1825 — Abū Bakr Abd Allāh ibn al-Abbās al-Tayālisī narrated to us. Hilāl ibn al-Alā al-Raqqī said: My father narrated to us. He said: Ishāq al-Azraq said: Abū Sinān narrated to us, from al-Dahhāk ibn Muzāhim, from al-Nazzāl ibn Sabra al-Hilālī, who said:

One day, we happened to find Ali ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—in good spirits and inclined to jest. We said, “O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about your companions.” He replied, “All the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—are my companions.”

We said, “Tell us about your own special companions.” He replied, “Every companion of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was also a companion of mine.”

We said, “Tell us about Abū Bakr.” He replied, “He is a man whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic, named al-Siddīq on the lips of Gabriel and Muhammad—may blessings and peace be upon them both. He was the successor to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Messenger accepted him for our religion, and so we accepted him for our worldly affairs.”

We said, “Tell us about Umar ibn al-Khattāb.” He replied, “He is a man whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic, named al-Fārūq. He distinguished truth from falsehood. I heard the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—say, ‘O Allah, strengthen Islam through Umar.’”

We said, “Tell us about Uthmān ibn Affān.” He replied, “He is a man who is called Dhū al-Nūrayn (the Possessor of the Two Lights) in the Highest Assembly. He was the Messenger of Allah’s son-in-law through two of his daughters, and a house in Paradise was guaranteed to him.”

We said, “Tell us about Talha ibn Ubayd Allāh.” He replied, “He is a man concerning whom a verse from the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, was revealed: ‘Among them are those who have fulfilled their vow, and among them are those who still await; and they have made no change whatsoever’ [al-Ahzāb: 23]. Talha is one of them; no reckoning awaits him for anything that lies ahead.”

They said, “O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwām.” He replied, “He is a man concerning whom I heard the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—say, ‘Every prophet has a devoted disciple, and my devoted disciple is al-Zubayr.’”

They said, “Then tell us about Hudhayfa.” He replied, “He is a man who knew the most perplexing and inscrutable matters, and he knew the names of the hypocrites. If you ask him about such things, you will find him knowledgeable about them.”

They said, “Then tell us about Abū Dharr.” He replied, “He is a man concerning whom I heard the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—say, ‘The green sky has shaded and the dusty earth has borne no one more truthful in speech than Abū Dharr.’ He pursued a degree of detachment from the world that others were unable to attain.”

They said, “O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about Salmān al-Fārisī.” He replied, “He is one of us, the People of the Household. He attained the knowledge of the former and latter generations. Where will you find another Luqman the Wise?”

We said, “Then tell us about Ibn Masūd.” He replied, “He is a man who recited the Quran, learned what it declared lawful and unlawful, and acted upon what it contained; then he settled beside it and made his camp there.”

We said, “Then tell us about Ammār ibn Yāsir.” He replied, “He is a man concerning whom I heard the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—say, ‘Allah, Mighty and Majestic, suffused his entire being with faith, from the crown of his head to his feet, and mingled faith with his flesh and blood. He moves with the truth wherever it moves, and it is not fitting for the Fire to consume any part of him.’”

They said, “O Commander of the Faithful, tell us about yourself.” He replied, “Enough! Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden self-praise.”

They said, “O Commander of the Faithful, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says, ‘And proclaim the blessing of your Lord’ [al-Duhā: 11].”

He replied, “I was a man who, whenever I initiated a question, was given an answer, and whenever I remained silent, was addressed first. Within my breast is indeed an abundance of knowledge. Ask me.”