62. Abú `Uthmán Sa`íd b. Sallám al-Maghribí.
He was an eminent spiritualist of the class who have attained “fixity” (ahl-i tamkín), and was profoundly versed in various departments of knowledge. He practised austerities, and is the author of many notable sayings and excellent proofs concerning the observation of spiritual blemishes (ru´yat-i áfát). It is related that he said: “Whenever anyone prefers association with the rich to sitting with the poor God afflicts him with spiritual death.” The terms “association” (ṣuḥbat) and “sitting with” (mujálasat) are employed, because a man turns away from the poor only when he has sat with them, not when he has associated with them; for there is no turning away in association. When he leaves off sitting with the poor in order to associate with the rich, his heart becomes dead to supplication (niyáz) and his body is caught in the toils of covetousness (áz). Since the result of turning away from mujálasat is spiritual death, how should there be any turning away from ṣuḥbat? The two terms are clearly distinguished from each other in this saying.