the cramped alleyways of speculative argumentation.

Al-Aʿmash narrated, from Ibrāhīm, from ʿAlqamah, who said:
“ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd most closely resembled the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in his conduct and demeanor, and ʿAlqamah in turn most closely resembled ʿAbd Allāh in that regard.”

Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd said: “Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī resembled ʿAlqamah in that, Manṣūr resembled Ibrāhīm, it was said that Sufyān al-Thawrī resembled Manṣūr, Wakīʿ resembled Sufyān, Aḥmad resembled Wakīʿ, and Abū Dāwūd resembled Aḥmad.” (1)

Al-Khaṭṭābī reported: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Miskī told me, saying, “Abū Bakr ibn Jābir, the servant of Abū Dāwūd—may Allah have mercy on him—told me:

‘I was with Abū Dāwūd in Baghdad. After we had performed the Maghrib prayer, the prince Abū Aḥmad al-Muwaffaq—the heir apparent—entered. Abū Dāwūd turned to him and said, “What has brought the prince at such an hour?”

He answered, “Three matters.”

Abū Dāwūd asked, “And what are they?” He replied,

“First, that you move to Basra and make it your permanent home so that students of knowledge may travel to you, the city may be revived by your presence, for it has been laid waste and its people have left because of the Zanj ordeal.”

Abū Dāwūd said, “That is one.”

He continued, “Second, that you read your Sunan to my children.”

Abū Dāwūd said, “Yes. Bring the third.”

He said, “Third, that you allocate for them a private session, for the children of the caliphs do not sit with the common people.”

Abū Dāwūd replied, “As for this, there is no way to grant it, for in the pursuit of knowledge all people are equal.”’

Ibn Jābir added: ‘So they would attend, seated within a cloak-like alcove screened by a curtain, listening along with the general public.’ (2)