our elders from khurasan told me that abu alsalt alherawi was with alfadl ibn sahl the ruler of the two kingdoms in marv. he read to him a book written by alnadhr ibn shumayl and abu alsalt criticized him. alfadl was familiar with alnadhr alshumayli and was confident in his knowledge and inclined towards him. so he turned to abu alsalt and said to him yahya ibn khalid said one day my books are shown to those whose understanding is too thick to know them whose mind is too narrow to know them and whose knowledge does not reach the full extent of what is in them referring to ismail ibn subayh and he criticizes them and does not know what he is reading from them. however the fire of envy inflames him and he raves.
وأخبرني أشياخنا من أهل خراسان أن أبا الصلت الهروي كان عند الفضل بن سهل ذي الرياستين بمرو، فقرأ عليه كتابا ألفه النضضر بن شميل، فطعن أبو الصلت فيه، وكان الفضل عارفا بالنضر الشميلي، واثقا بعلمه، مائلا إليه، فأقبل على أبي الصلت وقال له إن يحيى بن خالد قال يوما إن كتبي لتعرض على من يغلظ فهمه عن معرفتها، ويجسو ذهنه عنها، ولا يبلغ أقصى علمه ما فيها يعرض بإسماعيل بن صبيح فيطعن فيها ولا يدري ما يقرأ عليه منها. إلا أن نار الحسد تلهبه فيهذي