1856.] Origin and progress of writing down historical facts. 307 



10. " Sa'yd Itm Abii-1-iZasan says, that none of the companions 

 of the prophet knew a greater number of /mdythes to relate than 

 Abu Horayrah. When Marwan was governor of Madynah and 

 affected with paralysis, he desired him to write them down, Abu 

 Horayrah refused compliance saying, Transmit them as they have 

 been transmitted to us. One day when he was off his guard he 

 sent for him having previously directed a clever and trustworthy 

 penman to be in attendance. Abu Horayrah related all his Aadythes 

 and the penman wrote them down. When he had done, Marwan 

 said, Do you know that we have taken down your ^adythes ? Indeed ! 

 replied Abu Horayrah. Abu Horayrah desired that they should be 

 read to him, and then he said, You now know them by heart and he 

 effaced them." 



11. i_Joj Sjj JX$ ZjijA, b| d\ Jyu, S^jyfc b| c^> [yuSyj ] JU 



" Abu Kathyr relates, I heard Abu Horayrah say, I neither con- 

 ceal a 7iadyth nor do I write one down." 



12. yo^\ ^ &1~j (^.U-c etfj ^i v^j JU^i d$ ul [ (j-jU> ] J^ 

 ij ^jSj % lili \*S j \*S j*>\j\ c)\ w^a^U j^\ ^ ^JJi (J-^JJ Jjh* 



" Tawus relates, A man was in the habit of writing to Ibn Abbas 

 to enquire of any matter he wanted to know. Ibn 'Abbas said to 

 the messenger, Tell your master, the answer to the question is such 

 and such, and that we only write letters and the Qoran." 



There are two other versions apparently of the same story: 

 " Tawus relates, We were with Ibn 'Abbas ; and Sa'yd b. Jobayr wrote 

 down [his lecture]. They said to Ibn 'Abbas, They are writing. 

 He stood up (went away) and said, If he was not a well behaved 

 man, I should have done something severer than merely getfciug up." 

 The other version runs : " When Ibn 'Abbas was blind, people from 

 the 'Iraq made enquiries of him and wrote down what he said. 

 There came a man of the 'Iraq, and Ibn Abbas did not open his 

 lips until he had left his presence." 



13. ^xJ\ i^US t5 $ij &\£ ^Us ^| Uf^-J^ <^ *H*~> e^ 



"Sa'yd b. Jobayr (d. 95) states that Ibn Abbas used to inter- 

 dict the writing down of Aadythes (and laws)." 



14. <*j ^sdi ^x^ &3jJS J^SJ| ^ lxidLL\ liS (i| [yt&** ^ ****>] Jb> 



2 s 2 " 



