60 – Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad said: I heard Saʿid ibn Sulayman narrate from al-Mubarak ibn Fadala, from al-Hasan, who said:

“There was a tree that people worshipped instead of Allah. A man came and said, ‘I will most certainly cut down that tree.’ He set off to do so, stirred by anger for Allah’s sake. Satan met him in human form and asked, ‘What do you intend?’ He replied, ‘I intend to cut down this tree that is worshipped instead of Allah.’

Satan said, ‘If you yourself do not worship it, how can another person’s worship harm you?’ The man answered, ‘I will surely cut it down.’

Satan then said, ‘Shall I direct you to something better for you? Do not cut it down, and you will receive two dinars every morning, placed by your pillow.’ The man asked, ‘Who will guarantee that for me?’ Satan replied, ‘I will.’

So he went back, and the next morning he found two dinars by his pillow. On the following morning, however, he found nothing. Angered, he rose to cut the tree. Satan again appeared to him in the same human guise and asked, ‘What do you intend?’ He said, ‘I want to cut down this tree that is worshipped instead of Allah.’

Satan retorted, ‘You are lying; you have no way to reach it.’ The man tried to cut it down, but Satan hurled him to the ground, strangled him, and was about to kill him.

Satan then said, ‘Do you know who I am? I am Satan. The first time you came in anger for Allah’s sake, I had no power over you, so I duped you with the two dinars and you left the tree. But when you returned in anger for the dinars, I was given power over you.’”