Abu al-Qasim Harun al-Qattan said to me: By God, I heard my master the Sheikh Abu Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasibi—may God sanctify his soul—say: "The Donkey that God cited as an example saying: {The likeness of those who were charged with the Torah then did not carry it is like the likeness of a donkey carrying books. Wretched is the likeness of the people who denied the signs of God. And God does not guide the wrongdoing people}1 is Ishaq al-Ahmar; because he related of the science of God—Majestic is His name—that which he did not realize for a single hour, nor accepted it, nor affirmed it."
By his narration he said: I asked my sheikh Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Abd Allah al-Muqri—may God be pleased with them both—regarding Zazamid—may God curse him—why was he named Sadfan? He replied: "The people disagreed regarding him. A group of his companions—may God curse them—said: His mother could not keep a child alive. When she gave birth to him, she brought him to the House and said: 'O Lord of the Ancient House, revive this child for me.' Suddenly a hand emerged hovering over him, saying: 'O handmaid of God, in truth, receive tidings of the safety of this child, the Ancient (al-Atiq), known in the Torah and the Gospel as the Truthful (al-Siddiq).2'"
The narrators have agreed without disagreement that Zazamid had shed blood in the Age of Ignorance. The Arabs, when they wished to kill a man, would bring him to the Structure (al-Baniyya [Ka'ba]) and cast him by its side uncovered, pitching a canopy around him. Then the one who wished to kill him or his neck would enter with his sword unsheathed in his hand saying: "O for the blood-wit of the beloveds!" When he drew near, he would either kill him or say to him: "Rise, for I have freed (ataqtuka) you for this Structure." Indeed Zazamid—may God curse him—killed a son of Abu Quhafa, so he [the father] did to him what we mentioned and freed him; thus he was named the Freedman (Atiq) of Abu Quhafa.