ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī (1) narrated to us: Hishām ibn Yūsuf related to us; Dāwūd ibn Qays informed me, saying:

“I once had a friend called Abū Shamir of Dhū Khawlān. I left Ṣanʿāʾ intending to visit his village, and when I drew near it I found a sealed letter addressed to Abū Shamir. I brought it to him and found him anxious and sad, so I asked him about the reason. He said,

‘A messenger arrived from Ṣanʿāʾ and told me that some friends of mine had written me a letter, but the messenger lost it.’

I said, ‘Here is that very letter.’

He replied, ‘Praise be to Allah,’ opened it and read it. I then said, ‘Let me read it.’

He said, ‘I hesitate to show it to you because you are still young.’

I asked, ‘Then what does it contain?’

He answered, ‘Talk of striking necks.’

I said, ‘Perhaps it was written to you by some Haruriyyah about the zakah on your wealth.’

He asked, ‘How do you know them?’

I said, ‘My companions and I sit with Wahb ibn Munabbih, and he says to us: “Beware, O inexperienced youths, of these Haruriyyah; do not let them draw you into their deviant opinion, for they are a scourge (2) upon this ummah.”’

He handed me the letter, and I read it. It said:

‘Peace be upon you. We praise Allah before you and exhort you to fear Him, for the religion of Allah is sound guidance and right direction. The religion of Allah is to obey Allah and to oppose anyone who contradicts the Sunnah of His Prophet. When our letter reaches you, see to it—if Allah wills—that you discharge the right Allah has made obligatory upon you; by so doing you will merit the friendship of Allah and the friendship of His allies. And peace.’

I said to him, ‘I forbid you to have anything to do with them.’

He replied, ‘How can I follow your word and abandon the word of someone older than you?’

I said, ‘Would you like me to bring you in to Wahb so that you can hear his view?’

He said, ‘Yes.’

So we went down to Ṣanʿāʾ, and I brought him in to Wahb—while Masʿūd ibn ʿAwf was governor of Yemen on behalf of ʿUrwah ibn Muḥammad—and we found several people with Wahb.

One of them said to me, ‘Who is this elder?’

I said, ‘He has a need.’

The people stood up, and Wahb said, ‘What is your need, man of Khawlān?’

He became flustered (3) and lost his nerve, so Wahb said to me, ‘Speak on his behalf.’

I said, ‘He is from …’