[Ibn Battah with his chain of narration] to Yahyā Ibn Saʽīd Al-Qattān (d. 198H) who said: “When Sufyān Ath-Thawrī (d. 161H) entered Basrah he started to look into the affair of Ar-Rabī’ Ibn Subayh and his station with people. So he asked: “What is his creed?”
They replied: “His creed is not except the Sunnah.”
So he asked: “Who are his associates?”
They said: “The people who deny the Pre-Decree (Ahlul-Qadr).”