Part 10

64 Translator's Note: He means by this the hadith of Ibn 'Uyainah. 65 Translator's Note: This means that he had a vast amount of knowledge, since if all of his neighbours were to just take hold of the knowledge of this one man it would be enough for them.

43 Azraq bin Ya'qoob bin Ishaaq Al-Bahlool At-Tanookhee narrated to us, saying: My father informed me: Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Mansoor Ar-Ramaadee narrated to us, saying: Na'eem, i.e. Ibn Hammaad, narrated to me, saying: I asked Sufyaan bin 'Uyainah, or someone else asked him:

"Who is the scholar?" He replied: "The one who gives every hadith its due right (i.e. from action)."

[135] Abul-Qaasim Al-Hasan bin Al-Hasan bin 'Alee bin Al-Mundhir, the Judge, informed us: Ismaa'eel bin Muhammad As-Safaar narrated to us: Muhammad bin Ishaaq Abu Bakr narrated to us, saying: 'Ubaydullaah bin Moosaa reported to us, saying: Sufyaan Ath-Thawree said:

"I wish that I hadn't sought the hadith and that my hand were cut off from here (i.e. from the wrist) - no rather from here [and he pointed to his lower shoulder. Then he pointed to his upper shoulder and said:] No rather from here."

[136] Abu Bakr Ahmad bin 'Alee bin 'Abdillaah At-Tabaree informed me, saying: Muhammad bin Bakraan Al-Bazaaz informed us, saying: Abu 'Abdillaah bin Mukhlid Al-'Attaar narrated to us, saying: Muhammad bin 'Umar bin Al-Hakam narrated to us: Ishaaq bin Ibraaheem narrated to us:

Hajaaj bin Muhammad narrated to us, saying: Sufyaan Ath-Thawree said:

"The people are content with (just hearing) the hadith, while they have abandoned acting (on it)."

[137] Muhammad bin 'Abdillaah bin Abaan Al-Haythee reported to us: Ahmad bin Salmaan An-Najaad narrated to us: Muhammad bin 'Abdoos narrated to us: Ahmad bin 'Abdis-Samad narrated to us, saying: I heard Shu'ayb bin Harb say: I heard Sufyaan say:

"First act upon what you know, then come to me and I will narrate hadith to you."

He also said: I heard Sufyaan say:

"They dirty their clothes, then say: 'Come, wash them (for us).'"

[138] Abu Sa'eed Muhammad bin Moosaa As-Sayrafee informed us: Abul-'Abbaas Muhammad bin Ya'qoob Al-Asam narrated to us: 'AbduUaah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal narrated to us: 'UbayduUaah bin 'Umar Al-Qawaareeree narrated to us that Yahyaa bin Sa'eed said:

"I do not fear anything for Sufyaan in the Hereafter except for his love for hadith."

[139] Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Rizq informed us, saying: Ismaa'eel bin 'Alee AlKhattee and Abu 'Alee bin As-Sawaaf and Ahmad bin Ja'far bin Hamdaan all informed us, saying: 'Abdullaah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal reported to us, saying: My father narrated to me: Abu Qatan narrated to me saying: I heard Ibn 'Awf say:

"I wish that I would come out from it with just enough - i.e. from knowledge."

"I am not established upon anything that I fear will cause me to enter the Hellfire other than this - i.e. the hadith."

[140] Abu Ishaaq Ibraaheem bin 'Umar bin Ahmad Al-Barmakee informl us, saying: Muhammad bin 'Abdillaah bin Khalf bin Bakheet Ad-DaqaJ reported to us: 'Umar bin Muhammad Al-Jawharee narrated to us: Al Bakr Al-Athram narrated to us, saying I heard Abu 'Abdillaah Ahmad bin Hanbal mention the saying of Shu'bah:

"I do not fear than anything will enter me into the Hellfire except for this -meaning the hadith."

So he (Imaam Ahmad) said: "Know that he was truthful in his actions" - or something with this meaning.

[141] Abu Nu'aim, the Haahdh, informed us, with permission (to narrate from him): Habeeb bin Al-Hasan and Ahmad bin Ibraaheem Al-'Attar both informed us, saying: Sahl bin Abee Sahl narrated to us: Bishr bin Khaalid narrated to us: Shabaabah narrated to us, saying: I entered into the presence of Shu'bah on the day in which he died, and he was crying, So I said to him:

"What is this mourning about, O Abu Bustaam? Be happy, for you have a high position in Islaam." So he said: "Leave me alone. I wish that I were the heat-kindler for the steam bath areas and that I didn't know the hadith."

