802 - Muqatil ibn Salih al-Anmati informed us, saying: I heard Abbas al-Duri saying: 'Whenever we gathered with Ahmad ibn Hanbal to listen to hadith and these narrations concerning the faults [of the Companions] came up, Ahmad ibn Hanbal would withdraw until we finished. Then, when the narrator finished, he would return and listen.' Muqatil said: 'I also heard more than one shaykh recount this regarding Ahmad ibn Hanbal.'
٨٠٢ - وَأَخْبَرَنَا مُقَاتِلُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ الْأَنْمَاطِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عَبَّاسًا الدُّورِيَّ، يَقُولُ: كُنَّا إِذَا اجْتَمَعْنَا مَعَ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ نَسْمَعُ الْحَدِيثَ فَجَاءَتْ هَذِهِ الْأَحَادِيثُ فِي الْمَثَالِبِ، اعْتَزَلَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ حَتَّى نَفْرُغَ، فَإِذَا فَرَغَ الْمُحَدِّثُ رَجَعَ فَسَمِعَ، قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: وَسَمِعْتُ غَيْرَ شَيْخٍ يَحْكِي عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ هَذَا