writing ḥadith?’ He answered, ‘Until he dies, and what remains of his ink should be poured into his grave.’

Abū ʿAlī ibn al-Khallāl (1) informed us; Ibn al-Lattī informed us; Abū al-Waqt informed us; Abū Ismāʿīl al-Anṣārī informed us; ʿAbd al-Raḥmān of Nīshāpūr narrated to us; al-Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad al-Adīb of Tustar narrated to us; ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Daqīqī narrated to us; he said: I heard Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh say:

‘Whoever seeks both this world and the Hereafter should write ḥadith, for in it is benefit for this world and the Hereafter.’

It is also reported that Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh came to Abū Dāwūd and said, ‘Bring out to me that tongue of yours with which you have transmitted the ḥadith of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—so that I may kiss it.’ He then extended it to him, and Sahl kissed it.

Among Sahl’s sayings are: ‘There is no helper but Allah, no guide but the Messenger of Allah, no provision but God-consciousness, and no deed except to persevere in it.’

He said as well: ‘The ignorant person is dead, the forgetful one asleep, the sinner drunk, and the obstinate wrong-doer doomed.’

He also said: ‘Hunger is a secret of Allah on His earth; He does not entrust it to one who will disclose it.’

Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAlī al-Ubbullī stated: I heard Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh in Basra in the year 280 AH say:

‘The intellect by itself does not point to the Eternal, Pre-existent One who is above a created Throne that the True One has set up as a sign and marker for us, so that hearts may be guided by it to Him and not go beyond it. He has not burdened hearts with knowing the essence of His Reality; therefore there is no “how” to His settling upon it. It is impermissible to ask, “How is the settling?” of the One who originated the very concept of settling. What is incumbent upon the believer is contentment alone.’