2029 — ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Nadīm informed us; ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar ibn Shawdhab related; he said: ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Nāqid related; he said: Muḥammad ibn al-Munādī related; he said: I heard Abū Yaḥyā al-Khaffāf say: I heard Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim say ⦗1153⦘:

“I heard a Bedouin who came out of his tent, paused at its entrance, then raised his hands and said:

‘My God, to seek Your forgiveness while persisting in my sin is sheer baseness, yet to abandon seeking forgiveness when Your mercy is so boundless is sheer helplessness. My God, how often You show affection toward me while You have no need of me, and how often I offend against You though I am utterly in need of You. Glory be to the One who, when He promises, fulfils, and when He threatens, pardons.’

He added: A Bedouin once said:

‘O Allah, I fear You because of Your justice and I hope in You because of Your pardon. Deliver me from anyone who would lodge a claim against me before You, for none will claim against me before You except someone I have wronged. You are a Judge who never wrongs. Compensate them through Your generosity, and rescue me by Your pardon, O Most Generous.’”