242—Al-Hasan ibn Uthman informed us. He said: Ahmad ibn al-Hasan informed us. He said: Sulayman ibn al-Ash'ath narrated to us. He said: Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim narrated to us. He said: Sa'id ibn 'Amir narrated to us. He said ⦗151⦘: I heard Isma'il narrating: “Two men from the people of religious innovation entered upon Muhammad ibn Sirin and said, ‘O Abu Bakr, may we narrate a hadith to you?’ He replied, ‘No.’ They said, ‘Then may we recite to you a verse from the Book of Allah?’ He replied, ‘No. Either you both leave me, or I will leave.’ So the two men got up and went out. Some of the people said, ‘What harm would there have been in letting him recite a verse?’ He said, ‘I feared that he might recite a verse and distort it, and that this would settle in my heart.’”