no one being aware (1) of it. “One day, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—took al-Husayn upon his right thigh (2) and Ibrāhīm (3) upon his left thigh. Gabriel [peace be upon him] (4) then descended and said, ‘Allah Most High would not allow both of them to remain together for you (5), so choose whichever of them you wish.’ The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—(6) said, ‘If al-Husayn dies, I (7), Alī, and Fātimah will weep; but if Ibrāhīm dies, I alone will weep for him.’ He therefore chose the death of Ibrāhīm (8), who died three days later. Thereafter, whenever al-Husayn came to him, he would kiss him and say (9), ‘A warm welcome to the one whom I ransomed with my son Ibrāhīm.’”
Alī ibn al-Husayn, known as the Adornment of the Worshippers, (10) would fast by day, stand in prayer by night, recite the Mighty Book, and perform one thousand units of prayer every day and night. After every two units (11), he would supplicate with the prayers transmitted from him and from his forefathers (12). Then he would cast the scroll aside like one exasperated and say (13), “How could I ever attain the worship of
(1) (K), p. 97 (M): “inform anyone.”
(2) (A) and (B) read: “One day, he took al-Husayn and placed him on his right thigh.”
(3) (K) reads: “and his son Ibrāhīm—peace be upon him.”
(4) “Jibrāʾīl—peace be upon him”: thus in (H) and (K). The other manuscripts read: “Jibrīl”; while (A), (B), and (W) read: “Jibrīl—peace be upon him.”
(5) (N), (M), (R), (S), and (H) read: “to bring them both together for you.”
(6) (K) reads: “Then he said to himself.”
(7) (K) reads: “I would weep for him.”
(8) (K) reads: “Ibrāhīm—peace be upon him.”
(9) (W), (H), and (R) read: “And whenever al-Husayn came thereafter, he would say [the words that follow] and kiss him”; (K): “Thereafter, whenever al-Husayn—peace be upon him—came, he would kiss him and say.” The phrase “thereafter” is absent from (A) and (B).
(10) (W) reads: “Zayn al-Ābidīn (the Adornment of the Worshippers)—peace be upon him”; (K): “Zayn al-Ābidīn—peace be upon them both.”
(11) (M), (S), (H), (R), and (W) read: “after every two units of prayer”; (A) and (B): “after every unit of prayer.”
(12) (W) and (K) read: “and from his forefathers—peace be upon them.”
(13) (N), (H), (R), and (S) read: “Then he would say.”