So let people excuse those who have interpreted some of the divine attributes. As for the early generations, they never plunged into interpretation; rather, they believed, refrained, and consigned the knowledge of such matters to Allah and His Messenger. If we were to discard and brand as innovators everyone who made a mistake in his ijtihad—despite the soundness of his faith and his sincere pursuit of the truth—few of the imams would remain unscathed along with us. May Allah, by His grace and generosity, have mercy on them all.
Al-Hākim said: “I possess numerous folios on the virtues of the Imam of the Imams, Ibn Khuzaymah, and his authored works exceed 140 books apart from the Masāʾil; the compiled Masāʾil alone number more than 100 fascicles.
He even produced a legal study of the ḥadith of Barīrah (1) in three parts.”
Ḥamd ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Muʿaddal said: “I heard ʿAbd Allah ibn Khālid al-Iṣfahānī say:
‘ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim was asked about Abū Bakr ibn Khuzaymah, and he exclaimed, “Woe to you! He is—”’
(1) Its wording is as follows: ʿAʾisha reported that Barira came to ask her help in paying off her manumission contract, for she had not yet settled any part of it. ʿAʾisha said to her: “Go back to your owners; if they agree that I pay what is left of your contract and that your walaʾ (right of allegiance) will be mine, I will do so.” Barira conveyed this to her family, but they refused and said: “If she wishes to pay on your behalf as an act of charity, let her, but the walaʾ will remain ours.” Barira then mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah, and he said to her: “Buy her and set her free, for the walaʾ belongs only to the one who emancipates.” The Messenger of Allah then stood and declared: “Why do some people impose conditions that are not found in the Book of Allah? Whoever stipulates a condition that is not in the Book of Allah has no right to it, even if he repeats it a hundred times. The condition laid down by Allah is the most valid and the most binding.”
Reported by al-Bukhari, 1/458 (several chapters: Mosques; Sales; Manumission; Conditions; Divorce; Inheritance), Muslim, no. 1504; Malik, 2/780; Abu Dawud, nos. 3929-3930; al-Nasaʾi, 7/300; al-Tirmidhi, no. 1256; and Ibn Majah, no. 2521.