He was bow-legged (1), plain-looking, short of stature, sparse-bearded, and had only one testicle. When he first arrived, ʿUmar kept him back for a year to test him, then said, “By Allah, this is the true leader”—or, “this is true nobility.” [It is also said that he once addressed ʿUmar, and the Caliph was struck by his eloquence.] Some report that he lost his eye to smallpox; others say it happened during the conquest of Samarqand.

Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān said: “Al-Aḥnaf was generous and forbearing, a righteous man. He lived through the pre-Islamic era and then accepted Islam, and when he was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ, the Messenger of Allah prayed for his forgiveness.”

Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd said: “He was reliable, trustworthy, and little given to narrating hadith. He spent much of the night in prayer, lighting a lamp and then praying and weeping until dawn. At times he would place his finger in the lamp’s flame and say, ‘Feel it, O Aḥnaf! What drove you to do this? What drove you to do that?’ And he would say to himself, ‘If you cannot endure the lamp’s flame, how will you endure the Fire of Hell?’

He was told, ‘Fasting weakens you,’ and he replied, ‘I am storing it up for a very long day.’ (2)

Someone asked him, ‘How did your people make you their chief when you are the least handsome among them?’ He answered, ‘If my people branded water as blameworthy, I would stop drinking it.’

[Al-Aḥnaf was one of ʿAlī’s commanders at Ṣiffīn (3). He concluded a treaty with the people of Balkh for four hundred thousand dinars annually. He had many famous exploits, slew great numbers of the Khurasanis in their battles, and prevailed over them.]

Al-Aḥnaf never lost his temper, never behaved ignorantly, and never rejected what was right. He said, “Part of true distinction is to bear humiliation with patience; forbearance alone is a sufficient ally.” He also said, “No one has disputed with me without my adopting one of three courses: if he is above me, I acknowledge his rank; if he is below me, I raise myself above him; and if he is my equal, I show him generosity.” He continued, “I have never spoken ill of anyone once he left my presence, and whenever I hear a word that offends me, I bow my head, mindful of something far graver.”

A man once spoke to him harshly. When the man reached the assembly of al-Aḥnaf’s clan, al-Aḥnaf stood and said, “If you still have anything more to say, say it now, lest my people hear you and harm you.”

It is said that ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān wrote to him, inviting him to pledge allegiance and promising him the governorship of Syria. Al-Aḥnaf replied, “The son of the blue-eyed woman summons me to govern Syria? By Allah, I would rather there were a mountain of fire between me and them.”