حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، قَالَ‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ بْنِ سَرِيعٍ قَالَ‏:‏ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْتُ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، قَدْ مَدَحْتُ اللَّهَ بِمَحَامِدَ وَمِدَحٍ، وَإِيَّاكَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ‏:‏ أَمَا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يُحِبُّ الْحَمْدَ، فَجَعَلْتُ أُنْشِدُهُ، فَاسْتَأْذَنَ رَجُلٌ طُوَالٌ أَصْلَعُ، فَقَالَ لِيَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ اسْكُتْ، فَدَخَلَ، فَتَكَلَّمَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ خَرَجَ، فَأَنْشَدْتُهُ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَسَكَّتَنِي، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ، فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا، فَقُلْتُ‏:‏ مَنْ هَذَا الَّذِي سَكَّتَّنِي لَهُ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ هَذَا رَجُلٌ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْبَاطِلَ‏.‏

Al-Aswad ibn Suray' said, "I came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger of Allah, I have praised Allah and you in poems of praise and eulogies.' He said, 'As far as your Lord is concerned, He must be praised,' and so I began to recite them. Then a tall bald man asked for permission to enter. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told me, 'Be silent.' The man came in and spoke for a time and then left. Then I recited again. Then the other man came back and he made be silent again. Then the man left again. That happened two or three times. I asked, 'Who is this man for whom I must be silent?' He replied, 'This is a man who does not like vain things.'"