68 – Suraij narrated to us; he said: Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us; he said: al-Masʿudi informed us, from ʿAli ibn Badhimah, from Abu ʿUbaydah, who reported:

The disciples said to Jesus, son of Mary, “What shall we eat?” He answered, “Barley bread.” They asked, “What shall we drink?” He said, “Pure water.” They asked, “On what shall we rest our heads?” He replied, “Rest your heads on the ground.” They said, “You command us in life to do nothing but the hardest things!” He responded, “Yet by that the malakūt (heavenly kingdom) is never left without dwellers, until one of you carries out such deeds out of genuine desire.” ⦗66⦘ They asked, “How is that so?” He said, “Have you not noticed that when a man is hungry, nothing is dearer to him than a piece of bread, even if it is only barley; when he is thirsty, nothing is dearer to him than water, even if it is plain; and when he has been standing for a long time, nothing is dearer to him than to lay his head upon the earth?”