2251 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; my father narrated to me; al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ⦗310⦘ Yazid narrated to us; and Ibn Jabir narrated:

I once said to Yazid ibn Marthad, “Why is it that I never see your eyes dry?”

He replied, “And what business is that of yours?”

I said, “Perhaps Allah will let me benefit from your answer.”

He said, “My brother, Allah—exalted is He—has threatened that if I disobey Him He will imprison me in the Fire. By Allah, even if He had threatened to lock me up only in a bathhouse, it would still be fitting that my eyes never become dry.”

I asked him, “Is it the same with you when you are alone?”

He answered, “And what business is that of yours?”

I said, “Perhaps Allah will let me benefit from it.”

He said, “By Allah, the very thought overtakes me when I sit with my family, and it comes between me and what I wish to do. Food is placed before me, the thought seizes me, and it keeps me from eating until my wife weeps and our children weep—they do not know what has made us cry. Sometimes my wife becomes exasperated and exclaims, ‘Woe unto her! What a share of prolonged grief she has been allotted with you in this worldly life; I can never find ease in your company!’”