26 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us. He said: Hamzah ibn al-ʿAbbas al-Marwazī narrated to me; Khāqān Abū Sahl informed us; al-Hasan al-Qaṭṭān reported from Sharahīl Abū ʿUthmān, from Ḥammād, a man of Mecca, who said:

“When Adam descended to the earth, Gabriel came to him carrying three things: religion, intellect, and good character. He said, ‘Allah gives you the choice of one of the three.’ Adam replied, ‘O Gabriel, I have seen nothing finer than these except in Paradise.’ He then extended his hand toward intellect and gathered it to himself. To the other two he said, ‘Ascend.’ They replied, ‘We will not.’ He asked, ‘Are you disobeying me?’ They said, ‘We are not disobeying you; rather, we have been commanded to stay with intellect wherever it may be.’ Thus, all three remained with Adam.”