So they were forbidden from questioning to such an extent...

So they were forbidden from questioning to such an extent that they were glad if a desert Arab would come and ask, and they would listen. I ('Ali) used to visit the Messenger of Allah, habitually,[^12] every night and every day in strict privacy, when he used to answer me concerning what I asked, and I used to go about him wherever he went. The companions of the Messenger of Allah knew (full well) that he did not act in this manner with anyone else.

And this (private conversation) would often take place in my house. And whenever I would visit him at some of…