greetings to those whom one knows and those whom one does not know, and taught that doing so causes love to spread among Muslims—a love that leads to faith, through which entry into Paradise is attained. This is stated in the hadith narrated by Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), who reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You will not enter Paradise until you have faith, and you will not have faith until you love one another. Shall I not direct you to something which, if you do it, will cause you to love one another? Spread greetings of peace among yourselves.”
Recorded by Muslim (1).
35 — Seeking Knowledge from the Lesser Ones:
Imam ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubārak narrated through his chain from Abū Umayya al-Jumahī (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Three things are among the signs of the Hour. One of them is that knowledge will be sought from the lesser ones…” (2).
Imam ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubārak was asked who “the lesser ones” were. He replied: “Those who speak according to their own opinions. As for a young person from whom a senior scholar narrates, he is not one of the lesser ones.”
He also said concerning this: “Knowledge came to them through their lesser ones—meaning the people of