so he considers that it is not correct. He says to him: 'Stop, from where did you derive such-and-such [legal opinion], and from where did it come?'

Then Ibn 'Abbas would say: 'It comes from such-and-such,' until one day he mentioned the hoopoe and said: 'Stop, how do you claim that the hoopoe sees the depth of water from under the earth when dust may be sprinkled over a trap, and it is caught?' Ibn 'Abbas said: 'Were it not that this [man] would go and say such-and-such, and I would have to refute him, I would not have said anything to him. Verily, sight is beneficial as long as the decree (qadar) does not come; but when the decree comes, it comes between the eye and the sight.' Ibn al-Azraq said: 'I will never argue with you again about anything in the Book of Allah,' or he said: 'About anything.'

16214 - My father narrated to us, Musa ibn Isma'il narrated to us, Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from 'Ata' ibn al-Sa'ib and Kulthum ibn Jabr, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr: That when Solomon traveled, the humans would be next to him, and the jinn behind them, and the devils behind the jinn, and the birds above them shading them. When he wanted to stop at a place, he would call the hoopoe to inform him about the water. When it said, 'Here,' the devils would split the rocks and gush forth the springs before they could even set up their structures. So, he wanted to stop at a place and inspected the hoopoe but did not see it. He said: 'Why do I not see the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent?'

16215 - My father narrated to us, 'Abdullah ibn Raja' narrated to us, Isra'il informed us, from 'Abdullah ibn Habib al-Sulami, from 'Abdullah ibn Shaddad, he said: 'When Solomon traveled, the hoopoe would go out with him. It would guide him to water; it would look at the water just as some of us look at others. And he missed it, so he said what he said.'

16216 - Ahmad ibn 'Amr ibn Abi 'Asim al-Nabil narrated to us, my father 'Amr ibn al-Dahhak ibn Makhlad narrated to us, Shabib ibn Bishr informed us, from 'Ikrimah, he said: 'The hoopoe was the guide of Solomon, peace be upon him, to the water.' Ibn al-Azraq said, while arguing with him: 'How does it see the water in the earth when I set a trap for it that is thinner than this shirt of mine, and it does not perceive it until it falls around its neck?' Ibn 'Abbas said: 'Woe to you, O Ibn al-Azraq! The hoopoe is benefited by caution as long as the appointed time (ajal) does not come. But when the appointed time comes, caution does not benefit it; the decree comes between it and the sight.'

16217 - My father narrated to us, Sa'id ibn Sulayman narrated to us, Khalid narrated to us, from Husayn, from 'Abdullah ibn Shaddad, he said: 'When Solomon ibn Dawud wanted to travel, he would place his chair, and whoever he wanted of the jinn and humans would come. Then he would command the wind, and it would carry them. Then he would command the birds, and they would shade them.' He said: 'While he was traveling, they became thirsty. He said: "Do you see any distance of water?" They said: "We do not know." He inspected the hoopoe, and he had a position with him, and there was no bird there other than him. He said: "Why do I not see the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent?"'