toward him and said, “From where is the man?”

He replied, “From Yemen.”

ʿUmar asked, “What became of the one whom the liar tried to burn in the fire?”

He answered, “That was ʿAbd Allah ibn Thawb.”

ʿUmar said, “I adjure you by Allah—are you he?”

He replied, “Yes, by Allah.”

ʿUmar thereupon embraced him and wept; then he led him away and seated him between himself and al-Ṣiddīq (Abū Bakr). He said, “Praise be to Allah who did not cause me to die before showing me, in the community of Muhammad, a man to whom the same was done as was done to Abraham, the Friend.”

This was reported by ʿAbd al-Wahhab ibn Najdah—who is trustworthy—from Ismāʿīl, although Shurahbil narrated the story in mursal form. (1)

It is also related from Mālik ibn Dīnār that Kaʿb once saw Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī and asked, “Who is this?” They said, “Abū Muslim.” He replied, “This is the sage of this ummah.” (2)

Maʿmar narrated from al-Zuhrī, who said: I was with al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik when he was speaking ill of ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—so I said, “O Commander of the Believers, shall I not tell you about a man from Syria who has been granted wisdom?” He asked, “Who is he?” I said, “Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī. He heard the people of Syria reviling ʿĀʾishah and said, ‘Shall I tell you what my position is with respect to this mother of yours? It is like two eyes in a head: they hurt their owner, yet he cannot discipline them except by doing what is best for them.’ And he fell silent.”

Al-Zuhrī added, “Abū Idrīs al-Khawlānī related this to me from Abū Muslim.” (3)

ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀtikah said: Abū Muslim hung a whip in the mosque and would say, “I have more right to the whip than the animals.” Whenever he felt sluggish, he would strike his shins with it once or twice. He also used to say, “If I were to see Paradise with my own eyes, or Hell with my own eyes, I would have no greater reason to do more than I do now.” (4)