أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيل بْنُ أَبَانَ ، أَخْبَرَنِي حَاتِمٌ هُوَ ابْنُ إِسْمَاعِيل ، عَنْ عِيسَى ، عَنْ الشَّعْبِيِّ ، قَالَ : جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ يَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ، فَقَالَ :" كَانَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ فِيهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، قَالَ : أَخْبِرْنِي أَنْتَ بِرَأْيِكَ، فَقَالَ : أَلَا تَعْجَبُونَ مِنْ هَذَا؟ أَخْبَرْتُهُ عَنْ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، وَيَسْأَلُنِي عَنْ رَأْيِي، وَدِينِي عِنْدِي آثَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَاللَّهِ لَأَنْ أَتَغَنَّى أُغْنِيَّةً أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُخْبِرَكَ بِرَأْيِي "

Ismail bin Aban told us, Hatim, who is the son of Ismail, told me on the authority of Isa, on the authority of Al-Sha’bi, he said: A man came to him asking him about Something, and he said: “Ibn Masoud used to say such-and-such about it. He said: Tell me what you think. So he said: Aren’t you surprised by this? I told him.” On the authority of Ibn Masoud, and he asks me about my opinion, and my religion is better than that, and by God, for me to sing a song is more beloved to me than to tell you "In my opinion"