Nabil of Qa‘in’s means of livelihood was his business partnership with me

Nabil of Qa‘in’s means of livelihood was his business partnership with me. That is, I provided him with a capital of three krans [almost 8 cents] with it he bought needles, and this was his stock-in-trade. The women of Nazareth gave him eggs in exchange for his needles and in this way he would obtain thirty or forty eggs a day: three needles per egg. Then he would sell the eggs and live on the proceeds.

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Since there was a daily caravan between ‘Akká and Nazareth, he would refer to Aqa Rida each day, for more needles. Glory be to God! He survived two years on that initial outlay of capital; and he returned thanks at all times.

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You can tell how detached he was from worldly things by this one fact: the Nazarenes used to say it was plain to see from the old man’s manner and behavior that he was very rich, and that if he lived so modestly it was only because he was a stranger in a strange place—hiding his wealth by setting up as a peddler of needles.

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