for indeed Abraham—may Allah’s blessings be upon him—was on earth when there was no knowledge in it, so Allah granted him knowledge. If I die, then seek knowledge from four men: ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿud, Salman the Persian, ʿAbd Allah ibn Salam, and ʿUwaymir Abū al-Dardāʾ. (1)

Ibn Lahiʿah, on the authority of Abū al-Aswad, from ʿUrwah, said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed Muʿadh over Mecca when he set out for Hunayn, and he ordered him to teach them the Quran and the religion.” (2)

Abū Qaḥdham al-Naḍr ibn Maʿbad, on the authority of Abū Qilābah and Ibn ʿUmar, said:
“ʿUmar passed by Muʿadh while he was weeping and asked, ‘What makes you weep?’
He replied, ‘A report I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: “The slightest degree of ostentation (3) is shirk, and the servants most beloved to Allah are the devout, hidden ones: when they are absent they are not missed, and when they are present they are not recognized. They are the lamps of knowledge and the leaders of guidance.” (4)’”

Al-Ḥākim recorded it and declared it sound, but others disagreed, for al-Nasāʾī said: “Abū Qaḥdham is not trustworthy.”

Yūsuf ibn Muslim reported to us: ʿUbayd ibn Tamīm narrated to us, al-Awzāʿī, from ʿUbādah ibn—