حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي ثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ثَنَا أَبُو هَارُونَ الْغَنَوِيُّ عَنْ مُطَرِّفٍ (بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ) قَالَ: قَالَ لِي عِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: أَيْ مُطَرِّفُ! وَاللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُ لَأَرَى أَنِّي لَوْ شِئْتُ حَدَّثْتُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ لَا أُعِيدُ حَدِيثًا، ثُمَّ لَقَدْ زَادَ بِي بُطْءً عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَكَرَاهِيَّةً لَهُ أَنَّ رِجَالًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوْ مِنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَهِدْتُ كَمَا شَهِدُوا وَسَمِعْتُ كَمَا سَمِعُوا يُحَدِّثُونَ أَحَادِيثَ مَا هِيَ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ، وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَ عَنِ الْخَيْرِ، فَأَخَافُ أَنْ يُشَبَّهَ لِي كَمَا شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ، فَكَانَ أَحْيَانًا يَقُولُ: لَوْ حَدَّثْتُكُمْ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ مِنْ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، رَأَيْتُ أَنِّي قَدْ صَدَقْتُ، وَأَحْيَانًا يَعْزِمُ فَيَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: كَذَا وَكَذَا
Mutarrif bin Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Sayyiduna Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: "O Mutarrif! By Allah! I used to think that if I narrated the ahadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for two consecutive days, there would not be a need to repeat a hadith a second time. But then I noticed that laziness began to overcome me and I started to dislike this, and the reason is that some of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to attend the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as I did and used to hear the ahadith as I did, but when they narrate the ahadith, they are not as I narrate them, and I also know that they do not fall short in goodness. Now I fear that perhaps the matter (of ahadith) may become confused for me as it became confused for them." Sometimes Sayyiduna Imran (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: "If I tell you that I heard such and such ahadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then I would think that I am telling the truth," and sometimes he would say with great determination: "I heard the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say such and such."