—Yaḥyā was narrating a ḥadith one day, whereupon ʿAffān said to him, “It is not like that.”
The next morning I went to Yaḥyā, and he said, “It is exactly as ʿAffān stated. Indeed, I prayed to Allah that nothing in my possession should contradict what ʿAffān had said.” ⦗1⦘
I say: Such were the true scholars; so look, poor soul, how far removed you are from their example.
Al-Zaʿfarānī said: “I saw Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn present to ʿAffān what he had heard from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd.” ⦗2⦘
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Muqriʾ reported: “I heard al-Muʿayṭī say, ‘ʿAffān is more accurate than Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān.’” ⦗3⦘
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Fahm said: “I heard Ibn Maʿīn declare, ‘ʿAffān is more accurate than ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. ʿAffān never erred at all except once, in a ḥadith I myself had dictated to him—so I ask Allah’s forgiveness.’” ⦗4⦘
Khalaf ibn Sālim said: “I never saw anyone excel in ḥadith except ʿAffān ibn Muslim and Bahz ibn Asad.” ⦗5⦘
Yaʿqūb ibn Shaybah stated: “ʿAffān is trustworthy, firmly grounded, and precise; his written copies are sound and his mistakes are few.” ⦗6⦘