Al-Thawri narrated from ʿImrān al-Qaṣīr, who said:
“I once asked al-Ḥasan about a certain issue, remarking, ‘The jurists say such-and-such.’ He replied, ‘Have you ever actually laid eyes on a jurist? The true jurist is the one who shuns the world, sees clearly into his religion (1), and persists in the worship of his Lord (2).’

ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn ʿAbd al-Wārith related: Muḥammad ibn Dhakwān told us, and Khālid ibn Ṣafwān said:
“I met Maslama ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, who asked, ‘Khālid, tell me about the Ḥasan of Basra.’ I replied, ‘May Allah set you right. I can speak of him with certainty: I am his neighbor, sit with him in his gatherings, and know him better than anyone. Of all people, his private life most resembles his public, and his words most resemble his deeds. If he sits to a task, he sees it through; if he rises for something, he remains steadfast; should he command a matter, he is the most diligent of people in practicing it; and if he forbids something, he is the strictest of people in avoiding it. I have found him independent of people, while the people are in need of him.’ Maslama said, ‘Enough—how could a community go astray when such a man is among them?’ (3)

Hishām ibn Ḥassān reported: I heard al-Ḥasan swear by Allah, ‘No one ever exalts the dirham without Allah humiliating him.’ (4)

Hazm ibn Abī Hazm said: I heard al-Ḥasan say, ‘What wretched companions the dinar and the dirham are; they will not benefit you until they leave you.’

Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī stated, ‘Everything for which al-Ḥasan says, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said …,” you will find resting on a firm foundation—except for four ḥadiths.’