«مَا أَرَاكَ سُمْتَ شَطَطًا وَلَا رُمْتَ فُرُطًا»
I do not think you demanded an excess or pursued anything immoderate.
The governor takes the elder’s behaviour as moderate. Shaṭaṭ signifies excess, and furuṭ overstepping limits. Al-Ḥārith, however, notices the artfulness of the old man’s argumentation. The irony is that the judge praises the performance just as the narrator begins to recognise a familiar technique.
«فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُ حِجَجَ الشَّيْخِ كَالْحُجَجِ السُّرَيْجِيَّةِ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ عَلَمُ السُّرُوجِيَّةِ»
When I found the elder’s arguments resembling the Suraijī-style arguments, I realised he must be the celebrated figure from Sarūj.
Ḥujaj is the plural of argument or proof. The near-echo surayjiyyah / surūjiyyah is a literary clue: the words sound related but refer to different associations. Al-Ḥārith recognises a signature style of pleading. He delays confronting the man publicly, so the next episode can unfold away from the crowd.