nor anyone who was more attentive to a guest than Abū Hurayrah.

I once entered his house while he was reclining on his bed. Beside him was a small pouch containing date stones—-or perhaps pebbles—its bottom blackened. He would glorify Allah, dropping them toward her; when he finished, he would hand her the pouch, she would pour the stones back into it, then pass it to him, and he would begin again. (1)

It is also said that the Prophet ﷺ placed al-‘Alā’ ibn al-Ḥaḍramī in command and sent Abū Hurayrah with him as the mu’adhdhin (caller to prayer). (2)

Abū Hurayrah’s extraordinary power of retention was itself one of the prophetic miracles.

Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā al-Zaman reported: Abū Bakr al-Ḥanafī narrated to us, ‘Abd Allāh ibn Abī Yahyā narrated: I heard Sa‘īd ibn Abī Hind narrate from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Will you not ask me for a share of these spoils, as your companions are doing?” I replied, “I ask you only to teach me some of what Allah has taught you.”

He then removed a namira (striped cloak) that was on my back and spread it between us, until I could almost see the ants crawling upon it. He related hadith to me, and when I had fully absorbed his words, he said, “Gather it up and fold it to yourself.” From that morning on I never allowed a single letter of what he had taught me to slip from memory. (3)

Ibn Shihāb narrated from Sa‘īd and Abū Salamah that Abū Hurayrah said: “You people say, ‘Abū Hurayrah transmits far too many hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,’ and you say, ‘What…’”