42 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUmar narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd Rabbih ibn Abī Hilāl related from Maymūn ibn Mihrān, who said:

One night, after the courtiers of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz — may Allah have mercy on him — had dispersed, I said to him, “Commander of the Believers, how do you manage to keep up what I see of your routine? At the beginning of the night you are attending to people’s needs; in the middle of the night you are with your companions; and as for the last part of the night, Allah alone knows where you turn.”

He turned away from giving me a direct answer, tapped me on the shoulder, and said, “Woe to you, Maymūn! I have discovered that meeting with people is a pollination for the mind.”