- ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; he said: I read, in a manuscript of Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn written in his own hand, that Ḥakīm ibn Jaʿfar related—on the authority of Mismāʿ ibn ʿĀṣim—who said:
“The devoted worshipers among us disagreed about walāyah (divine friendship). One group said, ‘When a servant truly attains it, he does not so much as contemplate a wish—whether in matters of religion or of the world—without receiving it.’ Another replied, ‘The walī (friend of Allah) does not sin, yet he cannot obtain what he wants of this world by sheer himmah (spiritual resolve); he acquires it only by actively seeking it’—as though they meant, ‘He prays and is answered.’ Others said, ‘The one who truly deserves walāyah remains unknown, lest his reward in the Hereafter be diminished.’ They discussed the issue at length and finally agreed to consult a woman of Banū ʿAdī named Amat al-Jalīl bint ʿAmr al-ʿAdawiyyah, who had long lived in seclusion because of her strenuous worship.
“They went to her”—Mismāʿ added, “I was with our companions that day—asked permission to enter, and she admitted them. They presented their dispute and the opinions they had voiced. She said, ‘The walī’s moments are moments of occupation away from the world; the walī who truly deserves the rank has no need of anything in this life.’ Then she turned to Kilāb and said, ‘May I be your ransom, Kilāb! Whoever tells you or informs you that Allah’s walī harbors any concern other than Him—do not believe him.’
“Mismāʿ said: I could hear nothing after that but the sound of weeping from the corners of the house.”