He tasted it and found it tart. “Bring me a different bunch,” the judge said, and Mubarak handed him another one—also tart.
“Why do you keep giving me sour grapes,” the judge asked, “when there are surely plenty of sweet ones here?”
“I do not know which are sweet and which are sour,” the servant replied.
“Amazing!” exclaimed the judge. “You have been in this vineyard for a full month, yet you still cannot tell the sweet from the sour?”
“By your right, my master,” Mubarak answered, “I have never tasted a single grape, so I do not know whether they are sweet or sour.”
“And why,” the judge demanded, “did you not eat any?”
“Because you ordered me to guard the vineyard, not to eat from it. I would never betray the trust you placed in me.”
The judge was astonished. “May Allah preserve your trustworthiness,” he said, realizing how sound the young man’s intellect was. Then he added, “My boy, I have taken a liking to you and wish you to do what I command.”
“I obey Allah—and through Him, I obey you,” Mubarak replied.
The judge continued, “I have a beautiful daughter. Many leading men and notables have sought her hand, yet I do not know to whom I should give her. Advise me, then: what do you think?”
Mubarak said, “In the Age of Ignorance (jāhiliyyah) the unbelievers prized ancestry, lineage, and noble household. The Jews and Christians look for beauty and outward grace. During the time of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—people sought religion and piety. In our own day, people chase after wealth. Choose whichever of these four motives you prefer.”
“I choose religion and trustworthiness,” the judge declared, “and I have already seen your chastity and integrity for myself.”
Mubarak said, “My master, I am a black Indian slave whom you purchased with your money. How could you be content to marry me to your daughter?”
“Come with me to the house so that we may arrange the matter,” the judge answered.
When they reached home, he said to his wife, “Know that this Indian servant is devout and God-fearing. I have been impressed by his righteousness, and I wish to marry him to our daughter. What do you think?”
She replied, “The decision is yours, but go to the girl, inform her, and bring me her answer.”
The mother went to the young woman and conveyed her father’s message. The daughter said, “Whatever you two command, I will do. I will not step outside your authority, nor will I oppose you; rather, I will honor you both.”
So the judge married his daughter to Mubarak and endowed them with great wealth. In time she bore him a son, whom he named ʿAbd Allah. He became renowned throughout the world as ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubarak—the scholar, ascetic, and eminent transmitter of hadith. For as long as this world endures, his narrations will continue to be related.