1232 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; my father narrated to me; Rawḥ narrated to us; ʿAwn narrated to us, from Muḥammad, who said:

While ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿĀmir was sitting, it was said to him, “Amir ibn ʿAbd Qays al-Anbari neither eats meat nor clarified butter, does not approach women, lets no one’s skin touch his, stays away from the mosques, and even claims that he is better than Abraham.”

Maʿqil ibn Yasār then entered upon ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿĀmir while they were discussing this. Maʿqil was a close friend of Amir ibn ʿAbd Qays. ʿAbd Allah said to him, “Do you not hear what these people are saying about your friend?”

Maʿqil asked, “What are they saying?”

He replied, “They are saying such-and-such,” recounting what had been alleged. Maʿqil did not answer them at all; he left, mounted his animal, and rode to Amir, who was at his residence. He found him seated in his masjid (private prayer-area) wearing a burnus (hooded cloak). Maʿqil sat beside him and said, “I have come to you from those people, and they have reported something about you”—I think he added, “and it frightened me.”

Amir asked, “And what did they report?”

He replied, “They allege that you do such-and-such,” repeating their claims.

Amir remained silent until he drew his hand from beneath his burnus, grasped Maʿqil’s hand, and said:

“As for their saying that I do not eat meat: they buy meat from a foreign captive who knows nothing of Islam and he is the one who slaughters it; but when I crave meat, we send for a sheep and slaughter it ourselves.

“As for their saying that I do not eat clarified butter: I eat the butter that comes from the land of the Arabs. As for what comes from non-Arab lands, I do not know what is mixed with it; that is why I leave it.

“As for their saying that I do not approach women: by Allah, I have no inclination toward them, and I possess no wealth—so with what could I entice a Muslim woman to come and live with me?

“As for their saying that I avoid the mosques: I am here in this masjid of mine; when Friday comes I go and pray with the congregation of the Muslims and then return to this masjid of mine.

“And as for their saying that I claim to be better than Abraham: I cannot imagine that anyone would have the audacity to utter such a thing.”