Ishaq ibn Musa al-Khatmi said: Abū Khalid al-Ahmar narrated to us:
“ʿAmr ibn Qays used to hire out his labor to one of the traders. When he died in Syria, the desert was seen filled with men wearing white garments. Once the funeral prayer had been performed, they disappeared. The postmaster reported the matter to the governor ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā, who said to Ibn Shubruma, ‘Why was this never mentioned to me?’ He replied, ‘He would say: do not mention me to him.’
It was also said that he taught people to recite the Quran, sitting humbly in front of each student.
And it was said that whenever he looked at the folk of the marketplace, he would weep and remark, ‘How heedless these people are of what has been prepared for them.’
He himself said, ‘If you occupy yourself with your own shortcomings, you will become oblivious to those of others.’
113 – Buraid ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Abī Burdah al-Ashʿarī * (ʿ)
The son of Abū Mūsā ʿAbd Allah ibn Qays ibn Ḥaḍḍār; the traditionist Abū Burdah al-Ashʿarī, from Kūfa.
Muhammad ibn Bishr, the preacher, is a narrator about whom criticism has been voiced: Yahya (ibn Main) said, “He is not reliable,” and al-Daraqutni judged him “weak in his transmissions.”
This report, and the one that follows it, rest on shaky chains of transmission. Tales of this sort—steeped in fantasy and far removed from reality—are circulated and promoted by people whose share of knowledge is meagre and who have failed to seek learning through its proper channels. Their aim is to deceive the gullible among the common folk, to cram their minds with such stories until no room is left for the guidance of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and for his authentic teachings that once opened blind eyes, unsealed hearts, and unclogged ears. In this way they bind the masses to themselves, harness them for their own ambitions, and employ them in the pursuit of their desires.
The greatest honour a believer can receive from his Lord is to be granted success in following the Book and the Sunnah, to gain understanding through them, and to give them precedence over all else.
*Al-Tarikh al-Saghir*, 2/90; *al-Jarh wa-l-Tadil*, 2/426; *Mashahir Ulama al-Amsar*, no. 166; *Tahdhib al-Kamal*, p. 144; *Mizan al-Itidal*, 1/305; *Tadhhib al-Tahdhib*, 1/81/1; *Tahdhib al-Tahdhib*, 1/421-423; *Khulasat Tadhhib al-Kamal*, no. 47; introduction to *Fath al-Bari*, p. 392. Ibn Hajar there notes that Ibn Main, al-Ijli, al-Tirmidhi, and Abu Dawud declared him trustworthy, while al-Nasai said “there is no harm in him,” though on another occasion he remarked that the narrator was “not very strong.” Abu Hatim judged him “not solid, but his hadith may be written,” and Ibn Adi concluded, “He is truthful and his reports are sound.”