Those who disliked storytelling and beat people for it

Nafi' said that Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: There was no storytelling in the time of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). It only began in the time of the tribulation.

Abu Uthman said that one of the governors of Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to him: There are some people here who gather and supplicate for the Muslims and for the ruler. At this Sayyiduna Umar wrote back to him: Come yourself, and bring those people to me with you. So he came. Sayyiduna Umar said to the doorkeeper: Get a whip ready for me. When they entered upon Sayyiduna Umar, he set about beating their leader with the whip. At this he said: O Commander of the Believers! We are not the people you take us for. Those are people who have come from the direction of the east.

Abu Abd al-Rahman said that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a man giving admonition. He asked him: Do you know the abrogating and the abrogated? He replied: No. He said: You have destroyed yourself and you have destroyed others.

Abdullah bin Khabbab said: My father saw me with a storyteller. When I returned, he took hold of a staff and said: This is a horn that has risen with the Amalekites.

Ibrahim al-Taymi said: What moved me to establish this gathering of mine is that I saw in a dream as if I were distributing basil (rayhan) among the people. Then I mentioned this dream to Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, and he said: Basil is indeed beautiful, but its taste is bitter.

Uqbah bin Hurayth said that a man who was a storyteller came and sat in the gathering of Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Get up from our gathering. But he refused to stand. Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) sent word to the chief of police: Remove this storyteller. So he sent someone and had him removed.

Abu Wa'il said that Alqamah was asked: Why do you not give us admonition? He said: I dislike commanding you to do what I do not do myself.

Abdullah bin Abi al-Hudhayl said that Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) saw his son with a storyteller. When he returned, Khabbab wrapped on his lower garment, took hold of a whip and said: Are you with the Amalekites?! This is a horn that has risen!

Mujahid said that a man who was a storyteller came and sat close to Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). He said to him: Get up. But he refused to get up. So he sent a messenger to the chief of police, who sent an officer and had him removed.

Ibn Sirin said that news reached Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man in Basrah was giving admonition through storytelling. So he wrote to him: Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the clear Book. We have sent down the Qur'an in Arabic so that you may understand. We narrate to you the best of stories. The narrator said that the man understood and gave up storytelling.

Ibrahim said: There is no one among those who give admonition for whom I have greater hope that he will come through it safely, meaning Ibrahim al-Taymi, and I wish that he might come through it merely even, with nothing in his favour and nothing against him.

Abu al-Darda', who was a neighbour of Salamah, said: I asked Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), or a man asked her: May I go to a storyteller so that he may supplicate for me? She said: That you supplicate for yourself is better than that a storyteller supplicate for you.

Ubaydullah bin Umar said that Nafi' said: There was no storyteller in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor in the time of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, nor in the time of Sayyiduna Umar, nor in the time of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them).

Jubayr bin Nufayr al-Hadrami said that Umm al-Darda' sent him to Nawfal bin so-and-so, who was sitting in the mosque with a certain preacher and giving admonition. She said: Tell the two of them: Fear Allah, and let your admonishing of people be for your own selves.

Ubayd bin al-Hasan said that Ibn Ma'qil said: There was a man who was constantly giving admonition. Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Spread out your merchandise before the one who wants it.