Maʿānī al-ʾAkhbār 1, record 262 of the digital edition

Translation

1. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, from Ahmad bin Muhammed bin Isa, from Ahmad bin Muhammed bin Abi Nasr al-Bazanti, that he said: I was told by Mufaddal bin Sa’eed, from Abu Ja’far, peace be upon him, that he said: An Arabian of one of the sons of ‘Amer came to the Prophet, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, and so he asked him, and he mentioned a long speech in which he mentioned in its last that the Arabian asked him about the bald, the bare, the best of the earth’s spots and the worst of the earth’s spots. Then he said, after Jibra’eel came to him and informed him: Indeed, the bald (land) is the marshy earth that satisfies neither with liquid nor food, its grazing. The bare (land) is the earth that does not give its blessing, and whose mellow does not come out, and whose expenditure is not known. The worth of earth’s spots are markets, and they are the arena of Iblees in which he appears with his banner, places his chair and spreads his offspring. Hence, it is between a cheater with measurement, a reckless with the scale, a (thief) stealing with the arm or a liar about a merchandise, saying: «(I swear to you that) Upon you is a man whose father has died, whereas your father is alive», and so, Shaytan does not disappear from being with the first who enters and the last who returns. The best of the earth’s spots are mosques, and the most beloved to Him are the first to enter and the last to exit. The narration was long; we abbreviated from it the place of need.

Translation: Basel Kadem — published with the edition, reproduced verbatim.