There was in times of old and in ages long gone before a virtuous woman among the children of Israel who was pious and devout and used to go out every day to the place of prayer. First she would enter a garden adjoining it and there make her ablution. Now there were in this garden two old men who were its keepers, and both Shaykhs fell in love with her and sought her favours. But she refused, whereupon they said, "Unless you yield your body to us, we will bear witness against you of fornication." She said, "Allah will preserve me from your wickedness!" Then they opened the garden gate and cried out, and the folk came to them from all places, saying, "What ails you?" They said, "We found this damsel in company with a youth who was committing lewdness with her, but he escaped from our hands." Now it was the custom of the people of those days to expose an adulterer and adulteress to public reproach for three days and then stone them. So they he criedr name in the public streets for three days, while the two elders came up to her daily and, laying their hands on her head, said, "Praised be Allah who has sent down upon you His righteous indignation!"

Now on the fourth day, when they bore her away to stone her, they were followed by a lad named Daniel, who was then only twelve years old. This was to be the first of his miracles (upon our Prophet and upon him be blessing and peace!). And he did not stop following them to the place of execution until he came up with them and said to them, "Do not hasten to stone her until I judge between them." So they set him a chair and he sat down and summoned the old men separately. (Now he was the first to ever separate witnesses.) Then he said to the first, "What did you see?" So he repeated his story to him, and Daniel asked, "In what part of the garden did this occur?" And he answered, "On the eastern side, under a pear tree." Then he called the other old man and asked him the same question, and he replied, "On the western side of the garden, under an apple tree." Meanwhile the damsel stood by with her hands and eyes raised heavenward, imploring the Lord for deliverance. Then Allah Almighty sent down His thunderbolt upon the elders and consumed them, and in this way the Lord made manifest the innocence of the damsel. Such was the first of the miracles of the Prophet Daniel, upon whom be blessing and peace! And they relate a tale of