In Hujwiri's account, Dhul-Nun al-Misri (originally the Nubian named Thawban) is portrayed as a saint who deliberately walked the path of tribulation and blame (malamat), enduring the bewilderment and rejection of the people of Egypt so that his true spiritual rank stayed hidden throughout his life. His sainthood is vindicated only after death through miraculous signs: seventy people see the Prophet in a dream welcoming the friend of God, the inscription proclaiming him the beloved of God slain in the love of God appears on his forehead, and the birds of the air gather over his bier. The passage illustrates the Sufi doctrine of malamat, in which outward disgrace and concealment can veil the highest degree of divine friendship (walaya), recognized by God even when denied by the community.