[142] Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-'Ateeqee informed me: Muhammad bin Al-'Abbaas Al-Kharraaz narrated to us: Ja'far bin Muhammad As-Sanadlee narrated to us, saying: Muhammad bin Haaroon Abu Nasheet Al-Harbee said:

"Bishr bin Al-Haarith once met me on the road, so he forbade me from hadith and its people. And I came to Yahyaa bin Sa'eed Al-Qattaan, so it was conveyed to me that he said: 'I love this young man and (at the same time) I hate him.' So it was said to him: 'Why do you love him and hate him?' So he said: 'I love him because of his madh-hab (i.e. beliefs), but I hate him because of his seeking after the hadith.'"

[143] Abul-'Abbaas Al-Fadl bin 'Abdir-Rahmaan bin Al-Fadl Al-Abharee informed us: Abu Bakr bin Al-Muqree narrated to us in Asbahaan: Ahmad bin Shu'ayb AlAntaakee narrated to us: Muhammad bin Ya'qoob Ad-Deenawaree narrated to us: Al- 'Abbaas bin 'Abdil-'Adheem narrated to us, saying: Bishr bin Al-Haarith said:

"If you want to benefit from the hadith, do not amass many of them and do not sit in the gatherings of the people of hadith."

[144] Abu Bakr Muhammad bin 'Umar bin Al-Qaasim An-Nursee informed us, saying: Muhammad bin 'Abdillaah bin Ibraaheem Ash-Shaafi'ee reported to us: Haytham bin Mujaahid narrated to us: Ishaaq bin Ad-Dayf narrated to us, saying:

"Bishr bin Al-Haarith said to me: 'You have come often to sit in gatherings with me, and (now) I have something I need from you. You are a possessor of hadith and I am afraid that they will corrupt my heart. So I would like it if you did not come back to me.' So I didn't go back to him again (after that)."

45 'Ubaydullaah bin 'Abdir-Rahmaan Az-Zuhree reported to us, saying: Hamzah bin AlHusayn bin 'Umar narrated to me, saying: I heard Ibraaheem bin Haanee AnNaisapuree say: I heard Bishr bin Al-Haarith say:

"What is there for me and for the hadith? What is there for me and for the hadith? Verily, it is only a fitnah (trial), except for those who intend (the sake of) Allaah by it."

He also said: And Bishr said:

"They say: Indeed I forbid that hadith be sought... (But) I say that there is nothing more virtuous than it, for he who acts on it. But when one fails to act on it, abandoning it is what is more virtuous."

[146] Al-'Ateeqee informed us: Muhammad bin Al-'Abbaas narrated to us: Ja'far bin Muhammad As-Sanadlee narrated to us, saying: Muhammad bin Yoosuf Al-Jawharee reported to us, saying:

"I once said to Bishr bin Al-Haarith: 'Shall I convey the greeting of Salaam to AbulWaleed At-Tayaalisee from you?' This was since I wanted to set out for Basrah. So he said to me: 'Indeed, Abul-Waleed will die and you too will die. Do you want for it to be said: 'He heard?' Rather, you have already heard (hadith). Look at what you have heard, for indeed, if you do not act upon it, it will be a curse for you on the Day of Judgement.'"

[147] Abu Taahir Muhammad bin Al-Hasan bin Zayd bin Al-Hasan Al-'Alawee informed us in Rayy: Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sahl Al-Bazaaz narrated to us: Muhammad bin Ayoob narrated to us, saying: One day, Abul-Waleed said:

"What do they want from these ahaadeeth except to amass them? For the one who truly fears Allaah, only a litde of it suffices him" - or something with

this meaning. Then he said: "It may be that one of them gathers the hadith with its chain of narration and so on and so forth, just so that he can turn

the people's faces towards him" or something to that effect.

[148] Abul-Mudhfar Hanaad bin Ibraaheem An-Nasafee informed us, saying: Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Sulaymaan, the Haafidh in Bukhaaraa, informed us, saying: I heard Abu Saalih Khalf bin Muhammad say: I heard Abu Bakr bin 'Abdillaah bin Ja'far, i.e. the tradesman, say: I heard Ahmad bin Hanbal say when he was asked about a man that writes ahaadeeth and records many of them:

"He is required to produce many deeds due to them, in accordance with how much he has accumulated of them (i.e. the ahaadeeth)."

