his shirt. Allah then revealed to him: “Tell him: ‘Rend your heart for Me, and do not rend your clothes for Me.’”’”

This, then, concerns listening to the accounts of the prophets.

Abū al-Qāsim said: “Abū ʿAlī al-Maghāzilī asked al-Shiblī: ‘Sometimes a verse from the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, reaches my ears and moves me to abandon worldly things and turn away from this world. Then I return to my usual state and to the company of others.’ Al-Shiblī replied: ‘Whatever draws you toward Him is an expression of His kindness and gentleness toward you. Whatever returns you to yourself is an expression of His compassion for you, for you cannot truly renounce your own power and strength in turning toward Him.’”

This, then, concerns listening to the Quran.

He also said: “I heard Abū Hātim al-Sijistānī say: ‘I heard Abū Nasr al-Sarrāj say: I heard Ahmad ibn Muqātil al-ʿAkkī say: I was with al-Shiblī in a mosque one night during Ramadan. He was praying behind an imam, and I was beside him. Then he recited