and had him escorted by a trusted envoy to Baghdad.
When he reached his household, he went straight to the gate of Yaḥyā ibn Khālid’s residence and asked leave to enter. The doorkeeper went in and said, “My lord, there is a man at our door who exudes dignity, is pleasing in appearance and handsome of face, and is accompanied by many attendants.” Permission was granted, so the man came in and kissed the ground before Yaḥyā.
Yaḥyā said, “I do not recognize you.”
He replied, “I am the man who was dead at the hands of fate’s injustice and the treachery of time, and you brought me back to life. I am the one for whose sake you acted.”
Yaḥyā asked, “And what did he give you and bestow upon you?”
The man said, “By the blessing of your patronage, your generosity, high aspiration, and favor, he gave to me, enriched me, and satisfied my need. I have brought his entire gift with me—here it is at your door. The matter rests with you; judgment is in your hands.”
Yaḥyā replied, “Your deed toward me is greater than my deed toward you. You have an immense favor and a weighty hand over me, for you changed the enmity that once existed between that honorable man and me into friendship, and you were the cause of it. Therefore I shall give you, in money, the same amount that he gave you.” He then ordered that the man be granted a sum equal to what ʿAbdallāh ibn Mālik had given him.
We have cited this tale so that anyone who reads it will know that a person of lofty aspiration is never abandoned—just as that man was not abandoned. Had his nature been base, he would have resorted to some lowly work and clung to ignoble people. Because his resolve was exalted, however, he dared, advanced, and took a risk with an honorable man—one generous in character and of pure lineage—and through that boldness he attained his goal.
Look at those two noble, dignified leaders, and at the loftiness of their purpose: see how they treated him and how they received him. In their chivalry they saw no occasion to punish or torment him. Through their bounty he obtained what he sought, escaped the severity and hardship of his times, eluded the evil of his trial, and returned with splendid fortune and lofty rank, earning fair renown and copious reward.
Story: It is said that two slaves once boasted—one belonging to Banū Hāshim, the other to Banū Umayyah—and each declared, “My masters are more generous than yours.” So they said