and I heard Abū Ḥafṣ say, “This young man is astute; I pray he will attain renown and lasting remembrance.”

Muhammad also said: I heard Abū Sahl Maḥmūd al-Shāfiʿī relate, “I have heard more than thirty scholars from Egypt declare, ‘Our only wish in this world is to study the History of Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl.’”

Muhammad further said: Ṣāliḥ ibn Yūnus narrated to me: ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān—meaning al-Dārimī—was asked about the hadith of Sālim ibn Abī Ḥafṣah (1). He replied, “We copied it together with Muhammad, and Muhammad says that Sālim is weak.”

They then asked him, “What is your own view?” He answered, “Muhammad sees more clearly than I do.”

Ṣāliḥ added: ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was also asked about the report transmitted by Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb—“A liar only lies because he holds his own soul in contempt” (2). When he was told, “Muhammad maintains that this report is authentic,” he said, “Muhammad’s insight surpasses mine, for his sole concern is the scrutiny of hadith, whereas I am busy and unwell.” He then remarked, “Muhammad is the shrewdest of Allah’s creation. He has understood from Allah what He commands and forbids in His Book and on the tongue of His Prophet. When Muhammad recites the Quran, his heart, sight, and hearing are fully engaged; he ponders its parables and knows what it has declared lawful and unlawful (3).”

He also said: Sulaymān ibn Mujālid wrote to me, “I asked ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Samarqandī about Muhammad, and he replied, ‘Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl is the most knowledgeable and most proficient among us.’”