Facsimile · p. 58
In the day, he came on his horse. They spread a large carpet for him on the ground. Then came Qais, the chief, and sat on the carpet. The slaves stood up, carrying the staffs. "Peace be upon you," he said. "I am so-and-so." The Sheikh said, "So-and-so is here, my lord. So-and-so." They performed the prayer. The poor were fed. Then the masters of the year stood up. They did not taste the dates. They ate in their homes. Then Al-Makawi came and said, "My lord, a woman has come with a sick daughter, seeking healing." He said, "My illness and my wife's. I took her to him, but he did not heal her." He said, "She has brought her." He said, "Bring her and lead her." Then so-and-so came, and the end. He said, "She did not die." He said, "Yes, she was hidden. A poor man was present in the gathering, and his heart was troubled. He said, 'Let us reconcile and not be divided.' He took gold and sang in the courtyard of the shade. For her, he brought her and laid her down. He said to her mother, 'Bring the water for washing.' They brought her under the shade. He said to her mother, 'Bring the water for washing.' When she danced and wrote on that sitting poor man, he said to him, 'Read in the book.' He read, 'That good quality. My lord did not accept it. He salted me with softness and salted you with water. What a trick!' He said, 'The veils. And my lord, you are the servant of the master.' He turned to the sheep herder and said to them, 'Do not lose them. Let them go. Bring the surplus.' Then he asked them about the surplus. They said, 'To the surplus, one hundred and twenty.' The jurist Abd Al-Sadiq said, and it was the time of Ramadan. When it was time for Iftar, one hundred and twenty chickens came, wearing dresses for the fray and the robes, and clothes of silk. They wore headscarves. The bread was broken, and each one wore a bracelet of ivory and silver bracelets in front and silver bracelets behind. And each one approached him, bowed, and wore a dress of silk. A plate, and behind each chicken, a chicken in its hand, a silver bracelet, and wearing a silk dress. Carrying a covered gourd. He extended them all in front of the Sheikh and began to distribute the food, saying, 'Give to so-and-so.' And so the servant followed her. When the food was finished, she stood up and followed her. They placed it in front of us. Then we uncovered the dish and found a rooster, two pigeons, and two starlings. The Sheikh said, 'Tonight, all these chickens are for the Zabd. They are called in the dish, and we did not open our eyes to the plate and the gourd, and we did not know what was in it.' He said, 'So we said, "Bring it." And O Iblasa, a jug of water, and a plate with flatbread made on the fire. He dipped it in the water and ate it. Then he rinsed his mouth and stood up."