Imam Sha’bi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: A man came and asked about something. I said,“Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says such and such about this.”He said,“What is your opinion?”Sha’bi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Are you not amazed at this man? I told him that Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says this, and he says,“Tell me your opinion,”even though my method (i.e., narrating the opinions of others) is more preferable to me. By Allah, I would rather go around singing songs than express my own opinion.