Ahmad ibn Muhammad informed us; ʿUmar ibn Ahmad informed us; I read to Mukram ibn Ahmad ibn Mukram, who said: Yazid ibn al-Haytham related to us; I heard ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿUmar al-Qawariri say:
“I saw in a dream that I passed by the door of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. A group of people were sitting at his door, while he was inside, raising his voice and saying: ‘The believers are awaiting to behold their Lord.’ ⦗564⦘
“I said, ‘Whoever does not follow the sunnah introduces religious innovations.’ Then I looked and saw before me a plastered wall upon which a line was written. I went to read it, but I could not understand it. Someone who was there said to me, ‘O Abu Maʿbad, do you know what is written?’ I said, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘It is written: “Whoever does not follow the sunnah introduces religious innovations.”’”