And the scholarly man—when the king and his principal courtiers drew near the mountain in which they were encamped—had the king dismount and ascend the mountain. As they approached their spot, the king’s party began to eat coarse food. The king entered on them while they were eating, yet none lifted his head to greet him. The virtuous scholar was busy wrapping some greens and olives in a large piece of bread and putting it into his mouth. The king greeted them and asked, “Which of you is the worshipper?” They pointed to the scholar. The king then addressed him: “How do you fare, O man?” He answered, “Like other people,” all the while chewing that rough meal. The king replied, “There is no goodness in this,” and turned his back, saying, “This man has no knowledge.” When the king descended the mountain, the worshipper looked out from a small window and called to him: “O king, praise be to God who diverted you from me when you disliked me”—or, in another version, “Praise be to God who diverted you from me by what He diverted you.” In another narration Ibn al-Mubarak reports that he said, “Praise be to God who diverted him from me though he displeased me” (Az-Zuhd, p. 515). In yet another account, it is related that this worshipper had himself been a king who renounced the world. A righteous man—one of the remnant people of Paradise—visited him and admonished him to accompany him and forsake his kingdom in pursuit of the Hereafter. The king agreed, and many of his sons, household, and senior officials joined him. They departed with their retinue in secret. This king had been known for justice, benevolence, and God-fearing; his realm was vast, with abundant wealth and troops. They journeyed until they reached a mountain on the outskirts of his former dominion—a place rich in trees and water—where they stayed a while. The king said to his companions, “If we remain long on this mountain, the people of our realm will learn of us and trouble us. I suggest we go beyond our borders to a place distant from all, so that both they and we may be safe.” They left that mountain in search of lands where they were unknown and found a remote peak, plentifully wooded and watered, almost deserted. At its summit was a flowing spring and a broad plain suitable for cultivation. They settled there, built places of worship and dwellings, planted by that spring various grains which they harvested, and olive trees. They farmed with their own hands and ate of their produce. Word of them spread to nearby districts, and people came to visit. Eventually the earlier story of that scholar reached the king of those lands, who went to see them and heard the tale as related above. And God knows best. Wahb said, “The most ascetic of men in this world—even though he cares for it—is he who accepts nothing but lawful and wholesome earnings while safeguarding trusts; and the most attached to the world—even though he turns away from it—is he who does not care whether his gain is lawful or unlawful. The most generous of people in this life is he who is generous with the rights of God, even if others deem him stingy in other matters; and the stingiest is he who is stingy with God’s rights, even if people consider him generous otherwise.” (Narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilya 4:49; also by al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Iman 7:407, no. 10781, with a chain attributed to Abu Umayya.) Al-Tabarani reports—according to the chain preserved by Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilya 4:50—that Mu‘adh ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us from ‘Ali ibn al-Madini, from Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn Miqsim, who said: I heard ‘Ata’ ibn Muslim say: I heard Wahb ibn Munabbih relate: “God spoke to Moses (peace be upon him) in a thousand stations; each time He spoke to him, the light would appear on Moses’ face for three days, and Moses did not touch a woman from the moment his Lord spoke to him.” Uthman ibn Abi Shayba narrates: “‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amir ibn Zurara told us, from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Ajlah, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, that Rabi‘a ibn Abi ‘Abd al-Rahman reported: I heard Ibn Munabbih al-Yamani say: ‘Prophethood carries burdens and provisions that only the strong can bear. And Yunus ibn Matta was a righteous servant, yet his nature was constricted. When the burden was laid upon him…’ ” (Text ends.)