Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the reciter informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Naṣr ibn ʿAlī narrated to us: I heard Khālid ibn al-Ḥārith say: I heard Shuʿba say: I heard Ḥammād ibn Abī Sulaymān say: Abū Ḥanīfa—may God have mercy on him—sat with us with good bearing, dignity, and scrupulousness. We nourished him with knowledge until his questions became subtle, and I feared for him because of that. By God, he understood well and retained well, until people vilified him over matters that, by God, he understood better than they. They will meet God tomorrow. I know that knowledge is al-Nuʿmān’s companion just as I know that daylight has a radiance that dispels the night’s darkness.

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the reciter informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Naṣr ibn ʿAlī narrated to us: I heard Khālid ibn al-Ḥārith say: I heard Shuʿba say: I heard Ḥammād ibn Abī Sulaymān say: Abū Ḥanīfa—may God have mercy on him—sat with us with good bearing, dignity, and scrupulousness. We nourished him with knowledge until his questions became subtle, and I feared for him because of that. By God, he understood well and retained well, until people vilified him over matters that, by God, he understood better than they. Let them meet God tomorrow. I know that knowledge is al-Nuʿmān’s companion just as I know that daylight has a radiance that dispels the night’s darkness.

Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the reciter informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Ibn Samāʿa narrated to us: I heard Abū Yūsuf say: Abū Ḥanīfa went on pilgrimage, and the problem of the houses arose in Kufa. Ibn Shubruma, Ibn Abī Laylā, al-Thawrī, and Kufa’s people were asked, but had nothing to offer. Abū Ḥanīfa’s companions were asked, but had no answer. They said: Only Abū Ḥanīfa can solve it. We yearned so eagerly for his arrival that we feared for him and ourselves. We feared he would be unable to answer, and his standing and ours would disappear together, until some of us wished him dead. When Abū Ḥanīfa approached Kufa, I went to meet him, thinking: I will tell him the question so perhaps he can consider it before being asked. When I met him he said: Yaʿqūb! He took me along with him. Then many people came out to meet him, and I could not say anything about it. He called for a riding animal and mounted it, and put me on an animal with him. The other people rode around us until the roads became crowded. When he arrived, he came to the mosque and prayed two units. People gathered, and the first thing he was asked was the question that had arisen about the houses. When it was put to him he lowered his head. When I saw him lower his head, I knew that a solution would emerge. Then he raised his head and said: The answer is such-and-such. We and the people rejoiced. After Abū Ḥanīfa died, I was one day in the caliph’s residence when a distinguished man passed us. They said: This is the mathematician. The caliph’s associates treated him with great respect. I called him over and put a jurisprudential topic to him. I had become uncertain about something Abū Ḥanīfa had said in that problem, so I said: We have needed calculation for this. I explained it to him, and he said: Work it through such-and-such a method. I did, but it did not yield a solution. He proposed another method; I tried it, but it did not work. He kept proposing methods without obtaining a solution. He said: Only one method remains; if it works, well and good, otherwise there is absolutely no method that will solve it. He mentioned Abū Ḥanīfa’s approach. I applied it and obtained the solution, but said: It does not work. I feared that he would go away and work that problem out by it. I then went away, developed the method, and worked problems through it. Whenever I met him and he asked me, I obscured the answer lest he perceive it. He was a versatile mathematician.

Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the reciter informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Ibn Samāʿa narrated to us: I heard Abū Yūsuf say: Abū Ḥanīfa went on pilgrimage, and the problem of the houses arose in Kufa. Ibn Shubruma, Ibn Abī Laylā, al-Thawrī, and Kufa’s people were asked, but had nothing to offer. Abū Ḥanīfa’s companions were asked, but had no answer. They said: Only Abū Ḥanīfa can solve it. We yearned so eagerly for his arrival that we feared for him and ourselves. We feared he would be unable to answer, and his standing and ours would disappear together, until some of us wished him dead. When Abū Ḥanīfa approached Kufa, I went to meet him, thinking: I will tell him the question so perhaps he can consider it before being asked. When I met him he said: Yaʿqūb! He took me along with him. Then many people came out to meet him, and I could not say anything about it. He called for a riding animal and mounted it, and put me on an animal with him. The other people rode around us until the roads became crowded. When he arrived, he came to the mosque and prayed two units. People gathered, and the first thing he was asked was the question that had arisen about the houses. When it was put to him he lowered his head. When I saw him lower his head, I knew that a solution would emerge. Then he raised his head and said: The answer is such-and-such. We and the people rejoiced. After Abū Ḥanīfa died, I was one day in the caliph’s residence when a distinguished man passed us. They said: This is the mathematician. The caliph’s associates treated him with great respect. I called him over and put a jurisprudential topic to him. I had become uncertain about something Abū Ḥanīfa had said in that problem, so I said: We have needed calculation for this. I explained it to him, and he said: Work it through such-and-such a method. I did, but it did not yield a solution. He proposed another method; I tried it, but it did not work. He kept proposing methods without obtaining a solution. He said: Only one method remains; if it works, well and good, otherwise there is absolutely no method that will solve it. He mentioned Abū Ḥanīfa’s approach. I applied it and obtained the solution, but said: It does not work. I feared that he would go away and work that problem out by it. I then went away, developed the method, and worked problems through it. Whenever I met him and he asked me, I obscured the answer lest he perceive it. He was a versatile mathematician.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Bazzāz informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Al-ʿAbbās ibn Bakkār narrated to us: Asad ibn ʿAmr narrated to us: Qatāda entered Kufa and stayed at Abū Burda’s house. He came out and said: No one will ask me a question about lawful and unlawful matters without my answering it. Abū Ḥanīfa said: Abū al-Khaṭṭāb, what do you say about a man absent from his family for years, whose death was reported to his wife? Thinking him dead, she married. Then her first husband returned, and she had borne a child. The first denied the child was his, and the second claimed it. Have both accused her of fornication, or only the one who denied the child? What is the answer? concerning it. Abū Ḥanīfa said: If he gives an opinion on it, he will err; if he says ‘someone narrated to us’ about it, he will lie. Qatāda asked: Has this case occurred? They said: No. He said: Why ask me about something that has not happened? Abū Ḥanīfa said: Scholars prepare for affliction and guard against it before it descends, so when it comes they recognize it and know how to enter it and emerge from it. Qatāda said: Leave this and ask me about Qurʾānic interpretation. Abū Ḥanīfa asked: What do we say about God’s words, ‘The one who possessed knowledge of the Book said: I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you’? He said: Yes, this was Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā, Solomon’s scribe; he knew God’s greatest name. He asked: Did Solomon—peace be upon him—know this name? He said: No. He asked: Can there be someone in a prophet’s time more knowledgeable than the prophet? He said: No. By God, I will tell you nothing about interpretation; ask me about matters on which scholars disagree. Abū Ḥanīfa asked: Are you a believer? He said: I hope so. He asked: Why? He said: Because of the Exalted’s words, ‘And the One whom I hope will forgive my fault on the Day of Judgment.’ Abū Ḥanīfa said: Why not say what Abraham—peace be upon him—said when asked, ‘Do you not believe?’ He replied: ‘Yes, but so that my heart may be reassured.’ Qatāda rose, entered the house angrily, and swore not to narrate to them. Abū Ḥanīfa said: Years later he came to Kufa, blind. I called: Abū al-Khaṭṭāb, what do you say about ‘Let a group of believers witness their punishment’? He said: One man or more, Abū Ḥanīfa. He recognized my voice and had heard people address me by my kunyah.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Bazzāz informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Al-ʿAbbās ibn Bakkār narrated to us: Asad ibn ʿAmr narrated to us: Qatāda entered Kufa and stayed at Abū Burda’s house. He came out and said: No one will ask me a question about lawful and unlawful matters without my answering it. Abū Ḥanīfa said: Abū al-Khaṭṭāb, what do you say about a man absent from his family for years, whose death was reported to his wife? Thinking him dead, she married. Then her first husband returned, and she had borne a child. The first denied the child was his, and the second claimed it. Have both accused her of fornication, or only the one who denied the child? What is the answer? concerning it. Abū Ḥanīfa said: If he gives an opinion on it, he will err; if he says ‘someone narrated to us’ about it, he will lie. Qatāda asked: Has this case occurred? They said: No. He said: Why ask me about something that has not happened? Abū Ḥanīfa said: Scholars prepare for affliction and guard against it before it descends, so when it comes they recognize it and know how to enter it and emerge from it. Qatāda said: Leave this and ask me about Qurʾānic interpretation. Abū Ḥanīfa asked: What do we say about God’s words, ‘The one who possessed knowledge of the Book said: I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you’? He said: Yes, this was Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā, Solomon’s scribe; he knew God’s greatest name. He asked: Did Solomon—peace be upon him—know this name? He said: No. He asked: Can there be someone in a prophet’s time more knowledgeable than the prophet? He said: No. By God, I will tell you nothing about interpretation; ask me about matters on which scholars disagree. Abū Ḥanīfa asked: Are you a believer? He said: I hope so. He asked: Why? He said: Because of the Exalted’s words, ‘And the One whom I hope will forgive my fault on the Day of Judgment.’ Abū Ḥanīfa said: Why not say what Abraham—peace be upon him—said when asked, ‘Do you not believe?’ He replied: ‘Yes, but so that my heart may be reassured.’ Qatāda rose, entered the house angrily, and swore not to narrate to them. Abū Ḥanīfa said: Years later he came to Kufa, blind. I called: Abū al-Khaṭṭāb, what do you say about ‘Let a group of believers witness their punishment’? He said: One man or more, Abū Ḥanīfa. He recognized my voice and had heard people address me by my kunyah.

