430 — Al-Firyābī also informed us, saying: ʿUbayd Allah ibn Muʿādh narrated to us, saying: My father narrated to us, saying: Hammād ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Abū Naʿāmah al-Saʿdī, who said:

“We were with Abū ʿUthmān al-Nahdī. We praised Allah, Glorious and Exalted, and made mention of Him. I said, ‘The beginning of this matter brings me greater joy than its end.’ He replied, ‘May Allah keep you steadfast. We were with Salmān, and we praised Allah, Glorious and Exalted, and made mention of Him. I said, “The beginning of this matter brings me greater joy than its end.” Salmān replied, “May Allah, Glorious and Exalted, keep you steadfast. Indeed, when Allah Most High created Adam, He passed His hand over his back and brought forth from him all those whom He would bring forth until the Day of Resurrection. He created male and female, wretchedness and felicity, provisions, lifespans, and colors. Among the signs of felicity are doing good and frequenting gatherings of goodness, while among the signs of wretchedness are doing evil and frequenting gatherings of evil.”’”