in front of him. At that very moment another man entered and said, “O Ahmad, a child was born to me last night and I have nothing at all.” Ahmad lifted his gaze toward the sky and exclaimed, “My Master, so quickly!” Then he said to the man, “Take these dirhams—they are yours.” He left not a single coin for himself and even borrowed flour for his own family.

It is related (1) by his servant that when he went out to the frontier for ribāṭ (2), gifts continued to arrive (3) from early dawn until noon; he distributed them all until sunset and then said to me, “Be like this: never refuse anything that comes from Allah, and never withhold anything from Him.”

When the miḥnah—the theological inquisition—under al-Maʾmūn reached Damascus, Ahmad ibn Abi al-Hawari, Hisham ibn ʿAmmar, Sulayman ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman, and ʿAbd Allah ibn Dhakwan were summoned. All of them complied except Ahmad ibn Abi al-Hawari. He was confined in the Dar al-Hijarah prison; after being threatened he gave an evasive reply under duress and was then released, may Allah have mercy on him.

On one occasion at the frontier he stood through the night repeating the verse, “It is You we worship, and You we ask for help” (Q 1:5), until dawn.

He once threw his books into the sea and said, “Yes, (4) books are a guide to Allah—may He be exalted—but to busy oneself with the guide after the Goal has been reached is impossible (5).”

Among his sayings:

“There is no proof that leads to Allah but Him, and knowledge is sought only to perfect the etiquettes of servitude (6).

“Whoever truly knows this world will disdain it; whoever knows the Hereafter will long for it; and whoever knows Allah will prefer His good pleasure (7).

“Whoever looks at the world with a gaze of desire and love, Allah removes from his heart the light of certainty and detachment (8).”

He also said:

“I once asked Abu Sulayman al-Darani at the beginning of my spiritual journey, ‘Advise me.’ He asked, ‘Do you truly seek counsel?’ I replied, ‘Yes, if Allah wills.’ He said, ‘Oppose your lower self in all that it desires, for it is ever-commanding to evil; beware of belittling any Muslim (9); make obedience to Allah your outer mantle, fear of Him your inner clothing, sincerity your provision, and truthfulness your shield.

“Accept from me this single counsel—never leave it, never neglect it: Whoever feels shame before Allah in all his times and states…"