1567 – ‘Abd Allah narrated to us; he said: I found in the notebook of Bishr ibn al-Harith, from Wakiʿ, from al-Aʿmash, from Jaʿfar ibn Iyas, from ʿAbd Allah ibn Shaqiq, that Abu Dharr was invited to a meal. He said, “I am fasting.” Yet later in the day he was seen eating. When he was questioned about this, he replied, “I fast three days of every month; that is the fast of a lifetime.”

1568 – ‘Abd Allah narrated to us; he said: I found in Bishr’s notebook that he said: I asked Wakiʿ about that matter. He replied, “If a person seeks the reward mentioned for fasting three days (each month), do you think it suffices for him to say, ‘I am fasting,’ even though he is not actually fasting?” He answered, “If his intention is firmly set, there is no harm.” I also asked al-Muʿafā about a man who passes by people playing shiṭranj (chess): is it proper for him to greet them with peace? He said, “No.” Sufyan, however, says, “Let him greet them and instruct them (to desist).” Al-Muʿafā added, “If he is not going to instruct them, then he should not do so.”