435 — Al-Abbās ibn Hishām reported to me from his father, from Abū Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Sufyān, a client of Muāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān, from his father, from his grandfather, who said:

“We were with Hishām ibn Abd al-Malik when the orators of the Hijaz, from Quraysh and other tribes, came before him. I listened to each man’s speech in turn, until Ibn Abī Jahm ibn Hudhayfa al-Adawī of Quraysh stood up. He was the oldest and most eminent of them. He said, ‘May Allah set the Commander of the Believers aright! The orators of Quraysh have spoken in your praise and exerted themselves; they have extolled you at length. Yet, by Allah, not one of their speakers has done justice to your stature, nor has even the most expansive of them encompassed your virtues. Shall I speak at length or be brief?’

“He replied, ‘Be brief.’

“He said, ‘May Allah take you into His gracious care, adorn you with piety, and unite for you the good of this world and the Hereafter. I have certain needs; may I mention them?’

“He replied, ‘Mention them.’

“He said, ‘I have grown old, my bones have become frail, and time has taken its toll on me. If the Commander of the Believers sees fit to mend my broken state and dispel my poverty, let him do so.’

“He asked, ‘What would mend your broken state and dispel your poverty?’

“He replied, ‘One thousand dinars, and one thousand dinars, and one thousand dinars.’

“He said, ‘Impossible, Ibn Abī Jahm! You have sought something difficult. The public treasury cannot bear what you have requested.’

“Hishām then lowered his head for a long while before saying, ‘Go on.’

“He replied, ‘What do you mean, “Go on”? By Allah, it is as though you had sworn not to grant me any request while I stand before you. Indeed, by Allah, all authority belongs to One alone, but Allah—Glorious and Exalted—has favored you with this position. If you give, you will have discharged a right; and if you withhold, I shall ask the One in whose hand lies all that you possess. Allah has made giving a cause for love and withholding a cause for hatred. By Allah, I would rather love you than hate you.’

“He asked, ‘What is one thousand dinars for?’

“He replied, ‘To pay a debt whose repayment has now fallen due. Its burden has weighed heavily upon me, and my creditors have pressed me hard.’

“Hishām said, ‘There is no objection to relieving distress while discharging a trust. What is another thousand dinars for?’

“He replied, ‘To marry off those of my children who have come of age.’

“He said, ‘An excellent course you have chosen: thereby lowering the gaze, safeguarding chastity, and seeking offspring. What is the final thousand dinars for?’

“He replied, ‘To purchase land from which my children may live and which will remain a lasting asset for those who come after me.’

“He said, ‘We have ordered that you be given what you requested.’

“He replied, ‘Then Allah—Glorious and Exalted—is the One to be praised for that.’

“He turned to leave, and Hishām followed him with his gaze, saying, ‘This is what a man of Quraysh should be like. I have never seen anyone more eloquent and concise in his speech, nor more eloquent in his praise. By Allah, we recognize what is right when it arises, and we detest extravagance and miserliness. We neither give wastefully nor withhold out of stinginess. We are merely the treasurers of Allah—Glorious and Exalted—in His lands and His trustees over His servants. When He wills, we give; when He withholds, we refuse. If every speaker told the truth and every petitioner were deserving, we would never rebuff a speaker or turn away a petitioner. So ask the One in whose hand lies all that we have been charged to guard to make it flow to you through our hands. He extends provision to whom He wills and restricts it. Surely He is All-Aware, All-Seeing of His servants.’

“They said, ‘By Allah, Commander of the Believers, you have spoken most eloquently. Yet what you said in reply to him, together with your mention of Allah’s blessing upon him, did not convey the full measure of your admiration for him.’

“He replied, ‘He was the one who began, and the one who begins is not like one who follows his lead.’”