- ʿAbd Allah narrated to us—he said: ʿAli ibn Abi Maryam related—from Zuhayr ibn Saʿid al-Mawsili, who said:
I was informed that Jesus, son of Mary (peace be upon him), once entered a deserted ruin and the sky sent down rain. He noticed a fox coming, its tail fluffed out, until it disappeared into its hole. Jesus said, “Praise be to Allah who has granted every creature a refuge, except Jesus, son of Mary; he has no refuge.” Then a voice called out, “O son of Adam, enter the ravine.” Jesus entered the ravine and found a man standing in prayer. He stayed beside him for sixteen days, waiting for him to finish so that he might speak to him. When the man finally concluded, Jesus asked, “Servant of Allah, what sin have you committed?” The devotee burst into tears and replied, “O Spirit of Allah, I have committed a grievous sin.” Jesus said, “And what is it?” He answered, “One day I said about something that had happened, ‘If only it had never been.’”