65 – Ibn ʿUbayd said: Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn narrated to me. He said: Qudāmah ibn Muḥammad al-Khashramī narrated to me. He said: Muḥammad ibn Ḥawṭ—who was one of the finest people of Medina—narrated to me, from Ṣafwān ibn Sulaym, who said:

“The people of Medina recount that ʿAbd Allah ibn Ḥanzalah, son of the one washed by the angels, met Satan as he was leaving the mosque. Satan said to him, ‘Do you recognize me, O son of Ḥanzalah?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’

‘Then who am I?’ asked Satan. He answered, ‘You are Satan.’

Satan said, ‘How did you know that?’ He replied, ‘I left the mosque remembering Allah, but when I began to look at you, my gaze on you distracted me from the remembrance of Allah, so I realized that you are Satan.’

Satan said, ‘You have spoken the truth, O son of Ḥanzalah. So keep something from me that I will teach you.’ He answered, ‘I have no need of it.’

Satan said, ‘Consider it: if it is good, accept it; if it is evil, reject it. O son of Ḥanzalah, never ask anyone other than Allah with a petition of longing, and pay close attention to how you act when you become angry.’