Ibn Jawṣāʾ, the ḥāfiẓ, said, “We have always heard that anyone who copies al-Walīd’s compilations becomes qualified to assume the judiciary, and his compilations number seventy books.”

I comment: “His writings are only separate fascicles; I doubt that any one of them reaches the size of a full volume.”

Al-Fasawī relates from al-Ḥumaydī, who said:

“I set out on the Day of Departure while al-Walīd was in the mosque of Minā, surrounded by a dense crowd. I arrived last of all and remained at a distance, and ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī was standing next to him. The people kept questioning him and he kept relating ḥadīths, but I could not understand a word. So I gathered a group of Meccans and told them, ‘Create a disturbance and spoil things for those near him.’

“They started shouting, ‘We cannot hear!’ while Ibn al-Madīnī kept saying, ‘Be quiet and we will let you hear.’

“I pushed forward and shouted—my head was still unshaven—so Ibn al-Madīnī looked at me without acknowledging me (1) and said, ‘Had there been any good in you, your hair would not be in the state I see.’

“The people then dispersed, and he narrated nothing to them (2).”

Abū Mushir said, “Al-Walīd used to take al-Awzaʿī’s ḥadīths from Ibn Abī al-Safar, who was a liar, yet al-Walīd would transmit them saying, ‘Al-Awzaʿī said….’”

Ṣāliḥ ibn Muḥammad Jazrah reported: “I heard al-Haytham ibn Khārijah say: I said to al-Walīd, ‘You have corrupted al-Awzaʿī’s ḥadīth!’ He asked, ‘How so?’ I replied, ‘You narrate “al-Awzaʿī—from Nāfiʿ,” “al-Awzaʿī—from al-Zuhrī,” and “al-Awzaʿī—from Yaḥyā ibn Abī Kathīr,” whereas other transmitters insert between al-Awzaʿī and Nāfiʿ ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĀmir al-Aslamī, and between him and al-Zuhrī Qurrat and others. What makes you do this?’

“He replied, ‘I consider al-Awzaʿī too noble to narrate through such weak transmitters.’

I said, ‘Then if al-Awzaʿī…’