English Translation

Ishaq ibn Isa told me, Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd told us, from his father, from Ata' ibn Yasar, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: We were sitting writing down what we heard from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He came out to us and said: "What is this that you are writing?" We said: "What we hear from you." He said: "A book alongside the Book of Allah?" We said: "Only what we hear." He said: "Write the Book of Allah, keep the Book of Allah pure — is it a book other than the Book of Allah? Keep the Book of Allah pure, or purify it." So we gathered what we had written in one place and burned it with fire. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, may we narrate about you?" He said: "Yes, narrate about me, there is no harm, but whoever lies about me deliberately, let him take his seat in the Fire." We said: "O Messenger of Allah, may we narrate about the Children of Israel?" He said: "Yes, narrate about the Children of Israel, there is no harm, for you will not narrate anything about them except that there was something even more amazing among them."