been present, he would have benefited from these hadiths (1).’

Abu Bakr al-Burqani said, “Al-Daraqutni used to dictate al-ʿIlal to me from memory.”

I say: If the copy of al-ʿIlal that is in circulation today was indeed dictated (2) by al-Daraqutni entirely from memory, as this report suggests, then that is a remarkable feat proving that al-Daraqutni possessed the best memory on earth. Even if he dictated only part of it from memory, that is still conceivable, for before him the book al-ʿIlal had been compiled by ʿAli ibn al-Madini, the leading ḥadith scholar of his time.

Rajaʾ ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿaddil said: “We were with al-Daraqutni one day while the reader was reciting to him and he was offering voluntary prayer (3). A hadith was read that mentioned the narrator Nusayr ibn Duʿlūq. The reader said, ‘Bashir.’ Al-Daraqutni glorified Allah, so the reader said, ‘Bushayr.’ He glorified again, so the reader said, ‘Yusayr.’

Thereupon al-Daraqutni recited, ‘Nūn. By the Pen…’ (Qalam 68:1) (4).

Hamzah ibn Muḥammad ibn Ṭāhir said: “I was with al-Daraqutni while he was standing in voluntary prayer, and Abu ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Kātib read to him, ‘ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb.’ He replied, ‘ʿAmr ibn Saʿīd.’

Al-Daraqutni glorified Allah; the reader repeated and said, ‘ibn Saʿīd,’ and then paused. So al-Daraqutni recited, ‘O Shuʿayb, does your prayer command you…’ (Hud 11:87).

Ibn al-Kātib then said, ‘Shuʿayb.’ (5)