Gabriel would descend upon the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—from which exact spot he would approach him, and the graves of the martyrs.”

So Yahya inquired, and everyone pointed him to me. He sent for me, and I went to him. He fixed an appointment with me for the later ʿIshaʾ, and when I arrived the candles were lit. I did not leave a single shrine or site without showing it to the two of them; they would pray there and pour out their supplications, and they kept at it until daybreak. The next morning he ordered that ten thousand dirhams be given to me, and the vizier said, “Do not hesitate to seek us out, wherever we may be.”

Our circumstances improved and we married off some of the children, but then fate tightened its grip on us. Umm ʿAbd Allah said to me, “Why are you sitting here?”

I set out for Iraq and asked after the Commander of the Faithful; they told me he was in al-Raqqah. I traveled there and sought permission to see Yahya, but it proved difficult. I went to Abu al-Bakhtari—who knew me well—and he said, “You have done yourself a disservice, but I shall mention you to him.”

My funds dwindled and my clothes became threadbare. At times I returned by boat, at others on foot, until I reached al-Saylhin ⦗1⦘. While I was in its marketplace, a caravan came from Baghdad carrying people of Medina; their leader was Bakkar al-Zubayri, whom the Commander of the Faithful had dispatched to assume the judgeship of Medina. He was the most truthful of men toward me.

I said, “I will wait until he disembarks and settles.”

Then I went to him, and he asked about my situation. He said, “Do you not know that Abu al-Bakhtari does not like to mention you to anyone?”

I replied, “I shall return to Medina.”

He said, “That is the wrong course. Instead, travel with me; I will present your case to Yahya ibn Khalid.”

So I traveled with them to al-Raqqah. The next day I went to the vizier’s gate, and al-Zubayri came out, saying, “Abu ʿAbd Allah! I forgot your business—wait here until I go in to him.”

He went inside, and then the chamberlain came out and said to me, “Enter.”

I entered in a wretched state, with three or four days of Ramadan remaining. When Yahya saw me like that, the distress showed on his face. He drew me close to his seat, and with him were