Muhammad b. `Ali b. al-Fadl al-Kufi narrated to us. He said: Abu Ja`far Muhammad b. `Ammar al-Qattan narrated to us. He said: al-Husayn b. `Ali b. al-Hakam al-Za`farani narrated to me. He said: Isma`il b. Ibrahim al-`Abdi narrated to us. He said: Sahl b. Ziyad al-Adami narrated to me from Ibn Mahbub from Abi Hamza al-Thumali. He said:

I went to the Mosque of Kufa where I found a man in the seventh row standing in prayer. He was bowing and prostrating in a goodly way. So, I went to look at him, and he prostrated just before I got there. I heard him say in his prostration: “O Allah! If I have ever disobeyed You, [know that] I have obeyed You in the things that are most beloved to You, which is belief in You. I did thusly out of Your grace over me, and not as a favour from me to You. I do not disobey You in the things that are most hateful to You. I did not attribute a son to You, nor did I attribute a partner to You. I did thusly out of Your grace over me, and not as a favour from me to You. I did not disobey You in things out of needlessness or arrogance, nor out of condescension toward Your worship, nor out of denial of Your lordship. Rather, I followed my caprice, and Satan weakened me after comprehensive proof and clarity. If You punished me for my sin, that would not be oppressing me, but if You have mercy over me, it would be by Your magnanimity and Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones.” Then, he turned and left through the gate of Kindah. I followed him until he reached the camels of Banu Kalb. So, he passed by a black person and ordered him to do something that I did not understand. So, I said: Who is this? So, he said: This is `Ali b. al-Husayn. So, I said: May Allah make me your sacrifice! What made you come to this place? So, he said: That which you saw.