al-Muzanī or al-Rabīʿ (ie: the narrator could not remember which of them reported this story) said: الزُّبَيْرُ بنُ عَبْدِ الوَاحِدِ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ عَقِيْلٍ الفِرْيَابِيُّ، قَالَ: قَالَ المُزَنِيُّ، أَوِ الرَّبِيْعُ: We were with al-Shāfīʿī one day when a Shaykh (ie: old man) wearing garments of wool came to us with a walking-stick in his hand. كُنَّا يَوْماً عِنْد الشَّافِعِيِّ، إِذْ جَاءَ شَيْخٌ عَلَيْهِ ثِيَابٌ صُوفٌ، وَفِي يَدِهِ عُكَّازَةٌ، al-Shāfīʿī stood up, fixed his clothes, greeted the old man, and he sat down. فَقَامَ الشَّافِعِيُّ وَسَوَّى عَلَيْهِ ثِيَابَه، وَسَلَّمَ الشَّيْخُ وَجَلَسَ، al-Shāfīʿī began looking at the Shaykh with haybah (ie: in admiration). وَأَخَذَ الشَّافِعِيُّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى الشَّيْخِ هَيْبَةً لَهُ، The Shaykh said: “May I ask (a question)?” إِذْ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ: أسْأَلُ؟ (ie: al-Shāfīʿī) said: “Ask.” قَالَ: سَلْ. (The Shaykh) said: What is (considered) al-ḥujjah fī dīn (ie: evidence in the religion of) Allah? قَالَ: مَا الحُجَّةُ فِي دِيْنِ اللهِ؟ (al-Shāfīʿī) said: “The Book of Allah.” قَالَ: كِتَابُ اللهِ. (al-Shaykh) asked: “What else?” قَالَ: وَمَاذَا؟ (al-Shāfīʿī) answered: “The Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” قَالَ: سُنَّةُ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ -صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ-. (al-Shaykh) asked: “What else?” قَالَ: وَمَاذَا؟ (al-Shāfīʿī) said: “ittifāq al-ummah (ie: the consensus of the Muslim scholars).” قَالَ: اتِّفَاقُ الأُمَّةِ. (al-Shaykh) asked: “Where did you get ittifāq al-ummah from?” قَالَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ قُلْتَ: اتِّفَاقُ الأُمَّةِ؟ al-Shāfīʿī pondered for some time. فَتَدَبَّرَ الشَّافِعِيُّ سَاعَةً، al-Shaykh said: “I will leave you for three days. فَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ: قَدْ أَجَّلْتُكَ ثَلاَثاً، If you come up with evidence from the Book of Allah, fine. If not, then repent to Allah the Exalted!” فَإِنْ جِئْتَ بِحُجَّةٍ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللهِ، وَإِلاَّ تُبْ إِلَى اللهِ -تَعَالَى-. al-Shāfīʿī’s face changed colour and then he left. فَتَغَيَّرَ لُوْنُ الشَّافِعِيِّ، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ ذَهَبَ He did not come out until the third day, between al-Dhuhr wa ʿl-ʿAṣr. فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَى اليَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالعَصْرِ، His face, hands and legs had swollen and he became ill. وَقَدِ انْتَفَخَ وَجْهُهُ، وَيَدَاهُ، وَرِجلاَهُ، وَهُوَ مِسْقَامٌ، He sat down but it was only a short while when the old man returned. فَجَلَسَ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ بِأَسْرَعَ مِنْ أَنْ جَاءَ الشَّيْخُ، He greeted him and sat down. فَسَلَّمَ وَجَلَسَ، Then (the Shaykh) asked: “Do you have what I asked for?” فَقَالَ: حَاجَتِي. al-Shāfīʿī said: “Yes. I seek refuge in Allah from Shayṭān, the outcast. Allah, the Most High said: {Whoever makes a breach with the Messenger, after the guidance has become clear to him, and follows other than the path of the believers, We’ll direct him in the direction he has chosen, and commit him to Hell—what a terrible destination!} [4:115]” فَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ: نَعْمْ، أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ، قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: {وَمَنْ يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُوْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سِبِيْلِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى.} الآيَةَ [النِّسَاءُ: 115]. (al-Shāfīʿī continued): “So He will not burn the one in the Hellfire for opposing the believers in something except that it is something farḍ (ie: obligatory).” قَالَ: فَلاَ يُصْلِيهِ عَلَى خِلاَفِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ إِلاَّ وَهُوَ فَرْضٌ. (al-Shaykh) said: “Ṣadaqt (ie: you have spoken truthfully).” فَقَالَ: صَدَقْتَ، Then he got up and left. وَقَامَ فَذَهَبَ. al-Shāfīʿī then said (to those around him): “I read the Qurʾān three times every day (for those three days) until I came to this verse.” فَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ: قَرَأْتُ القُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَليلَةٍ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ حَتَّى وَقَفْتُ عَلَيْهِ. al-Ḏahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ 10/83 الذهبي، سير أعلام النبلاء ١٠/٨٣ https://shamela.ws/book/10906/6568 @ilmtest [https://t.me/ilmtest]