“ It is his duty to supply the poor man's wants, and grant him from the Public Treasury something on which to feed his household, and his children. Then 'Umar said to her, 'How can 'Umar know of thy circumstances, thy poverty, and thy having so many children? It was thy duty to go and inform him of thy condition.' She replied, 'No, by God! surely it is the duty of a good king to inquire into the wants of his subjects one and all. A person in dire poverty may perhaps have been overcome by a sense of shame, and thus prevented from going to the king to inform him of his condition. ”

“ Surely a king [10] should inquire into the condition of every one of his subjects; and then, perhaps, he would find among them one who like myself, is in straitened circumstances, having many children and no helper or assistant. ”

“ Oh! what a great sin it must be in the eyes of God! Let us hasten and go, O 'Abbās! before the children get wearied of crying, and fall asleep, as she said.'
He then went on, quickening his pace, and I accompanied him. He was panting like an ox from fatigue [15] , until we reached the old woman's tent. He then put down the bag of flour from his shoulder and I laid the jar of ghee before him. Then he himself went forward, and, taking the cooking-pot, poured out its contents, and, putting some of the ghee into it, added some flour [16] . ”