أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ مَعَ الْمَنْصُورِ الْهَاشِمِيِّ الْخُرَاسَانِيِّ فِي مَسْجِدٍ، فَسَمِعَ رَجُلًا يَدْعُو اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فَيَقُولُ: «يَا مَنْ يُؤْتِي مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُهُ وَمَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ تَحَنُّنًا مِنْهُ وَرَحْمَةً»، فَأَخَذَهُ الْبُكَاءُ ثُمَّ قَالَ: كَذَلِكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّنَا، يُؤْتِي مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُهُ وَمَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ وَمَنْ يَسْأَلُ غَيْرَهُ، يَأْتِي إِلَى شَجَرٍ فَيَسْأَلُهُ، فَيُؤْتِيهِ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، فَيَنْصَرِفُ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: «آتَانِيَ الشَّجَرُ»، وَأَنَّى لِلشَّجَرِ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ؟! أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ.

Translation of the saying:

Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Balkhi informed us, he said: I was in a mosque with Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani, then he heard a man pray to God Almighty and say: “O He Who grants to one who does not ask Him and to one who does not know Him, out of affection and mercy.” So he started crying and then said: “Such is God, our Lord; He grants to one who does not ask Him, to one who does not know Him, and to one who asks from other than Him; he goes to a tree and asks from it, then God Almighty grants to him, then he returns while saying: ‘The tree granted to me,’ and how can the tree grant to him?! They are indeed the heedless.”

Explanation of the saying:

To read an explanation of this enlightening wisdom, see Q&A 87.