I fell ill of a fever and one of my friends advised me to stay until I recovered. I refused, saying, “If Allah decrees my death, then it shall be on the Road.” “If that is your resolve,” he replied, “then sell your ass and heavy baggage, and I shall lend you what you require. In this way you will travel light, for we must make haste on our journey for fear of meeting roving Arabs on the Way.”
-Travels, Ibn Battuta (1304-1369)
Hajj Bashir didn’t tell me to ditch my baggage to lighten the load, because I was carrying only one change of clothes. Instead, he advised me to hang tight and move fast because he wanted his Dabouka in Cairo within Forty Days. KhairAllah knew better, however, saying, “If the camels arrive fat and healthy, I have done my job well and the merchant will be pleased.” And so Hajj Bashir was when we arrived forty four days later.