and if he wanted to take a bribe he would take a bribe to connect with my soul and a good singer would go along with him in it he said when he reached this age aslam stopped all gatherings of seeking knowledge and stayed at his house and sat at his door. ahmad bin kulaib had no business except passing by the door of aslams house walking and coming all day long so aslam stopped sitting at the door of his house during the day. when he prayed the maghrib prayer and darkness fell he would go out to rest and sit in his house during the day. when he prayed ahmad bin kulaib was patient so he took a trick one night and put on a cloak like the bedouins and a turban like theirs and took a chicken in one hand and a cage with eggs in the other and waited for aslam to sit at his door when darkness fell so he went up to him and kissed his hand and said my master orders this to be taken. aslam said to him who are you? he said your friend in suchandsuch a farm and he knew the names of his farms and his friends there. so aslam ordered that this be taken from him. then aslam began to ask him about the farm and when he answered him he denied the words and pondered them and recognized them so he said to him o my brother! here you have reached yourself and here you have followed me. is it not enough for you that i have been cut off from the gatherings of seeking knowledge and from going out altogether and from sitting at my door during the day until you have cut off from me all that i have in it comfort? i have become from your prison. by god after this night i will not leave the depths of my home nor will i sit at night.
ولو شاء أن يرتشي على الوصل روحي ارتشى ومغن محسن يسايره فيها؛ قال فلما بلغ هذا المبلغ انقطع أسلم عن جميع مجالس الطلب، ولزم بيته والجلوس على بابه، فكان أحمد بن كليب لا شغل له إلا المرور على باب دار أسلم سائرا، ومقبلا نهاره كله، فانقطع أسلم عن الجلوس على باب داره نهارا، فإذا صلى المغرب واختلط الظلام خرج مستروحا وجلس داره نهارا، فإذا صلى صبر أحمد بن كليب، فتحيل في بعض الليالي ولبس جبة من جباب أهل البادية، واعتم بمثل عمائمهم، وأخذ بإحدى يديه دجاجا، وبالأخرى قفصا فيه بيض، وتحين جلوس أسلم عند اختلاط الظلام على بابه، فتقدم إليه وقبل يده، وقال يأمر مولاي بأخذ هذا، فقال له أسلم ومن انت فقال صاحبك في الضيعة الفلانية، وقد كان تعرف أسماء ضياعه وأصحابه فيها، فأمر أسلم بأخذ ذلك منه، ثم جعل أسلم يسأله عن الضيعة، فلما جاوبه أنكر الكلام وتأمله فعرفه، فقال له يا أخي! وهنا بلغت بنفسك، وإلى هاهنا تبعتني، أما كفاك انقطاعي عن مجالس الطلب، وعن الخروج جملة، وعن القعود على بابي نهارا، حتى قطعت علي جميع ما لي فيه راحة، فقد صرت من سجنك . والله، لا فارقت بعد هذه الليلة قعر منزلي، ولا قعدت ليلا