Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya preserves a report from Ibrahim al-Khawwas in which a wounded lion approached him and placed its swollen paw before him for treatment. Ibrahim tended the wound, and after a short interval the lion returned with two cubs; the report says the cubs brought bread. The account is preserved through a named chain, though no formal grading for the complete chain is supplied here.
Al-Risala al-Qushayriyya preserves an unusual episode attributed to the early Sufi traveler Ibrahim al-Khawwas. The report begins with a lion that came near him while suffering from an injured, swollen paw. Instead of attacking or fleeing, the animal approached Ibrahim and presented the wounded paw to him. In the wording preserved for this candidate, Ibrahim took the paw into his lap, opened the wound and treated it, then bandaged the injured place.
The encounter is striking because the story presents the wild animal as coming directly to Ibrahim for help. Ibrahim’s response is practical rather than dramatic: he attends to the injury in front of him. The report does not turn the first scene into a speech or a long exchange. Its focus is the action itself—the lion’s injured paw, Ibrahim’s treatment of the wound, and the animal then leaving after receiving that care.
The story continues a short time later. The lion returned, but this time it was not alone. Two cubs came with it. According to the report, the cubs brought bread to Ibrahim. This second scene gives the account its memorable conclusion: the same lion that had earlier approached with an injury came back after being treated, accompanied by its young, and food was brought to the man who had helped it.
Read as a continuous story, the sequence is simple and clear. A wounded lion approaches Ibrahim al-Khawwas, offers its injured paw, receives treatment and a bandage, departs, and then returns after a short interval with two cubs carrying bread. The account therefore joins two connected moments—the treatment of the animal and its later return with provision—without needing any additional explanation beyond what the transmitted report itself contains.
Al-Qushayri preserves the report through a named chain passing through Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Tikriti and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Kattani to Ibrahim al-Khawwas. That makes the attribution traceable within the supplied source material. The complete chain, however, is not given a formal sahih or hasan grade here, so the episode is best presented as a transmitted early Sufi report rather than with stronger certainty than the evidence supports.
The encounter is striking because the story presents the wild animal as coming directly to Ibrahim for help. Ibrahim’s response is practical rather than dramatic: he attends to the injury in front of him. The report does not turn the first scene into a speech or a long exchange. Its focus is the action itself—the lion’s injured paw, Ibrahim’s treatment of the wound, and the animal then leaving after receiving that care.
The story continues a short time later. The lion returned, but this time it was not alone. Two cubs came with it. According to the report, the cubs brought bread to Ibrahim. This second scene gives the account its memorable conclusion: the same lion that had earlier approached with an injury came back after being treated, accompanied by its young, and food was brought to the man who had helped it.
Read as a continuous story, the sequence is simple and clear. A wounded lion approaches Ibrahim al-Khawwas, offers its injured paw, receives treatment and a bandage, departs, and then returns after a short interval with two cubs carrying bread. The account therefore joins two connected moments—the treatment of the animal and its later return with provision—without needing any additional explanation beyond what the transmitted report itself contains.
Al-Qushayri preserves the report through a named chain passing through Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Tikriti and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Kattani to Ibrahim al-Khawwas. That makes the attribution traceable within the supplied source material. The complete chain, however, is not given a formal sahih or hasan grade here, so the episode is best presented as a transmitted early Sufi report rather than with stronger certainty than the evidence supports.
Conclusion
The report may be included with caution as an early, traceable Sufi account of Ibrahim al-Khawwas treating a wounded lion and the animal later returning with two cubs carrying bread.
Sources
al-Risala al-Qushayriyya, vol.2 p.553; Qushayri reports via Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Ali al-Tikriti <- Muhammad b. Ali al-Kattani <- Ibrahim al-Khawwas.