THE THIRD ASSEMBLY
In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful
The narrator of the report said: Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi said: I continued to frequent the house of Abu al-Maymun al-Hasan ibn Harun al-Samarra'i, the scribe, for a long time, asking him to complete for me all that he had heard from Abu al-Tahir Sabur ibn al-Qasim al-Zahid and what was related from him, but he would not grant me that. Then I came to him one day and found him laughing and cheerful, so I found an opportunity and drew near, kissed his hands and feet, and said to him: "O my master—may Allah make me your ransom—you have favored me with a grace that my mind cannot describe and my tongue is too weary to thank you for relating the discourse of the first two assemblies from the report of Abu al-Tahir Sabur ibn al-Qasim. If you wish to complete for me all that he related to you, what you heard from him, and what you saw, so that the favor remains yours over me." He looked down at the ground for an hour, scratching it with his finger, then raised his head to me and said: "O Muhammad ibn Yahya, indeed my tongue is too weary to mention what you asked me of, and my heart is constricted by it. However, I shall answer what you asked of me, if Allah the Almighty wills."
Then he ordered the gatekeeper to close the door and not to permit anyone to enter upon him. He brought me near and said to me: "Know, O Muhammad, that I was alone with my master Abu al-Tahir Sabur ibn al-Qasim twelve nights after his arrival from his journey. I found him cheerful, so I drew near to him and intended to kiss his hands, but he prevented me and said: 'What do you choose, O Abu al-Maymun?' I said to him: 'I would love for my master—may Allah prolong his glory for us and fulfill his wishes—to tell me about all that he saw during this absence, what he witnessed, and what he learned.' He said: 'With love and honor!' Then he drew me closer and said: 'O Abu al-Maymun, you have asked me about a magnificent matter. I have indeed witnessed great affairs and gathered reports the likes of which I do not think