u." As he approached his house he met the same
children as before, and heard them say to one another, "We must get out
of the way, lest the dust raised by our feet should soil Habib, who has
repented." Habib, hearing this, exclaimed, "O Lord, in that very hour,
when, returning from my errors, I have taken refuge with Thee, Thou hast
put affection for me in the hearts of Thy friends, and changed into
blessings the curses which used to greet my name."

He remitted all the debts that were due to him, and gave public notice
that all his debtors had only to come and take back their bonds. They
all came and did so. Then he gave away all the wealth he had been
amassing for years, till he had nothing left. He built a hermitage on
the banks of the Euphrates, where he gave himself up to a devotional
life, spending whole nights in prayer. During the day he attended the
instructions of Hasan Basri. At the commencement of his religious life
he received the appellation "Ajami" (ill-instructed) because he could
not pronounce the words of the Koran properly.

After some time his wife began to complain, saying, "I must really have
some money; we have neither food to eat nor clothes to wear." At this
time Habib was in the habit of going every day to his hermitage on the
banks of the river, and spending the day in devotional exercises. In the
evenings he came home. One evening his wife asked him where he had been
during the day. "I have been working," he replied. "Very well, where are
your wages?" she asked. "My employer," said Habib, "is a generous
person. He has promised to pay me at the end of ten days." So he
continued spending his time as before. On the tenth day, as he reflected
in his hermitage, he wondered what he should say to his wife when he
returned in the evening, and she wanted something to eat. That day four
men came to the house of Habib. One brought a quantity of flour, another
a sheep, a third a jar of honey, and the fourth a bottle of oil. Not
long after them a fifth came with a purse of gold. They gave all these
to Habib's wife, saying to her, "Your husband's Employer has sent
these," and they added, "Tell your husband that his Master bids him
continue his work, and He will continue his wages." Then they departed.

In the evening Habib came home, pensive and anxious. As he entered the
house an odour of cooking greeted him. His wife hastened to meet him,
and said, "O Habib, go on working for your employer, for he is ve