So he paid off a full million on Ibn Shihāb’s behalf. When al-Zuhrī was informed of this he said, “Praise be to Allah—this is entirely from Him.”

My uncle related: Ibn Shihāb once halted at a watering-place and tried to obtain a loan, but found no one willing. He therefore ordered that his riding-camel be slaughtered and invited all the residents of the settlement to eat from it. His own uncle passed by, and al-Zuhrī invited him to the meal. The uncle said, “My nephew, a whole year’s honour is squandered by the shame of begging for a single hour.” Ibn Shihāb replied, “Uncle, either dismount and eat, or go on your way with goodwill.”

On another occasion he stopped at a watering-place whose people complained, “We have eighteen elderly women with no one to serve them.” Ibn Shihāb borrowed eighteen thousand and provided each woman with a servant at the cost of one thousand apiece.

Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said: Hishām settled seven thousand dinars of al-Zuhrī’s debts and told him, “Do not incur such debts again.” Al-Zuhrī answered, “Commander of the Faithful, Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib narrated to me from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘A believer is not stung from the same hole twice.’ (1)”

Isḥāq ibn al-Ṭabbāʿ, on the authority of Mālik, reported that al-Zuhrī said, “We have found that the generous man never learns from experience.”

Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā said: I heard al-Shāfiʿī say, “A travelling merchant passed by al-Zuhrī in his village on his way to the ḥajj. The man left four hundred dinars with al-Zuhrī until he returned. Al-Zuhrī did not rest until he had distributed the whole amount. When he noticed the displeasure on the merchant’s face, then—when the man came back—he repaid him in full and ordered that thirty extra dinars be given to him for his expenses.”

ʿAlī ibn Ḥujr narrated to us from al-Walīd al-Muwaqqarī who said: It was said to al-Zuhrī, “People criticise you for the size of your debts.” He asked, “How much do I owe?” They replied, “Twenty thousand dinars.” He said, “That is not much, and I am solvent. I have five springs, each of them worth forty thousand dinars.”

Suwayd ibn Saʿīd reported to us, Dimām from ʿUqayl ibn Khālid, that Ibn Shihāb used to—