or drink. Then I did not see him again until I entered (1) Mecca. One night, at midnight, I saw him beside the Dome of the Waterspout (2), praying with humility, groaning, and weeping. He continued in this state until the night had passed. When dawn broke, he sat in his place of prayer glorifying Allah. He then rose for the dawn prayer, circumambulated the House seven times, and went out (3). I followed him and discovered that he had a retinue, wealth, and servants (4), quite unlike how I had seen him on the road. People gathered around him, greeting him and seeking blessings through him. I asked them (5), “Who is this?”

They replied, “Mūsā (6) ibn Jafar (7).”

I said, “I would indeed have been amazed if such wonders had belonged to anyone other than a master like this.”’ This account was narrated by al-Hanbalī.

It was also through him that Bishr the Barefoot repented (8). Mūsā—peace be upon him (9)—was passing by Bishr’s house in Baghdad when he heard musical instruments, singing, and reed pipes coming from it. A slave girl emerged carrying vegetable refuse (10) and threw it into the alley. He asked her (11), “Girl, is the owner of this house a free man or a slave?”