Some sources relate: “He stretched out His hand, the earth gave way beneath him, and I do not care in which valley he perished.” (Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya 4:25–26.) Abu Bilal al-Ash‘ari, quoting Abu Ham al-San‘ani from ‘Abd al-Samad ibn Mu‘qal, reported that he heard Wahb ibn Munabba say: “I found in certain books that Allah says: ‘It suffices Me how the servant’s affair will end: when My servant is obedient to Me, I grant him before he asks, and I answer him before he calls upon Me, for I know the need he holds in his heart.’” (Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya 4:26.) He also stated: “I read in some books that Satan has never grappled with anything more oppressive than a discerning believer. If a believer is rational and possesses insight, he weighs more heavily upon Satan than the deaf mountains. Satan tries to abase the discerning believer but cannot; he then turns to the ignorant to consult him and thus gains control over him.” (Ibid.) Another tradition recounts that Moses (alayhi al-salam), upon ascending Mount Sinai, found there a white river whose surface resembled the tops of dunes (in al-Hilya: “like the heads of rams”), with camphor surrounded by aromatic herbs. Pleased, he bathed in it, washed his garment, and after it had dried, repeated the process until his robe was dry; he then donned it. Moving to another dune, he encountered two men digging a grave. Offering to help, he joined them; they asked him to speak to them “as one man to another,” so they lay down in the pit to observe. The earth then closed over them, and they could see nothing but Moses’ grave. Allah made it impervious, deaf, and mute, declaring: “Had I not ordained putrefaction upon the dead, people would have confined them to their homes; and had I not ordained corruption for flesh, the rich would have forbidden it to the poor.” (Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya 4:37.) A further anecdote tells of a worshipper who passed by a hermit and asked how long he had dwelt in his cell. The hermit replied, “Sixty years.” When asked how he endured so long, he answered, “Pass on; time passes, and so does the world.” Asked about his remembrance of death, he said, “I do not believe any servant who knows Allah passes a moment without recalling death. I never raise a foot except trusting I will not lower it again, nor lower a foot except believing I will not raise it again.” Hearing this, the worshipper wept. The hermit rebuked him: “Your tears in solitude are proof of your pride—how will you weep when alone? Better to laugh while confessing your sin than to weep while your knowledge draws you away from Allah.” The worshipper asked for counsel. The hermit replied: “Be in this world like the bee: when it eats, it eats pure substances; when it lays eggs, it lays them in pure places; when it alights, it harms nothing. Do not be like the donkey, whose only aim is to fill itself then collapse to the ground. Give sincere advice to Allah as the dog does to its master—though it is starved and chased away, it refuses to stop guarding him.” Ta’ūs reported this tradition with tears, lamenting that even dogs are more sincere to their masters than we are to our Lord. (See al-Hilya 4:44; cf. p. 284 n. 1.) Another variant relates that during the time of the Messiah, Satan approached the hermit in his cell, attempting various temptations without success. Finally, appearing as the Messiah, he called: “O hermit, grant me entry to speak with you, for I am the Messiah.” The hermit replied: “If you are the Messiah, I have no need of you. Did you not command us to worship, promise us resurrection, and establish the religion for us? We have accepted your message; now depart, for I will not open my door to you.” Humiliated, Satan departed and never returned. (Abu Nu‘aym, al-Hilya 4:44.)