erring to punishment by impaling.

[27] Learned men.

[28] i.e. God.

[29] Koran V, v 70.

[30] According to the Koran, Pharaoh claimed divinity.

[31] Whinfield's Masnavi p. 248.

CHAPTER IX

HABIB AJAMI
(D 773 AD)

Habib Ajami was a rich usurer of Basra, and used to spend most of his
time going about and collecting the money which was due to him. He used
also to insist on being paid for the time so spent. One day he had gone
to the house of one of his debtors, and when he had knocked at the door
the debtor's wife said to him, "My husband is not at home." "If he is
not," said Habib, "pay me for my lost time and I will go." "But I have
nothing," replied the woman, "except a neck of mutton." She fetched it
and gave it to him. Habib took it home to his wife, and told her to cook
it. "But," said she, "we have no bread or wood." So Habib went off
again, exacted his indemnity for lost time from another debtor, and
bought wood and bread, which he took home. His wife set about cooking
the food, when a dervish appeared at the door asking alms. "Go away,"
said Habib to him; "you won't become rich with what you get here." The
dervish departed in silence. Habib's wife prepared to put the food on
the plates, but when she looked into the cooking pot she saw a mass of
blood. Filled with terror, she said to Habib, "Your harshness towards
the dervish has brought this misfortune on us. All the food in the
cooking pot has turned to blood." Habib, frightened himself, repented,
and, as a pledge of the reality of his conversion, vowed to abandon the
practice of usury. The following day was a Friday. Habib, having gone
out, saw as he was walking along, children playing on the road. They no
sooner saw him than they said to each other, "Here is the usurer coming;
let us be off, lest the dust raised by his feet touch us and we become
cursed like him." At these words Habib Ajami was profoundly stirred, and
went off to consult Hasan Basri, whom he found in the act of preaching
on the terrors of the judgment-day. Habib was so overcome with fear that
he fainted. When he came to himself, he made public confession of his
sins in the presence of Hasan Basri and the congregation.

Then he left the mosque and returned home. One of his debtors, seeing
him on the road, attempted to get out of his way, but Habib called after
him and said, "Don't fly away; formerly you used to avoid me, but now it
is I who seek to avoid yo