Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAyyāsh narrated from Shurahbīl that two men once came to Abū Muslim. Not finding him in his house, they went to the mosque and found him bowing in prayer. They waited for him, and one of them counted that he performed three hundred rakaʿah (units of prayer). (1)

Al-Walīd ibn Muslim reported to us through ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀtikah that Abū Muslim al-Khawlānī heard a man say, “So-and-so won the race today.” He replied, “I am the one who won.” They asked, “How so, Abū Muslim?” He said, “I set out from Darayya before dawn and was the first person to enter your mosque.” (2)

Abū Bakr ibn Abī Maryam related from ʿAṭiyyah ibn Qays: Some people from Damascus visited Abū Muslim while he was on campaign in Byzantine territory. He had dug a pit inside his tent, lined it with a leather sheet, filled it with water, and was cooling himself in it. (3)(4) They said, “What has moved you to fast while you are travelling?!” He answered, “If battle were to commence I would break the fast, prepare myself, and draw strength; for horses do not run their races when they are heavy and fleshy—they run when they are lean and fit. (5) Remember: our remaining days are still coming, and for them we work.” (6)

It was also said that he would raise his voice with the takbir, even among children, and would say, “Remember Allah until the ignorant onlooker thinks you have gone mad.” (7)