- ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn transmitted it; ʿAyyāsh ibn ʿUṣaym conveyed it; and Saʿīd ibn Ṣadaqah Abū Muhalhal—who was said to be one of the abdāl—reported:
“Ibrāhīm ibn Adham came upon a group who had boarded a ship at sea. The captain said to him, ‘Hand over two dinars.’ He replied, ‘I have none with me, but I shall pay you with my own hand.’ The man was amazed and said, ‘We are out on the open sea—how will you pay me?’ Yet he let him on board.
They sailed on until they reached an island. The captain declared, ‘By Allah, I will find out where he intends to get the money. Has he hidden something here?’ Then he called out, ‘Man of the two dinars, pay what you owe me!’ ‘Very well,’ Ibrāhīm answered.
Ibrāhīm disembarked ⦗36⦘ and walked away, the captain following him unbeknown to him. When he reached the island he prayed, and as he was about to leave he supplicated: ‘My Lord, this man has asked me for the right he has over me; so pay it for me.’ He said this while still in prostration.
When he raised his head he found dinars all around him, and the man was there. He said, ‘You have come—take your due, add nothing, and do not speak of this.’
They continued their voyage, but a violent squall and a deep darkness struck them, and they felt certain of death. The helmsman cried out, ‘Where is the man of the two dinars? Bring him forward!’ They went to him and said, ‘Do you not see what has befallen us? Pray to Allah for us!’
He raised his hands, tears flowing from his eyes, and said, ‘My Lord, my Lord, You have shown Your power; now let us taste the coolness of Your pardon and mercy.’ The storm subsided, and they travelled on their way.