15 – Al-ʿAbbās al-ʿAnbarī reported: Wahb b. Jarīr narrated to us, from Juwayriya b. Asmāʾ, from Budayh, the freedman of ʿAbd Allāh b. Jaʿfar, who said:
I travelled with ʿAbd Allāh b. Jaʿfar on one of his journeys. We camped beside a hair-cloth tent whose owner was a man from Banū Udhra. While we were there, a Bedouin arrived driving a she-camel. He stopped by us and said, “O people, bring me a knife.” We handed him a knife; he plunged it into the hollow of her throat and said, “She is yours.”
We stayed on until the second day, when the Udhri elder returned, leading another she-camel. He said, “O people, fetch me a knife.” We replied, “We already have meat, as you see.” He retorted, “Will you eat yesterday’s leftovers in my presence? Hand me a knife.” We gave it to him; he slaughtered the camel and said, “Take her.”
We remained until the third day, and once again the Udhri came, driving yet another she-camel. When he had ⦗24⦘ halted beside us he said, “O people, bring me a knife.” We said, “We still have meat, as you can see.” He exclaimed, “Will you eat old meat in my presence? I reckon you are a mean-spirited lot! Hand me the knife.” We passed it to him; he slaughtered the camel and said, “It is yours.”
When we began to break camp, Ibn Jaʿfar said to his steward, “What do you have with you?” He answered, “A bundle of clothes and four hundred dinars.” Ibn Jaʿfar said, “Take them to the Udhri elder.”
The steward went and found a young maid in the tent. He said, “Young woman, accept the gift of Ibn Jaʿfar.” She replied, “We are people who accept no payment for hospitality.” He returned and told Ibn Jaʿfar, who said, “Go back to her; if she accepts, so be it, otherwise throw it at the door of the tent.”
He returned, and she said, “Leave us—may Allah bless you—for we do not take wages for feeding guests. By Allah, if my master comes and finds you here, you will suffer for it.” So he threw the bundle and the purse at the entrance of the tent and we set off.
We had not gone far when we saw something the mirage raised and lowered by turns. As it drew near we realised it was the Udhri elder carrying the purse and the bundle. He hurled them toward us and turned away without looking back. We watched his retreating figure to see whether he would turn, but he never did.
Budayh said: Ibn Jaʿfar used to remark, “No one has ever outdone us in generosity except that Udhri elder.”