43- In the Book entitled “The Throne,” Ahmad related: "Muḥammad ibn Saʿd ibn al-Ḥusayn narrated to us; Ahmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Mawṣilī narrated to us; al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān narrated to us; from Ḥafṣ ibn ʿAbd Allāh; from ʿUthmān ibn ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurasānī, from his father⟮1⟯; from Abū Sufyān al-Alhānī; from Tamīm al-Dārī, who said:
We asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about a man embracing another man when they meet. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “The very first to embrace was Allah’s intimate friend, Abraham. The reason is that he once went out looking for pasture for his livestock in one of the mountains around Bayt al-Maqdis. There he heard a voice glorifying Allah, and he became so absorbed that he forgot what he had been seeking and made his way toward the sound. Lo and behold, he found a shaggy-haired man, eighteen cubits tall⟮3⟯, declaring the sanctity of Allah. Abraham said to him, ‘Old man, who is your Lord?’ He answered⟮4⟯, ‘The One who is in heaven.’ Abraham asked, ‘Who is the Lord of the one who is in heaven?’ He said, ‘The One who is in heaven.’ Abraham asked, ‘And is there any god in them besides Him?’ He replied, ‘There is no god but Him—the Lord of those in heaven⟮5⟯ and the Lord of those on earth.’
Abraham then said, ‘Old man, is there anyone from your people still with you?’ He replied, ‘To my knowledge, no one from my people remains but me.’ Abraham asked, ‘What is your food?’ He said, ‘I gather fruit from these trees in summer and eat it in winter.’ Abraham asked, ‘Where is your qiblah?’ The man pointed toward the same qiblah to which Abraham—peace be upon him—faced. Abraham asked, ‘Where is your dwelling?’ He replied, ‘In that cave.’ Abraham said, ‘Then go back to your house.’ The man said, ‘Between me and my home is a valley that cannot be crossed.’ Abraham asked, ‘So how do you cross it?’ He replied, ‘I walk over the water when going, and I walk over it when returning.’ Abraham said, ‘Go ahead; perhaps the One who makes it easy for you will make it easy for me.’
So the two of them set off and came to the water. Each of them walked upon the surface, marveling at what Allah had granted his companion. When they entered the cave...⟮6⟯