Bishr b. al-Ḥārith, Abū Naṣr (b. c.152/769, d. 227/841 or 842), called al-Ḥāfī ("the barefoot"), was an ascetic famous for his rejection of worldly endeavours, among which he included the study of ḥadīth . He was born in the vicinity of Merv, to an eminent Iranian family of early converts to Islam and supporters of the ʿAbbāsid revolution. He was a fatā , that is, a member of a young men's brotherhood or gang of bandits. At an unknown date he moved to Iraq, evidently to