a liar, or that he fabricated hadith.

Indeed, he went so far as to say, “If I remark of someone, ‘There is some consideration regarding his hadith,’ then he is accused and weak.”

This is what he meant when he said, “May Allah not call me to account for having backbitten anyone,” and—by Allah—that is the very height of scrupulous piety.

Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Warraq said: I heard him—meaning al-Bukhārī—say, “I do not wish to have any adversary against me in the Hereafter.” I said, “Some people take you to task over the book al-Tārīkh, claiming that it contains backbiting of people.” He replied, “We only transmitted that as a report; we did not speak it from ourselves. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘How wretched is the clan’s patron,’”—namely, the ḥadith of ʿĀʾishah (1).

I also heard him say, “Since I came to know that backbiting harms its doer, I have never backbitten anyone.”

He said: Abū ʿAbdillāh used to pray in the pre-dawn hours thirteen rakʿahs, and he would not wake me each time he rose for prayer. I said, “I see you burdening yourself while you do not wake me.” He replied, “You are a young man, and I do not wish to spoil your sleep.” (2)

Ghunjar said: Abū ʿAmr Aḥmad ibn al-Muqriʾ narrated to us; I heard Bakr ibn Munīr say: One night Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl was praying when a wasp stung him seventeen times. After he concluded the prayer he said, “Look and see what has harmed me.” (3)