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465 — ʿAbd Allah narrated—my father narrated—that Ibrāhīm ibn Khālid informed us; Rabāḥ informed us; Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Khurāsānī—meaning ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubārak—informed us, on the authority of Mālik ibn Anas, from Ḥumayd al-Aʿraj, from Mujāhid, who said: “The food of John son of Zechariah, peace be upon him, consisted of wild herbs. He would weep from awe of Allah so intensely that, had tar been spread over his eyes, his tears would have burned right through it; indeed, the tears had carved channels down his face.”
٤٦٥ - حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا أبِي، أَخْبَرَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا رَبَاحٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْخُرَاسَانِيُّ قَالَ يَعْنِي عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ الْأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ قَالَ: قَالَ: «كَانَ طَعَامُ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا (عليه السلام) الْعُشْبَ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَيَبْكِي مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ – Exalté soit-Il – مَا لَوْ كَانَ الْقَارُ عَلَى عَيْنَيْهِ لَخَرَقَهُ، وَلَقَدْ كَانَتِ الدُّمُوعُ اتَّخَذَتْ مَجْرًى فِي وَجْهِهِ»