When Al-Hajjaj came to Al Iraq, he asked about Sulaym Bin Qays.

When Al-Hajjaj came to Al Iraq, he asked about Sulaym Bin Qays. He fled from him, and came to us at Al-Nowbandajaan. He stayed with us at the house. I have never seen a man more intense in his reputation, nor more intense in his diligence, nor lengthier in his grief, nor more intense in being in isolation, nor more intense in abhorring publicity for himself, than him.

And I was of fourteen years of age in those days, and had read the Quran, and I used to ask him, so he narrated to me about the people of Badr. I heard numerous Hadith from him, from Umar bin Abu Salma, the son of Umm Salma -as , the wife of the Prophet -saww , and from Ma’az Bin Jabal, and from Salman Al Farsy -as , and from Ali -asws Bin Abu Talib -asws , and from Abu Dharr -ra , and Al-Miqdad -ra , and Ammar -ra , and Al-Bara’a Bin Aazib -ra .

Then he told me to conceal these, but did not take an oath from me with my right hand. قراءة سليم كتابه على أبان وتسليمه إياه فلم ألبث أن حضرته الوفاة، فدعاني وخلا بي وقال: يا أبان، إني قد جاورتك فلم أر منك إلا ما أحب. وإن عندي كتبا سمعتها عن الثقات وكتبتها بيدي، فيها أحاديث لا أحب أن تظهر للناس، لأن الناس ينكرونها ويعظمونها. وهي حق أخذتها من أهل الحق والفقه والصدق والبر، عن علي بن أبي طالب صلوات الله عليه وسلمان الفارسي وأبي ذر الغفاري والمقداد بن الأسود رضي الله عنهم.

وليس منها حديث أسمعه من أحدهم إلا سألت عنه الآخر حتى اجتمعوا عليه جميعا، فتبعتهم عليه، وأشياء بعد سمعتها من غيرهم من أهل الحق. Sulaym read his book to Abaan and submitted it to him It wasn’t long before, that death presented itself to him. He called me and was in seclusion with me, and said, ‘O Abaan, I have come close to you. I have not seen from you except what I like. And in my presence is a book of what I have heard from the reliable ones, and written it by my hand.

In this are Hadith, which I would not like you to display to the people, because the people will deny these and will magnify them. And this is the truth, which I have taken from the people of the truth, and the understanding, and the sincerity, and the goodness – from Ali Bin Abu Talib -asws , and Salman Al-Farsy -ra , and Abu Dharr Al-Ghaffary -ra , and Al-Miqdad Bin Al-Aswad -ra .

And there is no Hadith in it, which I have heard from one of them except that I asked about it to the other one until they all were in agreement with it. So I followed them, and there are things, which I heard afterwards from others, the people of the truth. وإني هممت حين مرضت أن أحرقها، فتأثمت من ذلك وقطعت به.