then excuse us until it actually happens; once it does, we shall apply our minds and give you our considered opinion.

Al-Jurayri narrated—from Abu Nadrah—who said:
A man from among us, called Jabir—or perhaps Juyaybir—related:
“I went to ʿUmar, having been granted eloquence, and I began to speak about the worldly life, belittling it until I made it seem worth nothing. Sitting beside him was a man whose head, beard, and clothes were all white.
ʿUmar said, ‘All of what you have said is nearly correct—save your slighting of this world. Do you know what the world is? It contains the provision—or, he said, the supplies—that carry us to the Hereafter, and within it are the deeds for which we shall be repaid.’
I asked, ‘Who is this, Commander of the Believers?’
He replied, ‘This is the leader of the Muslims: Ubayy ibn Kaʿb.’ ⦗1⦘

Aṣram ibn Hawshab narrated—from Abu Jaʿfar al-Razi, from al-Rabiʿ ibn Anas, from Abu al-ʿAliyah—who said:
“Ubayy was a man wholly given to worship, but when the people came to need him he set worship aside and sat to serve them.” ⦗2⦘

ʿAwf narrated—from al-Hasan, from ʿUtayyi ibn Ḍamrah:
I said to Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, “What is the matter with you, O Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ? We come to you from distant lands hoping for good, yet you treat us with disregard.”
He replied, “By Allah, if I live until this coming Friday I will speak words about which I shall not care, whether you are embarrassed or kill me.”
When Friday arrived I went out and saw the people of Medina surging through its streets.
I asked, “What has happened?”
They said, “The leader of the Muslims, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, has died.” ⦗3⦘

I have already detailed the accounts of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb in ‘Tabaqat al-Qurraʾ’, mentioning that Ibn ʿAbbas, Abu al-ʿAliyah, and ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Saʾib recited to him, and that ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAyyash al-Makhzumi also recited