their children and poultry. The villagers gathered together and set out in pursuit of him; the wolf took to flight, and they soon fell behind except for a potter who kept pressing him. The wolf turned to face him and said:

“Those people I can excuse; but you—what have you and I to do with one another? By Allah, I have never broken a single pot of yours!”

He (Abū al-Zinād) then added, “And what business have I with al-Mājishūn? By Allah, I have never smashed for him a kabar drum nor a barbat lute. (1)”

al-Aṣmaʿī narrated from Ibn Abī al-Zinād, from his father, who said:

“The jurists of Medina used to come to ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, all except Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib. ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz was content that a messenger go between the two of them, and I was that messenger.”

Sulaimān ibn Abī Shaykh said: ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz appointed Abū al-Zinād over the public treasury of Kufa.

Muḥammad ibn Sallām al-Jumaḥī related: Abū al-Zinād was asked, “Why do you love silver coins when they draw you toward the worldly life?” He replied, “Even though they bring me closer to it, they have nonetheless shielded me from it.”

Muḥammad ibn Saʿd said: Abū al-Zinād was reliable, prolific in hadith, eloquent, well-versed in Arabic, knowledgeable, and intelligent.

Ibrāhīm ibn al-Mundhir al-Ḥizāmī said: He was the reason Rabīʿah al-Raʾy was flogged. After that, So-and-so al-Taymī became governor of Medina; he summoned Abū al-Zinād and had a house sealed over him. Rabīʿah interceded on his behalf.

I (the author) say: Rivalry between peers can lead to consequences far worse than this.

When Rabīʿah realized that Abū al-Zinād was dying because of him, he could no longer remain silent. They brought Abū al-Zinād out, and he had already stared death in the face, grown emaciated, and his neck had drooped—may Allah grant us safety.