Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn (May Allāh have mercy on him) was a cloth merchant

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn al-Anṣārī al-Baṣrī’s father was the ex-slave of Anas ibn Mālik (May Allāh be pleased with him), and his mother, Ṣafiyyah, used to belong to Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (May Allāh be pleased with him). One of the jurists of Baṣrah and an interpreter of dreams, he was a short statured individual with a large belly and a part in his hair. He was given to laughing and joking, but when death was mentioned his demeanor would change. He used to fast every other day, and was never seen to have raised his voice above his mothers. He died on Jumah, the 9th of Shawwāl in the year 110 A.H.

He studied with companions like Abū Hurairah, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar, ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Zubair, ’Imrān ibn al-Huṣain, and Anas ibn Mālik (May Allāh be pleased with them all), and the great Tāb’ī Shuraih al-Qādhi (May Allāh have mercy on him), etc.

Some of his students and people who narrate from him are: Qatādah, Ibn ‘Awn, Yazīd ibn Ibrāhīm al-Tustarī²⁵, Sulaimān ibn al-Mughīrah, etc.²⁶

Imām Dhahabī writes that Muhammad ibn Jarīr al-Tabrī described Ibn Sīrīn as a jurist, a scholar, [someone who was] very pious, courteous, having many narrations, and reliable. He further states that the people of knowledge and virtue testified that he was like that.²⁷

He has a statement that is commonly quoted: “This knowledge is religion, so look at who you are taking your religion from.”²⁸

His student, Hishām ibn Ḥassān, said that Muḥammad [Ibn Sīrīn] was a merchant, but if he became doubtful about anything he would leave it.²⁹

Abū ‘Awānah states that he saw Ibn Sīrīn in the marketplace, and no one looked at him except that they would remember Allāh.³⁰

Abū Shihāb al-Ḥanāt relates on the authority of Hishām that once Ibn Sīrīn bought some merchandise and managed to get a profit of eighty-thousand from it, however some doubt entered his heart so he got rid of all of it.³¹

Ḥafṣah, the daughter of Ibn Sīrīn, reports that her grandmother, [Ṣafiyyah], was from Hijāz and she really liked dyed cloth. Whenever Muhammad would buy cloth for her he would get the softest he could find. And on the day of ‘Īd he would dye cloth for her. She further states that she never saw him raise his voice at [his mother].³²

Abū Kudainah relates on the authority of Ibn ‘Awn that whenever counterfeit or bad money would come into Ibn Sīrīn’s possession he wouldn’t buy anything with it, so when he died he had five hundred such coins in his possession.³³