the two armies may appear in battle and between them are paths of destruction to death. i have two words that i said in reference to or rather explicitly a man from our companions whom we knew to be a man of seeking care piety and standing at night following in the footsteps of the ascetics and following the paths of the ancient sufis a diligent researcher. we used to avoid joking in his presence but time did not pass until satan gained control of himself and afterward tore away the clothing of the ascetics and iblis took possession of his reins so he tempted him with delusion and made woe and destruction seem attractive to him and he pulled his reins after his refusal and gave him his forelock after
وقد يتراءى العسكران لدى الوغى وبينهما للموت سبل بوار ولي كلمتان قلتهما معرضا بل مصرحا برجل من أصحابنا كنا نعرفه من أهل الطلب والعناية والورع وقيام الليل واقتفاء آثار النساك وسلوك مذاهب المتصوفين القدماء، باحثا مجتهدا، وقد كنا نتجنب المزاح بحضرته، فلم يمض الزمن حتى مكن الشيطان من نفسه، وفتك بعد لباس النساك، وملك إبليس من خطامه فسول له الغرور، وزين له الويل والثبور، وأجره رسنه بعد إباء، وأعطاه ناصيته بعد