296—Ahmad ibn Ubayd informed us. He said: Muhammad ibn al-Husayn informed us. He said: Ahmad ibn Zuhayr narrated to us. He said: Yahya ibn Ma'in narrated to us. He said: Uthman ibn Salih narrated to us. He said: Bakr ibn Mudar narrated to us, from al-Awza'i, who said:

“When Allah intends evil for a people, He preoccupies them with disputation and withholds them from action.”