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not be rid of what is with you, till ye confess your sins; for, when the creature confesses his sins, God relenteth towards him and granteth him that for which he resorteth to Him.’ Quoth the Cadi to his brother, ‘O my brother, repent to God and persist not in thy frowardness, for it will be the more helpful to thy relief.’ And the tongue of the case spoke as follows:
Behold, oppressor and oppressed assembled are to-day, And God the secret hath unveiled, till now that hidden lay.
This is a case in which, indeed, the sinners are brought low And God exalteth those that be assiduous in His way.
Yea, and our Master and our Lord discovereth the truth, Whether the sinner froward be or bow him to obey.
Woe unto those who strive with God and answer Him, as ’twere They knew not what He doth prepare for those that Him gainsay!
O thou that power and glory seek’st, know, only in the fear Of God true glory lies; so cleave thou fast to Allah aye.
Then said the brother, ‘Now will I tell the truth. I did thus and thus with thy wife;’ and he confessed the whole matter, adding, ‘And this is my sin.’ Quoth the leprous woman, ‘As for me, I had a woman with me and imputed to her [a crime,] of which I knew [her] not [to be guilty], and beat her grievously; and this is my offence.’ And the paralytic said, ‘And I went in to a woman to kill her, after I had solicited her to commit adultery and she had refused; and I slew [instead] a boy that lay beside her; and this is my offence.’ Then said the pious woman, ‘O my God, even as Thou hast made them to feel the misery of disobedience, so show Thou them [now] the excellence of obedience, for Thou canst all things!’ And God (to whom belong might and majesty) made them whole. Then the Cadi fell a-looking on the pious woman and considering her straitly, till she asked him why he did thus and he said, ‘I had a wife, were she not dead, I had said that thou wast she.’ With this, she made herself known to him
