153 – I read in the book of Abū Jaʿfar al-Adamī, penned in his own handwriting: “I was in Yemen, in one of its towns … when a man passed by with his young son. The son said, ‘This is my father—one of the very best of fathers—but he does something that worries me.’ I asked, ‘What is it that he does?’ He replied, ‘I have a cow that comes to me each evening, so I milk it. Then I go to my father while he is in prayer. I would like my family to drink what is left of the milk, so I stand by him, the vessel in my hand, while he remains fully absorbed in his prayer. Sometimes he does not conclude and turn to me until dawn breaks.’

I said to the shaykh, ‘What do you say about this?’ He answered, ‘He has spoken the truth,’ and he praised his son. Then he added, ‘Let me explain my situation: when I enter the prayer and begin reciting the Quran, it carries me through many reflections and occupies me so completely that I am unaware of the time until morning.’

Salamah said: I mentioned their story to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Marzūq, who remarked, ‘These two are the reason calamity is warded off from the people of Yemen.’ I then mentioned it to Ibn ʿUyaynah, and he said, ‘Through these two Allah deflects harm from all the people of the world.’”