Abū Dāwūd narrated to us; he said:
“We were with Shuʿbah, writing down what he dictated, when a beggar came and asked. Shuʿbah said, ‘Give charity,’ but no one offered anything.
He said again, ‘Give charity, for Abū Isḥāq narrated to me, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Maʿqil, from ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Shield yourselves from the Fire even with half a date.” (1)’
Still no one gave anything.
He repeated, ‘Give charity, for ʿAmr ibn Murrah narrated to me, from Khaythamah, from ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Guard yourselves from the Fire even with half a date; and if you find nothing, then with a kind word.” (2)’
Yet no one responded.
He said once more, ‘Give charity, for Muḥill al-Ḍabbī narrated to me, from ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Screen yourselves from the Fire even with half a date; and if you cannot, then with a kind word.” (3)’
When no one gave anything, he said, ‘Leave me; by Allah, I will not relate ḥadith to you for three months.’
He then went into his house, brought out some dough, handed it to the beggar, and said, ‘Take this, for it is our food for today.’
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Sahm said: Baqiyyah narrated to us, ‘I heard Shuʿbah say, “Whenever I am reminded of a ḥadith that has escaped me, I fall ill.”’
Muẓaffar ibn Mudrik said: They mentioned to Shuʿbah a ḥadith he had not heard, and he kept saying, ‘Alas, what sorrow!’
- Khālid ibn Barmak, Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Fārisī
The eminent vizier, Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Fārisī, grandfather of the vizier Jaʿfar ibn Yahyā al-Barmakī of Iraq.