- ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; Khalaf ibn Hishām transmitted to us; Abū Shihāb al-Ḥannāṭ, from Sufyān, from a man, from Ibn Munabbih, reported:
“When Allah sent Moses and Aaron—peace be upon them—to Pharaoh, He said:
‘Do not be alarmed by the garments with which he has adorned himself in this world, for his forelock is in My hand; he can neither speak, take a step, nor draw a breath except by My permission. Let not the enjoyments granted to him impress you; they are but the blossom of worldly life and the finery of the self-indulgent. Had I willed, I could have arrayed the two of you in such worldly splendor that, when Pharaoh saw it, he would realize that his power is helpless before what you had been given—but I have seen fit to keep you above that and to withhold it from you. Such is My way with My friends: from of old I have not chosen for them the concerns of this world. Indeed, I ward them off from its pleasures as a compassionate shepherd drives his flock from deadly pastures; I turn them away from its delights as that shepherd keeps his sheep from places of disease. This is not because they are insignificant to Me; rather, it is so they may receive their full share of My honor—complete, unblemished by greed and undiminished by the world in its deceit ⦗48⦘.
My friends adorn themselves before Me only with humility, lowliness, fear, and piety. God-consciousness takes root in their hearts and then appears upon their bodies: it is the garment they wear, the cloak they display, the inner lining they feel, the safety by which they triumph, the hope through which they aspire, the glory in which they take pride, and the mark by which they are recognized. Therefore, when you meet them, lower your wing for them, humble your heart and your tongue before them, and know that whoever frightens a friend of Mine has challenged Me to battle; and I am the One who will avenge them on the Day of Resurrection.’”