50 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; Ziyad ibn Ayyub passed it on; Ahmad ibn Abi al-Hawari related it; and Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad, one of their descendants, said:

They once mentioned in the presence of Rabiʿah a devoted worshipper from among the Children of Israel. Each year he would descend from his hermitage, go to the refuse-heap at the king’s gate, and sift through it for whatever scraps remained. A man who was with her remarked, “Given his lofty rank, why does he not simply ask Allah to bring him his provision by some other means?”

Rabiʿah replied, “Good sir, when Allah decrees something for His allies, they are never displeased with it.”