The soldier then asked, "Where is the town?"

The Imam pointed towards the graveyard. The soldier said, "I am asking about the town."

He replied, "That (the graveyard) is the town." Hearing this, the soldier became enraged, struck the Imam's head with a whip, and took him towards the city after wounding him.

When the Imam’s companions saw this, they asked the soldier, "What has happened?"

The soldier explained the matter. They informed him, "This is (the saint of the era) Sayyidunā Ibrahīm b. Adham رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه." Upon hearing this, the soldier dismounted his horse and began to seek forgiveness while kissing the Imam's hands and feet.

The Imam was asked, "Why did you say you were a slave?"

He replied, "He did not ask me whose slave I was; he only asked if I was a slave. I said 'Yes' because I am a slave (servant) of my Lord. When he struck my head, I asked Allah to grant him Paradise."

When asked why he supplicated for someone who oppressed him, he replied, "I knew that I would receive a reward for enduring the pain; therefore, I did not find it appropriate that I receive a reward while he faces punishment."^[1]

3. Pardoning is only Truly Valid when in Power

Sayyidunā MaꜤmar b. Rāshid رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه narrates that a person once slapped the son of Sayyidunā Qatādah bin DiꜤāmahرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه  forcefully. The Imam sought help from Bilāl b. Abī Burdah against the man, but he paid no attention. Consequently, he complained to al-Qasrī, who wrote