an imam. (1)
He would then say, “By Allah, O people of Islam, my hire with them was no more than a dry crust of bread and a weary trudge on a dark, dusty night. Then Allah married her to me, so I would mount when they mounted, serve when they served, and dismount when they dismounted.”

Ibrāhīm ibn Yaʿqūb al-Jawzjānī (2) reported: al-Ḥajjāj ibn Nuṣayr (3) narrated to us, Ḥilāl ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ḥanafī narrated to us, from ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Maymūnah, from Abū Salamah, who said:

Abū Hurayrah and Abū Dharr declared, “One chapter of knowledge that we learn is dearer to us than a thousand units of voluntary prayer, and one chapter that we teach—whether we act upon it or not—is dearer to us than a hundred units of voluntary prayer.

We heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘If death comes to the seeker of knowledge while he is in that state, he dies as a martyr.’”

This ḥadith is gharīb in this chain. (4)

More than one narrator related from Abū Hurayrah that in his prostration he used to seek refuge from committing fornication, theft, disbelief, or any major sin. Someone asked him, “Do you really fear that for yourself?” He replied, “What safety do I have while Iblīs is alive, and the Turner of hearts turns them as He wills?” (5)

His daughter once said to him, “Father, the other girls reproach me, saying, ‘Why does your father not adorn you with gold?’” He answered, “My dear child, tell them: ‘My father fears for me the heat of the Flame.’” (6)

[Abū Hurayrah said: (7) “I came to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and stood by him while he was glorifying Allah after the prayer, waiting for him. When he finished, I drew near and said, ‘Teach me some verses from the Book of Allah.’ He replied, ‘All you really want is food.’ He then recited to me verses from Sūrat Āl ʿImrān. When we reached his house, he went inside and left me at the door, and he took a long time. I thought to myself, ‘He is changing his clothes and will then order some food for me,’ but nothing came. When the wait grew too long, I got up and walked away.

I met the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said to me, ‘O Abū Hurayrah, the odor (8) of your mouth tonight is quite strong!’ I replied, ‘Yes, Messenger of Allah. I have been fasting all day, I have not yet broken my fast, and I have nothing with which to break it.’ He said, ‘Come with me.’ I went with him until we reached his house. He summoned a black servant-girl of his and said, ‘Bring us that…’”}