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Ibn Samāʿa narrated to us: Abū Yūsuf narrated to us: A man said to Abū Ḥanīfa: I swore not to speak to my wife unless she spoke to me, and she swore to give all she owned in charity if she spoke to me unless I spoke to her. He asked: Have you asked anyone about this? He said: Yes, Sufyān al-Thawrī. He said that whichever spoke to the other would break the oath. He said: Speak to her; neither of you will break the oath. The man went to Sufyān, who was his relative, and told him. Sufyān came to me angrily and said: You make sexual relations lawful! He asked: What is that about? Then he said: Repeat the question to Abū ʿAbd Allāh. They repeated it, and Abū Ḥanīfa repeated his ruling. He asked: On what basis do you say that? He said: When she addressed her oath to him after he had sworn, she had spoken to him, and his oath ceased to apply. If he speaks to her, neither breaks an oath, because she spoke to him after his oath and the oath ceased to apply to them both. Sufyān said: He uncovers for you a point of knowledge of which we are all unaware.

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Ibn Samāʿa narrated to us: Abū Yūsuf narrated to us: A man said to Abū Ḥanīfa: I swore not to speak to my wife unless she spoke to me, and she swore to give all she owned in charity if she spoke to me unless I spoke to her. He asked: Have you asked anyone about this? He said: Yes, Sufyān al-Thawrī. He said that whichever spoke to the other would break the oath. He said: Speak to her; neither of you will break the oath. The man went to Sufyān, who was his relative, and told him. Sufyān came to me angrily and said: You make sexual relations lawful! He asked: What is that about? Then he said: Repeat the question to Abū ʿAbd Allāh. They repeated it, and Abū Ḥanīfa repeated his ruling. He asked: On what basis do you say that? He said: When she addressed her oath to him after he had sworn, she had spoken to him, and his oath ceased to apply. If he speaks to her, he does not break his oath, because he spoke after she had spoken; nor does she, because she spoke after he had spoken. Thus the oath ceased to apply to them both. Sufyān said: He uncovers for you a point of knowledge of which we are all unaware.

Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Jawharī narrated to us: I was with the Commander of the Faithful al-Rashīd when Abū Yūsuf entered. Al-Rashīd said: Abū Yūsuf, describe Abū Ḥanīfa’s character to me—may God be pleased with him. He said: God Most High says, ‘He utters no word without an ever-ready watcher beside him,’ and such a watcher is beside every speaker’s tongue. What I knew of Abū Ḥanīfa was that he vigorously defended God’s prohibitions against violation and was extremely scrupulous about speaking in God’s religion without knowledge. He loved God to be obeyed and not disobeyed. He avoided worldly people in their age and did not compete for worldly prestige. He remained silent long and reflected continually upon extensive work. He was neither babbling nor talkative. If asked a question about which he possessed knowledge, he expressed it and answered with what he had heard. Otherwise he reasoned by analogy according to truth and followed it. He protected himself and his religion, freely gave knowledge and wealth, was self-sufficient without needing anyone, and inclined toward no greed. He kept far from backbiting and mentioned no one except favorably. Al-Rashīd said: This is the character of the righteous. He told the scribe: Write this description and give it to my son to examine. Then he said to his son: Memorize it, my son, so I may question you about it, God willing.

Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm informed us: Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd al-Jawharī narrated to us: I was with the Commander of the Faithful al-Rashīd when Abū Yūsuf entered. Al-Rashīd said: Abū Yūsuf, describe Abū Ḥanīfa’s character to me. He said: God Most High says, ‘He utters no word without an ever-ready watcher beside him,’ and such a watcher is beside every speaker’s tongue. What I knew of Abū Ḥanīfa was that he vigorously defended God’s prohibitions against violation and was extremely scrupulous about speaking in God’s religion without knowledge. He loved God to be obeyed and not disobeyed. He avoided worldly people in their age and did not compete for worldly prestige. He remained silent long and reflected continually upon extensive work. He was neither babbling nor talkative. If asked a question about which he possessed knowledge, he expressed it and answered with what he had heard. Otherwise he reasoned by analogy according to truth and followed it. He protected himself and his religion, freely gave knowledge and wealth, was self-sufficient without needing anyone, and inclined toward no greed. He kept far from backbiting and mentioned no one except favorably. Al-Rashīd said: This is the character of the righteous. He told the scribe: Write this description and give it to my son to examine. Then he said to his son: Memorize it, my son, so I may question you about it, God willing.

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm informed us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Abū ʿUbayd related: I heard Abū Yūsuf say: Abū Ḥanīfa’s mother swore an oath and told him: “Ask the preacher.” My maternal uncle Abū Ṭālib used to preach, and she attended his gathering. Abū Ḥanīfa summoned and questioned him: “My mother swore an oath and told me to ask you. I disliked disobeying her.” Abū Ṭālib said: “Give me the legal answer.” He said: “The answer is such-and-such.” He replied: “Tell her from me that the answer is such-and-such.” He told her, and she accepted the preacher’s statement.

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm informed us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Abū ʿUbayd related: I heard Abū Yūsuf say: Abū Ḥanīfa’s mother swore an oath and told him: “Ask the preacher.” My maternal uncle Abū Ṭālib used to preach, and she attended his gathering. Abū Ḥanīfa summoned and questioned him: “My mother swore an oath and told me to ask you. I disliked disobeying her.” Abū Ṭālib said: “Give me the legal answer.” He said: “The answer is such-and-such.” He replied: “Tell her from me that the answer is such-and-such.” He told her, and she accepted the preacher’s statement.

Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾān reader informed us: The judge Abū Bakr Makram ibn Aḥmad related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Naṣr ibn ʿAlī al-Jahḍamī related: One day I was with ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dāwūd al-Khuraybī. A man mentioned Abū Ḥanīfa and disparaged him. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dāwūd said: al-Aʿmash related to us, from Mujāhid, from Ibn ʿAbbās: God’s Messenger, peace and blessings upon him, said: “The people of Yemen will come to you. Their hearts are more tender and their inner selves gentler. Some people wish to lower them, but God insists on raising them.”

Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾān reader informed us: The judge Abū Bakr Makram ibn Aḥmad related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Naṣr ibn ʿAlī al-Jahḍamī related: One day I was with ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dāwūd al-Khuraybī. A man mentioned Abū Ḥanīfa and disparaged him. ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dāwūd said: al-Aʿmash related to us, from Mujāhid, from Ibn ʿAbbās—may God be pleased with them both: God’s Messenger, peace and blessings upon him, said: “The people of Yemen will come to you. Their hearts are more tender and their inner selves gentler. Some people wish to lower them, but God insists on raising them.”

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm related to us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Ibn Numayr related: My father related to me: When al-Aʿmash was asked a legal question, he said: “Go to that circle,” meaning Abū Ḥanīfa’s circle.

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm related to us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Ibn Numayr related: My father related to me: When al-Aʿmash was asked a legal question, he said: “Go to that circle,” meaning Abū Ḥanīfa’s circle.

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾān reader informed us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Muḥammad ibn Muqātil related: I heard Ibn al-Mubārak say: “When the transmitted report is known and legal reasoning is needed, the reasoning is Mālik’s, Sufyān’s, and Abū Ḥanīfa’s. Abū Ḥanīfa is the finest of them, most precise in discernment, and deepest in probing jurisprudence. He is the most learned jurist of the three.”

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾān reader informed us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Muḥammad ibn Muqātil related: I heard Ibn al-Mubārak say: “When the transmitted report is known and legal reasoning is needed, the reasoning is Mālik’s, Sufyān’s, and Abū Ḥanīfa’s. Abū Ḥanīfa is the finest of them, most precise in discernment, and deepest in probing jurisprudence. He is the most learned jurist of the three.”

Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥulwānī informed us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad related: Muḥammad ibn Muqātil related: I heard Ibn al-Mubārak say: “When the transmitted report is known and legal reasoning is needed, the reasoning is Mālik’s, Sufyān’s, and Abū Ḥanīfa’s. Abū Ḥanīfa is the finest of them, most precise in discernment, and deepest in probing jurisprudence. He is the most learned jurist of the three.”

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾān reader informed us: Makram related: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related: Muḥammad ibn Muqātil related: I heard Ibn al-Mubārak say: “When the transmitted report is known and legal reasoning is needed, the reasoning is Mālik’s, Sufyān’s, and Abū Ḥanīfa’s. Abū Ḥanīfa is the finest of them, most precise in discernment, and deepest in probing jurisprudence. He is the most learned jurist of the three.”

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾan reciter informed us: Makram ibn Aḥmad related to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related to us: Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Rabīʿ related to us: Muḥammad, the nephew of ʿĀfiya ibn Yazīd, related to us: My uncle sent money with me to deliver to people who would distribute it, naming Dāwūd al-Ṭāʾī among them. I came to Dāwūd and knocked at his door. He came behind the door. I said, “Would you come out so I can speak to you?” He said, “They used to dislike excessive speech.” I said, “My uncle sent me to you, sends greetings, and says: distribute this money to whomever you see fit; you have discretion over it as over your own money.” He said, “Return it to your uncle, and tell him to return it to whoever sent it to him, to fear God, and not involve himself in what does not concern him.”

ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm the Qurʾan reciter informed us: Makram ibn Aḥmad related to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis related to us: Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Rabīʿ related to us: Muḥammad, the nephew of ʿĀfiya ibn Yazīd, related to us: My uncle sent money with me to deliver to people who would distribute it, naming Dāwūd al-Ṭāʾī among them. I came to Dāwūd and knocked at his door. He came behind the door. I said, “Would you come out so I can speak to you?” He said, “They used to dislike excessive speech.” I said, “My uncle sent me to you, sends greetings, and says: distribute this money to whomever you see fit; you have discretion over it as over your own money.” He said, “Return it to your uncle, and tell him to return it to whoever sent it to him, to fear God, and not involve himself in what does not concern him.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad the witness informed us: the judge Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: I heard Muḥammad ibn Samāʿa say: ʿĪsā ibn Abān was handsome and used to pray with us. I would invite him to visit Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, but he would say, “These people contradict hadith.” ʿĪsā had a good memory for hadith. One day he prayed the dawn prayer with us, on a day when Muḥammad held his teaching session. I stayed with him until he sat in the session. When Muḥammad finished, I brought him close and said, “This is the son of your brother Abān ibn Ṣadaqa the scribe. He has intelligence and knowledge of hadith. I invite him to you, but he refuses and says we contradict hadith.” Muḥammad turned to him and said, “My son, what hadith have you seen us contradict? Do not bear witness against us until you have heard from us.” That day he asked him about twenty-five topics of hadith. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan answered them, explaining which reports were abrogated and bringing supporting evidence and proofs. After we left, ʿĪsā turned to me and said, “A veil lay between me and the light, and it has been lifted. I never thought there was anyone like this man in God’s dominion, whom He would reveal to people.” He attended Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan assiduously until he became learned in jurisprudence.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad the witness informed us: the judge Makram narrated to us: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Mughallis narrated to us: I heard Muḥammad ibn Samāʿa say: ʿĪsā ibn Abān was handsome and used to pray with us. I would invite him to visit Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, but he would say, “These people contradict hadith.” ʿĪsā had a good memory for hadith. One day he prayed the dawn prayer with us, on a day when Muḥammad held his teaching session. I stayed with him until he sat in the session. When Muḥammad finished, I brought him close and said, “This is the son of your brother Abān ibn Ṣadaqa the scribe. He has intelligence and knowledge of hadith. I invite him to you, but he refuses and says we contradict hadith.” Muḥammad turned to him and said, “My son, what hadith have you seen us contradict? Do not bear witness against us until you have heard from us.” That day he asked him about twenty-five topics of hadith. Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan answered them, explaining which reports were abrogated and bringing supporting evidence and proofs. After we left, ʿĪsā turned to me and said, “A veil lay between me and the light, and it has been lifted. I never thought there was anyone like this man in God’s dominion, whom He would reveal to people.” He attended Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan assiduously until he became learned in jurisprudence.