204 – ʿUbayd Allah al-ʿAtakī narrated to me; ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn al-Sarī reported it; Ṣāliḥ al-Murrī reported it; from Ḥabīb Abū Muḥammad, that al-Farazdaq said:

“O Abū Muḥammad, I met Abū Hurayrah in Syria, and he asked me, ‘Are you al-Farazdaq?’ I replied, ‘Yes, may Allah make me your ransom.’ He then said, ‘Are you the one who composes poetry?’ He said ⦗146⦘, ‘Fear Allah, and take heed. It may well be that, should you live on, you will encounter people who will tell you that Allah will never forgive you—so never despair of Allah’s mercy.’”