from Khurasan, he came to me, greeted me, and I returned the greeting. He then said to me, “You know how strong my affection is for you and for the shaykh. Some words have been conveyed from me to him, and I would like you to excuse me before him and tell him that this is not my statement, or at least not as it has reached you.”

I said, “He does not wish to hear it,” but he insisted. So I went in (1) to my father and informed him that Dawud had come. He said, “He does not hold to this doctrine,” and he disavowed it. Then he said, “Bring me that folder (2) of letters.” He took one out and said, “This is a letter from Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Naysaburi. In it he states that—meaning Dawud al-Asbahani (3)—he has introduced into our town the doctrine of al-ḥāl and al-maḥall, and he records in his letter that he said, ‘The Quran is created.’”

I said to him, “He denies that.”

He replied, “Muhammad ibn Yahya is more truthful than he is; the enemy of Allah’s truth is not to be believed (4),” or words to that effect, as Abu Yahya related.

Abu Bakr al-Marwazi (5) also informed me of something similar.

(6) Al-Khallal said: And al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah—meaning al-Khurqi—(7)