—many from both camps. Whenever al-Ḥajjāj captured any of them he would put him to death, except those who openly took disbelief upon themselves; such men he would leave alive.

Saʿd ibn ʿĀmir transmitted—through Ḥumayd ibn al-Aswad, from ʿĪsā al-Ḥannāṭ (1)—that al-Shaʿbī said:
“Only those in whom two qualities were combined used to seek this knowledge: sound intellect and devoted worship. If a man possessed intellect but was not devout, he would say, ‘This field is reached only by the worshippers; I shall not pursue it.’ And if he was devout but lacked intellect, he would say, ‘This field is reached only by the intelligent; I shall not pursue it.’
“I now fear,” al-Shaʿbī continued, “that today it is being sought by someone who has neither of the two—no intellect and no devotion whatsoever.” (2)

I (the author) say: I think by “intellect” he meant comprehension and sharpness of mind.

Mujālid reported that al-Shaʿbī said: “Ismāʿīl ibn Abī Khālid gulps down knowledge in great gulps.”

Al-Aʿmash rarely narrated from al-Shaʿbī, yet Ḥafṣ related—from al-Aʿmash, from al-Shaʿbī—that he said: “There is no harm in the meat slaughtered by the people of al-Līṭah.” (3)

I said to al-Aʿmash, “Abū Muḥammad, what kept you from visiting al-Shaʿbī?”
He replied, “Woe to you! How could I visit him when, whenever he saw me, he mocked me, saying, ‘Is this the appearance of a scholar? Your appearance is nothing but that of a weaver.’ Whenever I went to Ibrāhīm, though, he would honor me and seat me close.”

ʿĀṣim al-Aḥwal said: Al-Shaʿbī narrated a report to me, so I remarked, “This is traceable to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).” He replied, “A report that stops short of him is dearer to us if it allows for an addition or an omission.”

Khālid al-Ḥadhdhāʾ, through Ḥuṣayn, from ʿĀmir, reported: “No one in this community has had as many lies fabricated about him as ʿAlī.”

Ibn ʿUyaynah transmitted—from Ibn Shubruma, from al-Shaʿbī—who said: “I have not sat with a group since such-and-such …”