509 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; my father narrated to me; Ibrahim ibn Khalid narrated to me; ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman narrated to me that he heard Wahb ibn Munabbih say:

“An ascetic from the Children of Israel dedicated himself to worship and wandered about until he lived among the wild beasts. His hair grew so long that he would use it to cover his nakedness.

A man then died who had no heir except that ascetic. The townspeople were reluctant to lay hands on the deceased’s estate before informing him. They therefore kept watch for the ascetic, but whenever he caught sight of them he fled.

One of the men said, ‘If you will give me something, I will bring you news of him.’ They agreed on a reward for him.

So he set out and lay in wait for the ascetic. When the ascetic saw him, the man walked straight toward him and cast off his garments. On seeing this, the ascetic stopped and lowered his gaze. The man said, ‘Permit me to draw near you.’ He replied, ‘Come closer.’

The man said, ‘So-and-so has died and left wealth, and he has left no—’"}