1794 — Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Basir informed us: Uthman ibn Ahmad informed us. He said: Hanbal narrated to us. He said: Abu Abd Allah narrated to us. He said: I heard Yahya ibn Sa'id say, “I did not find any of our companions except that they made the qualifying exception [when affirming their faith].”

Yahya said, “Faith consists of statement and action.” Yahya said, “Sufyan disapproved of saying, ‘I am a believer.’” Yahya approved of the doctrine that faith increases and decreases, and held it to be so.