Hammād ibn Salamah narrated—from Thābit, from Anas—that Abū Mūsā once recited the Qur’an during the night, and the Messenger of Allah’s wives stood listening to his recitation. When morning came and he was informed of this, he said, “Had I known, I would have embellished it with the finest adornment and stirred the hearts with yearning.” (1)

Al-Aʿmash narrated—from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, from Abū al-Bakhtarī—who said: We came to ʿAlī and asked him about the Companions of Muhammad ﷺ. He replied, “Which of them are you asking about?” We said, “Ibn Masʿūd.” He said, “He mastered the Qur’an and the Sunnah, then reached their pinnacle; that is knowledge enough for him.” We asked, “Abū Mūsā?” He said, “He was steeped in knowledge and then moved on from it.” We asked, “Ḥudhayfah?” He answered, “He is the Companion of Muhammad who knows the hypocrites best.” They asked, “Salman?” He said, “He attained the knowledge of the first generations and of the last—a sea whose depths cannot be reached—and he is of us, the People of the Household (ahl al-bayt).” They asked, “Abū Dharr?” He said, “He stored away knowledge that overtaxed him.” Then he was asked about himself, and he said, “Whenever I asked, I was given; and whenever I kept silent, I was prompted.” (2)

Abū Isḥāq reported that he heard al-Aswad ibn Yazīd say, “I have not seen anyone in Kūfah more knowledgeable than ʿAlī and Abū Mūsā.” (3)

Masrūq said, “Judicial authority among the Companions rested with six: ʿUmar, ʿAlī, Ibn Masʿūd, Ubayy, Zayd, and Abū Mūsā.” (4)