40488 - He said: And in the narration of Abu Sa'id: A man entered upon him and said: "Between me and you is the Book of Allah." So he went out and left him. Then a man called "the Black Death" entered upon him, strangled him and strangled him, then went out. He said: "By Allah, I have never seen anything softer than (his throat), by Allah, I strangled him until I saw his soul fluttering in his body like the soul of a jinn." Then another man entered upon him and said: "Between me and you is the Book of Allah," and the mushaf was in front of him. So he reached for him with the sword, and (he defended himself) with his hand, so he cut it off—I do not know whether he severed it completely or cut it without severing it. ⦗429⦘ He said: "By Allah, it is the first hand (that wrote) the separation."