130 — Abū ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Makhlad al-‘Attār narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ⦗449⦘ ibn Hassān ibn Fīrūz al-Azraq narrated to us, saying: ‘Abd al-Majīd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn Abī Rawwād narrated to us, saying: Mūsā ibn Abī Darm narrated to me, on the authority of Yūsuf—that is, Ibn Māhak—on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbās, who received word of a gathering in the quarter of Banū Sahm where some young men of Quraysh were quarrelling and raising their voices. Ibn ‘Abbās said to Wahb ibn Munabbih, “Come, let us go to them.” The two set out until we came upon them. Ibn ‘Abbās then said to Wahb ibn Munabbih, “Tell these people what the young man said to Job (peace be upon him) during his affliction.”

Wahb said: The young man said, “O Job, was there not enough in the majesty of Allah, Majestic and Exalted, and the remembrance of death to silence your tongue, break your heart, and shatter your argument? Did you not know that Allah has servants whom fear of Allah has rendered silent, though they suffer neither inarticulacy nor muteness? Indeed, they are eloquent, articulate, and possessed of 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 fail from dread of Allah Most High and awe of Him. When they recover from that state, they race toward Allah Most High with pure deeds. They do not consider even abundant deeds too much for Allah, nor are they content to offer Him little. They are gaunt and wasting away. The ignorant see them and say, ‘They are sick and have lost their minds.’ Yet a momentous matter has indeed taken hold of these people.”