and I was in Egypt, copying at night the works of Ibn Wahb; it was five nights before the end of Muḥarram in the year 242 AH when a voice called out to me, “O Ibrāhīm, the righteous servant Muḥammad ibn Aslam has passed away.” I was astonished, so I wrote the occurrence on the back of my book, and sure enough he had died at that very hour (1).

Aḥmad ibn Naṣr al-Naysābūrī said, “I was told that one million people performed the funeral prayer over Muḥammad ibn Aslam” (2).

I say: Such a figure is impossible, especially since the people only learned of his death during the night and the prayer over him was held shortly after dawn—Allah knows best.

Abū al-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn Hibat Allah and Zaynab bint ʿUmar told us: ʿAbd al-Muʿizz ibn Muḥammad informed us; Zāhir ibn Ṭāhir informed us; Abū ʿUthmān Saʿīd ibn Muḥammad informed us; Zāhir ibn Aḥmad informed us; Muḥammad ibn Wakīʿ al-Ṭūsī informed us; Muḥammad ibn Aslam narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd narrated to us; Sulaimān ibn Yazīd (3) al-Muḥāribī narrated from ʿAbd Allah ibn Abī Awfā that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Mercy does not descend upon a people among whom there is one who severs the ties of kinship” (4).

A corroborating report comes from Abū Muʿāwiyah al-Ḍarīr, from Sulaimān Abū Idām, but he is weak.