IN STEREO

We entertain with the land; we eat and sell what’s left over. I mean, you pass by my land, you see a sprig of grapes, you pick it, you eat it – it’s OK, no one gets sad. I’m a hunter! For example, I see a peach, I want it, I pick it, I eat it. [Or] we’re sitting here, we want to eat, [but] we forgot to bring lemons. I’ll go down [to my neighbour’s] and pick two lemons. When he comes, I’ll tell him, “I picked two lemons and took two mint sprigs.” Why? Because when he comes to look, he sees that it was picked. It’s apparent. Me, I know every tree, what’s on it. Understand that, I know what’s on every tree. When I come to find that two or three are gone, I say, “May Allah break the hands of the one who picked them.” I mean, it doesn’t happen that I go down to the land of people without telling them. One night, I came back from the land up above.

In the morning, I went up [and] I found a ton of almonds stolen, [worth] 5000, 6000 shekels [US$1500-1750]. I mean, [I’ve never met anyone] ruder than this human. He goes down to pray Al-Fajer prayer at 4am. After he prays and comes out, he carries two buckets and goes up immediately to all the lands. The vegetables and grapes and figs and quinces and peaches… Whatever your eyes desire, you find there with him. Stealing everything he sells. He says that stealing from Christians is halal, especially in the month of Ramadan. I said, “What kind of Ramadan is that!” But God judges. His son’s eye got [put] out. A car of theirs broke down; it was destroyed. Then he a had a stroke – he stayed four, five months without getting out of the house. I mean, our God is big, no question. – Abu Bassam