Ibrāhīm ibn Maysarah said: Tāwūs once told me, “Get married, or else I will say to you what ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb said to Abū al-Zawāʾid: ‘Nothing keeps you from marriage except incapacity or immorality.’”

Ibn Tāwūs transmitted from his father: “Stinginess (bukhul) is that a man withholds what is already in his own hands, while greed (shuhḥ) is that he wishes what lies in other people’s hands were his.”

Maʿmar related—from Ibn Tāwūs, from his father—that he said:

“There was once a man from the Children of Israel who used to treat the insane. A beautiful woman went mad, was brought to him, and left in his care. She pleased him, so he had intercourse with her and she conceived.

“Satan came to him and said, ‘If this becomes known you will be disgraced. Kill her and bury her in your house.’ He killed her and buried her.

“After some time her family came asking about her, and he told them, ‘She died.’ Because of his outward righteousness they doubted nothing. Then Satan came to them and said, ‘She did not die. He lay with her, she conceived, then he killed her and buried her in his house.’

“They returned to the man and said, ‘We do not accuse you, but where did you bury her? Tell us—who was with you?’ They dug up his house, found her body, seized him, and jailed him.

“Satan came to him again and said, ‘If you want me to rescue you from this, then disbelieve in Allah.’ He obeyed, apostatized, was executed, and only then did Satan disown him.”

Tāwūs said, “I know of nothing except that this verse was revealed about him: ‘Like Satan when he says to man, “Disbelieve!”’ (Sūrat al-Hashr, 59:16)—or about one like him. (1)”

Ibn Abī Rawwād said: “I saw Tāwūs and his companions: once they had prayed ʿAṣr they would face the qiblah, speak to no one, and pour forth in supplication.”