mercy for its inhabitant and said, “This is the grave of Ḥumayd ibn Jābir, the governor of all these towns. He was once drowned in the seas of this world, but Allah rescued him from them.

“I have been told that one day he was elated by some worldly pleasure and fell asleep. He saw a man holding a book; the man opened it, and behold—it was a book written in gold:

Do not prefer the perishing to what endures,
And do not be deceived by your dominion.
What you possess is weighty, were it not that it will vanish;
It is kingship, were it not that after it comes ruin;
It is joy and delight, were it not that it is but a delusion;
It is only a day, were it a day whose sequel could be trusted.
So hasten to the command of Allah, for Allah has said:
“Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-fearing.” (Āl ʿImrān 3:133)

“When he awoke in terror he said, ‘This is a warning and an admonition from Allah.’ He abandoned his realm, made for that mountain, and worshipped Allah there until he died.”

It is also related that Ibrāhīm ibn Adham once reaped in a single night what ten men would normally harvest, and accepted as his wage one dinar.

Aḥmad ibn Salāmah informed us—on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥīm ibn Muḥammad; al-Ḥaddād informed us; Abū Nuʿaym informed us; Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; al-Sirāj narrated:

I heard Ibrāhīm ibn Bashshār say, “I asked Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, ‘How did your spiritual journey begin?’ He replied, ‘Something else would be more beneficial for you.’ I said, ‘Tell me anyway; perhaps Allah will allow us to profit from it one day.’ He said:

‘My father was among the affluent kings, and we were devoted to hunting. One day I rode out; a hare—or perhaps a fox—broke cover, so I spurred my horse after it. I then heard a voice behind me saying, “You were not created for this, nor were you commanded to do it.” I stopped, looked right and left, and saw no one, so I said, “May Allah curse Iblīs.”

‘I urged my horse on again, and a louder voice called out, “O Ibrāhīm! You were not created for this, nor were you commanded to do it.” I halted, looked around, saw nothing, and repeated, “May Allah curse Iblīs.”

‘Then I heard a voice coming from the qarabūs (1) of my saddle…’”