1852 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; Abu Jaʿfar said: ʿAli ibn ʿAsim related it to us, from Bastam ibn Muslim, from al-Hasan, who said:

One of the pampered elite of this ummah invited Abu Sawwar al-ʿAdawi and asked him about a matter of his religion. Abu Sawwar answered according to the knowledge he had. The man retorted, “If not, then you are disavowed of Islam!” Abu Sawwar replied, “To which religion, then, am I to depart?” The man went on, “If not, then your wife is divorced.” Abu Sawwar said, “So where shall I seek refuge tonight?” Thereupon the man had him flogged with forty lashes.

Al-Hasan commented, “By Allah, those lashes will not go unrequited.” Abu Jaʿfar added, “I went to Abu ʿAbd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal and informed him of this, whereupon he uttered the istirjaʿ (‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him we return’).”