Then he said: "The outcomes of knowledge are the same as the outcomes of wealth. When wealth increases, the Zakaat that is due for it also increases." 66

66 Translator's Note: And when knowledge increases, the actions required from it also increase.

46 bin Ahmad reported to us, saying: Ahmad bin 'Alee Al-Abaar reported to us: Abu 'Ammaar Al-Husayn bin Huraith narrated to us: Wakee' bin Al-Jarraah narrated to us that Ibraaheem bin Ismaa'eel bin Majma' said:

"We would seek assistance in memorizing hadith by acting upon them."

47 that Breeds from Arrogance and Pride

[150] Abu Nu'aim, the Haafidh, informed us: Abu Bakr Muhammad bin 'Abdillaah Al-Fat'h Al-Hanbalee narrated to us: 'Abdullaah bin Abee Dawood narrated to us: Katheer bin 'Ubayd narrated to us: Al-Waleed bin Muslim narrated to us from AdDahaak bin Abee Haushab who said: I heard Al-Qaasim bin Mukhaimirah say:

"Learning Grammar starts out as a distraction and ends up a transgression."

[151] 'Abdullaah bin 'Umar bin Ahmad, the Admonisher, informed us, saying: My father narrated to us: Muhammad bin Al-'Abbaas bin Shajaa' narrated to us: Ayoob bin Sulaymaan narrated to us: 'Abdul-Hameed bin Ibraaheem, Abu Taqee, narrated to us: Salamah bin Kulthoom narrated to us, saying: I heard Ibraaheem bin Adham report from Maalik bin Deenaar that he said:

"A man would be encountered and he would not make (grammatical) mistakes with even one letter, yet his actions would all be full of mistakes."

[152] Abul-Qaasim Al-Azharee narrated to me: Muhammad bin Al-'Abbaas AlKharraaz narrated to us: Ibn Abee Dawood narrated to us: 'Abdullaah bin Khubaiq narrated to us, saying: I heard a shaikh from the people of Damascus say: Ibraaheem bin Adham said:

"We would apply our words perfectly, thus not making any errors (in speech). However we would make severe errors in our actions, thus not applying them perfectly."

[153] Abul-Hasan 'Alee bin Ayoob Al-Qummee informed me, saying: Abu 'Ubaydillaah Muhammad bin 'Imraan Al-Marzabaanee informed us: As-Soolee informed us, saying: Some of the ascetics (zuhhaad) informed us, saying:

"We have not been given ignorance, however We cover the face of knowledge with ignorance We hate to make (grammatical) errors in our speech Yet we do not care about making errors in our actions."

[154] 'Abdullaah bin 'Umar, the Admonisher, informed us, saying: My father narrated to me: 'Abdullaah bin Muhammad narrated to us: Nasr bin 'Alee Al-Jahdamee narrated to us, saying: Muhammad bin Khalid narrated to us: 'Alee bin Naasir, i.e. his father, narrated to me, saying:

"I saw Al-Khaleel bin Ahmad during my sleep, so I said in my dream: 'I don't hold anyone to be more intelligent than Al-Khaleel.' Then I said (to him): 'What did Allaah do to you?' He said: 'Did you consider what we were upon (from language and grammar)? Indeed, there is nothing better than (saying): SubhaanAllaah, AlHamdulillaah, Laa Ilaaha IllaaAllaah, and Allaahu Akbar.'"

[155] Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Al-Mubaarak bin Ahmad Al-Buraathee informed us: 'Alee bin Muhammad bin Moosaa At-Timaar narrated to us in Basrah, saying: Abu

48 narrated to us, saying: I heard Nasr bin 'Alee say: I heard my father say:

"I saw Al-Khaleel bin Ahmad in a dream, so I said to him: 'What did your Lord do to you?' He said: 'He forgave me.' I said: 'What were you saved by?' He said: 'By Laa Hawla wa Laa Quwata Illaa Billaahil-'Alee-il-'Adheem.'67 I said: 'Did you find your knowledge to be of any help?' [I meant by this the knowledge of prose, literature and poetry] He said: 'I found it to be like scattered particles of dust.'"

[156] Al-Hasan Muhammad bin Al-Mudhfar bin 'Abdillaah As-Siraaj recited to us, saying: Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Salmaan bin Al-Hasan An-Najaad, the Faqeeh, recited to us, saying: Hilaal bin Al-'Alaa Al-Baahilee recited to us the following poetic verses from himself: