to him, invoking Allah’s Face in his appeal. He replied, “You have invoked One who is great. I have nothing to give you, unless you take me and sell me.” The man asked, “Would that be permissible for me?” He replied, “Yes, I am telling you the truth. I will not disappoint you, for you have invoked One who is great.”
The man took him to the market and sold him for four hundred dirhams. He remained with his purchaser for as long as Allah willed, without being put to work. He said to him, “You bought me hoping to benefit from my services. When shall I begin work?” He replied, “I do not wish to overburden you; you are an old man.” He said, “It will not overburden me.” So he told him, “Then get up and move these stones.” He got up, and the man went out on some errands. When he returned, the stones had been moved within an hour, although it would have taken at least six men a day to move them.
The man then had occasion to travel and said, “I believe you to be trustworthy, so look after my family well in my absence.” He replied, “Assign me some work.” He said, “Make bricks until I return.” When he returned, he found that he had erected his building. He said to him, “I ask you by Allah’s magnificent Face: what kind of being are you, and what is your story?” He replied, “You have asked me by Allah’s Face—and it was an appeal by Allah’s Face that brought me into slavery.” He then told him his story and said, “I tell you that whoever is asked by Allah’s Face and turns the petitioner away, despite being able to give, will stand on the Day of Resurrection with neither skin nor flesh on his face, nor even a bone to rattle.” The man said, “I believe that.” He took pity on him, freed him, and let him go to worship Allah. He said, “Praise be to Allah, who brought me into slavery and delivered me from it.” I have considerably abridged the wording of this hadith because of its length.
As for the hadith concerning the sale of a debtor to discharge his debts, it is the report narrated by Zayd ibn Aslam from ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn al-Baylamānī, who said: “I was in Egypt when a man said to me, ‘Shall I direct you to one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ He pointed out a man, so I went to him and asked, ‘Who are you, may Allah have mercy on you?’ He replied, ‘I am Surraq.’ I said, ‘Glory be to Allah! You should not be called by this