"And what dost thou say of ʾAly?" continued el-Hajjâj; "Is he in heaven or in hell?"
"Had I been in both," answered Saʾîd, "and did I know the inhabitants of both, I could tell who was in both."
"And what dost thou say of the Khalîfahs?" asked el-Hajjâj.
"I am not their overseer," replied Saʾîd.
"Which of them dost thou love best?" inquired el-Hajjâj.
"He among them who was the most pleasing to my Maker," answered Saʾîd.
"And which of them was the most pleasing to the Creator?" said el-Hajjâj.
"That knowledge," replied Saʾîd, "rests with Him who knows their inmost thoughts and secret words."
"And how is it that thou laughest not?" asked el-Hajjâj.
"How should a creature formed out of clay—clay which may be consumed in the fire—laugh?" responded Saʾîd.
"And why is it that we ourselves cannot laugh?" inquired el-Hajjâj.
