799 - Abu Bakr al-Marwudhi informed us, saying: I heard Abu Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal] say: "There are people who write down these wretched hadiths concerning the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They have reported from you that you said: 'I do not deny that a student of hadith might write these hadiths to know them.'" He became angry and denied it vehemently, saying: "False! May Allah forbid. I do not deny this? If this were said about ordinary people, I would denounce it; how then could it be regarding the Companions of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?" He also said: "I have never written these hadiths." I asked Abu Abd Allah: "So, whoever you know to be writing these wretched hadiths and collecting them, should he be shunned (hajr)?" He replied: "Yes, the possessor of these wretched hadiths deserves to be stoned [as a severe condemnation]." Abu Abd Allah added: "Abd al-Rahman ibn Salih came to me, and I said to him: 'Do you narrate these hadiths?' He began saying: 'So-and-so narrated them, and so-and-so narrated them.' I was being gentle with him while he was arguing his case, but I saw him afterwards, turned away from him, and did not speak to him."