2458 – I heard Abū Aḥmad ʿUbayd Allah ibn Aḥmad al-Farāʾiḍī say: I heard Abū Bakr al-Abharī, the jurist, relate:

“I went in to congratulate Abū al-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ ibn Umm Shaybān, the judge, on one of the festival days. While I was with him, Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Bāqī ibn Nāfiʿ also entered to offer his greetings. He began speaking and said, ‘I met with Abū Ṭāhir al-ʿAlawī, and he said: “I would like you to bring out for me the ḥadīth of Usayd ibn Ṣafwān,” meaning ʿAlī’s words about Abū Bakr on the day he died.’ I answered, ‘Certainly.’ But when I reached my house I reflected and said to myself, ‘He is an ʿAlid, and this report extols Abū Bakr—can I really trust him?’ or words to that effect.

“I used to keep company with Abū al-Faḍl ibn ʿAbd al-Samīʿ al-Hāshimī, the imam of Sāmarrāʾ, in the study of ḥadīth and other knowledge. One night, in the pre-dawn hour, he came and knocked at my door. I opened for him and he entered.

“He said to me, ‘What new thing have you done?’

“I replied, ‘I have done nothing new, nothing objectionable.’

“He said, ‘I have just seen (in a dream) as though you and I entered the congregational mosque, and the Prophet ﷺ was seated in the portico between the two courtyards with his Companions around him. I greeted him and he returned my greeting; you greeted him, but he did not return yours… So I said, “O Messenger of Allah, the man is beyond suspicion.” He said to me, “He is indeed as you say, but he has lain down.”’

ʿAbd al-Bāqī added, ‘I then informed him of what had passed between me and Ibn Ṭāhir, and he said to me, “Bring it out and take it to him—exactly, word for word and in meaning.”’