- Al-Ḥusayn narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; he said: Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn narrated to me; he said: Muḥammad ibn Muʿāwiyah al-Azraq narrated to us; he said: one of our shaykhs related:
“Yūnus and Gabriel—may Allah’s blessings be upon them both—met. Yūnus said, ‘O Gabriel, direct me to the most devoted worshipper on earth.’
Gabriel brought him to a man whose hands and feet had been consumed by leprosy. The man was saying, ‘Grant me enjoyment of them for as long as You will, and take them when You will; You have still left me hope in You, O Benefactor toward me, O Ever-Kind One.’
Yūnus said, ‘O Gabriel, I asked you to show me someone who fasts much and stands long in prayer.’
Gabriel replied, ‘This man was like that before the affliction—⦗60⦘—and I have now been ordered to take his sight.’ He then pointed at the man’s eyes with his finger, and they were taken. The man exclaimed, ‘Grant me enjoyment of them for as long as You will, and take them when You will; You have still left me hope in You, O Benefactor, O Ever-Kind One.’
Gabriel said, ‘Come, call upon Allah and we shall supplicate with you, so that your hands, feet, and sight may be restored and you can return to the worship you once observed.’
The man replied, ‘I do not wish that.’
Gabriel asked, ‘Why not?’
He said, ‘If His love is found in this state of mine, then that love is dearer to me than their return.’
Yūnus—peace be upon him—then said, ‘By Allah, O Gabriel, I have never seen anyone more devoted in worship than this man.’
Gabriel responded, ‘O Yūnus, on this path, nothing leads to Allah’s good pleasure better than what you have just witnessed.’”