My father narrated to us. He said: `Abdullah b. Ja`far al-Himyari narrated to us from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. `Isa from his father from Muhammad b. Abi `Umayr from Muhammad b. Humran from Abi `Ubayda al-Hatha’. He said: Abu Ja`far said:

O Ziyad! Beware of argumentation, for it creates doubt, nullifies deeds, and degrades its doer. Perhaps a man may say something that he is not forgiven for. O Ziyad! There was once a community who left the required knowledge and sought unrequired knowledge, until they spoke of Allah [and His essence] and became perplexed by it; [so much so] that if a man were to call in front of them, they would reply to the back, and to the front if called from the back.