129 — Abū Muhammad Yahyā ibn Muhammad ibn Sā‘id narrated to us, saying: ⦗447⦘ al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan al-Marwazī narrated to us, saying: ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mubārak narrated to us: Abū al-Hakam informed us, saying: Mūsā ibn Abī Kardam informed us—another narrator said, “Ibn Abī Darm”—on the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih, who said:

Ibn ‘Abbās received word of a gathering near the gate of Banū Sahm where some men of Quraysh would sit, quarrel, and raise their voices. Ibn ‘Abbās said, “Come, let us go to them.” We went until we reached them, whereupon Ibn ‘Abbās said to me, “Tell them what the young man said to Job (peace be upon him) during his affliction.”

Wahb said: So I said, “The young man said: ‘O Job, was there not enough in the majesty of Allah and the remembrance of death to silence your tongue, break your heart, and shatter your argument? O Job, did you not know that Allah Most High has servants whom fear of Allah has rendered still, although they suffer neither inarticulacy nor muteness? Indeed, they are noble, eloquent, articulate, and intelligent, ⦗448⦘ and they possess knowledge of Allah and His days. Yet whenever they remember the majesty of Allah Most High, their hearts break, their tongues falter, and their minds and judgment reel from dread of Allah Most High and awe of Him. When they recover from that state, they race toward Allah with pure deeds. They do not consider even abundant deeds too much for Allah, nor are they content to offer Him little. They count themselves among the wrongdoing sinners, though they are blameless, righteous, and virtuous, and among the negligent and remiss, though they are discerning and strong. They are gaunt and tireless. The ignorant see them and say, “They are sick,” though they are not sick, and, “They have lost their minds.” Yet a momentous matter has indeed taken hold of these people.’”