Ibn Luhayʿah, on the authority of Abū al-Aswad, said:

“I was the first to stir up Ikrimah to set out for Ifrīqiyah. I told him, ‘I know a people—if only you would visit them.’

“A companion of his later met me and said, ‘Here is Ikrimah, preparing to leave for Ifrīqiyah.’

“When he reached them, they became suspicious of him.

“He was somewhat lacking in discernment, light-minded. He had heard a single report from two different men; whenever he was asked about it he would sometimes relate it from one of them, and when asked again he would ascribe it to the other. So they used to say, ‘How great a liar he is!’

“They complained about him to Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUbayd al-Anṣārī—an honourable and pious man—who said, ‘Leave it to me; I shall relieve you of him.’

“He summoned Ikrimah and asked, ‘How did you hear Ibn ʿAbbās speak about such-and-such?’

“Ikrimah answered, ‘He said such-and-such.’

“Ismāʿīl replied, ‘You have spoken the truth. I myself asked Ibn ʿAbbās about it and he answered in just that way.’

“Ibn Luhayʿah added: ‘Ikrimah used to propagate the doctrine of Najdah al-Ḥarūrī (1). He had gone to Najdah, stayed with him for six months, and then came to Ibn ʿAbbās and greeted him. Ibn ʿAbbās said, “The vile fellow has returned.”’

Saʿīd ibn Abī Maryam, narrating from Ibn Luhayʿah on the authority of Abū al-Aswad, said:

‘I was the first to cause Ikrimah to set off for the Maghrib. I had come from Egypt to Madinah, and Ikrimah met me and asked about the people of the Maghrib. I told him of their heedlessness. So he travelled to them, and the very first innovation he introduced among them was the teaching of the Ṣufriyyah (2).’

(1) A Kharijite faction associated with Najdah al-Ḥarūrī.
(2) The Ṣufriyyah, another branch of the early Khārijites.