Ibrahim and the Angel's Book

In the night Ibrahim ibn-Adham awoke suddenly. His tent was filled with light, and he saw an angel writing in a book.
"Who are you?" Ibrahim asked.
"I am Jabril," said the angel.
"What are you writing?"
"I'm writing the names of the friends of God."
"Did you write my name?"
"No, I didn't write your name."
"Is there a book of the friends of the friends of God where my name is written?"
Jabril smiled, holding up the book, wher Ibrahim saw his name written in golden letters.
"I didn't need to write your name; God already wrote it."

---

Inspired by: Sufi Stories from Around the World by Debjani Chatterjee
Notes: This is story 8 in the book. You can read more about Ibrahim ibn-Adham and about the angel Jabril (Gabriel) at Wikipedia.