al-Ḥasan ibn Hammām, though the first version is the sound one (1).

He was originally from Baghdad but took up residence in Egypt. Born to a line of dignitaries—leaders, viziers, and secretaries—he kept company with al-Junayd, listened to hadith and memorised a great deal of it. He studied jurisprudence under Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī (2) and learnt grammar from Thaʿlab. His charity to the poor was abundant: whenever he gave something to a needy person he would place it in his own palm and let the recipient take it, wishing that the poor man’s hand should never be beneath his (3).

Among his verses:
If all of me were to vanish, it would not be strange;
my wonder is that part of me is somehow still alive.
Rescue the remnant of a soul within you (4) now worn out,
before the parting—for this is the final breath (5).

Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl, better known as Khayr al-Nassāj (6), Abū al-Ḥasan the Sufi, was one of the eminent shaykhs, noted for his upright spiritual states and well-known miracles. He met Sarī al-Saqaṭī and other elders of the path, and he lived one hundred and twenty years.

When death drew near, he looked toward a corner of the house and said, “Stay where you are—may Allah have mercy on you—for you are a servant under orders and I am a servant under orders. What you have been commanded will not slip away, whereas what I have been commanded can slip away.” He then rose, performed ablution, prayed, lay down, and passed away—may Allah have mercy on him.

Someone later saw him in a dream and asked, “What did Allah do with you?” He answered, “We are at rest, freed from your grimy world (7).”