The Shaykhu'l - Islám 'Abdu'lláh Anṣárí (may God sanctify his spirit!) conceived a fanatical hatred of the above-mentioned man of science, and several times attempted to do him an injury, and burned his books. Now this fanatical dislike arose from religious motives, for the people of Herát believed that he could restore the dead to life, and this belief was injurious to his own pretensions.*

Now the Shaykh fell ill, and in the course of his illness the death - rattle became apparent. However much the physicians treated him, it availed nothing. They were in despair, and so sent a sample of his urine to the Khwája under the name of another, and requested him to prescribe. When he had inspected it, he said: “This is the urine of so-and-so, in whom the death-rattle has become apparent, and whom they are unable to treat. Bid them pound together a sír of pistachio-skins and a sír*

of the sugar called 'askarí and give it to him, so that he may recover; and give him this message: ‘You should study science, and not burn men's books.’”

So they made a confection of these two ingredients, and the patient ate it, and immediately the death-rattle ceased, and he recovered.