'Southern Arabia, by Theodore Bent, F.R.G.S., F.S.A., Author of 'The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland' 'The Sacred City of the Ethiopians' 'The Cyclades, Or Life Among the Insular Greeks' etc. and Mrs Theodore Bent' [‎132] (177/552)

132
THE HADHEAMOUT
endless legends concerning this prophet. He was a huge
giant, they said, the father of the prophet Houd, or Eber ; he
created camels out of the rock, and hence is especially dear
to the wandering Bedou; and he still works miracles, for if
even unwittingly anyone removes a stone from this grave, it
exhibits symptoms of life, and gives the possessor much
discomfort until it is returned. Once a domed building was
erected over the tomb, but the prophet manifested his
dislike of being thus inclosed and it was removed.
Men are said to go blind if they steal anything connected
with the tomb ; once a man took a cup from the coffee-house,
unaware of the danger he incurred, tied it to his girdle, and
carried it off. It stuck to him till he restored it. Another
man took a stone away and gave it to his children to play
with, but it hopped about till taken back again.
At the time of the ziara or pilgrimage which takes
place in November, crowds of Bedouin, we were told, come
from all the valleys and hills around to worship. All our
men treated the grave with the greatest respect, and said
their prayers around it barefoot.
I do not know what they would have done to Imam
Sharif if he had not comported himself as the others did,
so that wretched man had to walk barefoot all round on the
sharp stones, and thus we obtained the measurements. He
got dreadfully pricked by thorns and coveted the fossils very
much. The stones of which the tomb is composed are
about the size of cannon-balls, and look just as if newly put
together and quite weedless. People stroke the upright
stone at the head and then rub their hands on their breast
and kiss them, and do the same at the foot. The wazir Minister.
would have led us up close to it, but the Bedouin hated
our being there at all, and would by no means let us sleep
there, as we wished to do. We overheard our horrid little
Sal eh Hassan telling the bystanders that we live on pork.