19 – al-Ḥusayn narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Ziyād ibn Ayyūb narrated to us; he said: Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī narrated to us; he said: Abū ʿAmr al-Kindī narrated to me:

“The Byzantines made a raid on some buffalo belonging to Bashīr al-Ṭabarī—about four hundred head. He told me to mount up, so I rode out with him, I and one of his sons. We soon met his slaves who had been with the buffalo, carrying their staffs. They said, ‘Master, the buffalo are gone.’

“He replied, ‘Then you too—go with them; for the sake of Allah you are all free.’

“His son said, ‘Father, you have made us penniless!’

“He answered, ‘Be quiet, my son. My Lord, Allah, has tested me, and I wished to add to (the offering).’”