a young man, of whom but a shadow remained, rode at my side on a dromedary. And he saluted me, and I returned his salutation and welcomed him. Then he asked, "Dost thou know me?" And upon my replying, "It was not through ill-will that I failed to recognize thee," he said, "I am the writer of those two letters."
So I bowed myself before him, and said, "O my brother! verily thy behaviour has distressed me, and thy concealment of thyself has disquieted me, for I would have given thee thy desire and a hundred dinârs."
"May God recompense thee!" he cried. "Verily I am come to thee confessing the sight. My look was contrary to the laws of the Book and of tradition."[1]
- ↑ A Muslim who looks upon the face of a woman not of kin to him commits a grievous sin. Should the wind blow aside her veil, or should she through coquetry or vanity remove it, he is ordered to cast down his eyes. If the sight be forced upon him, he must at the first opportunity confess the same to her husband or master. If the latter forgives him, he will also obtain
the city. Muslims have a great respect for this mountain, believing that when Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise they were separated for a hundred and twenty years; but at last, wandering through the world seeking one another, they met and recognized each other on the summit of Mount Arafat.
