294—Al-Hasan informed us: Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim informed us; Ahmad ibn Sa'id al-Jammal narrated to us; I heard Muhammad ibn Hatim ibn Buzaygh say: I heard Ibn al-Tabba' say:

A man came to Malik ibn Anas and asked him a question. Malik replied, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said such-and-such.” The man said, “But what if it were such-and-such?” Malik said:

“So let those who oppose his command beware lest a trial strike them or a painful punishment befall them.” [al-Nur 24:63]

Malik then said, “Whenever a man more skilled in disputation than another comes along, is what Gabriel brought down to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, to be rejected?”