Ibn Wahb said: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith narrated to us, from Yazīd ibn Ziyād al-Quraẓī, that Thaʿlabah ibn Abī Mālik al-Quraẓī told him:
Abu Hurayrah once came through the marketplace carrying a bundle of firewood—on that day he was governor on behalf of Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam. He called out, “Clear the way for the emir, O son of Abī Mālik!” I replied, “May Allah have mercy on you; that is enough.” He insisted, “Clear the way for the emir, even though the bundle is still on his back.” (1)(2)

He possessed many virtues and distinctions, eloquent speech, and abundant admonitions. He embraced Islam—as we mentioned earlier—in the year of Khaybar, and thereafter clung to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, parting from him only when the Prophet sent him with al-ʿAlāʾ ibn al-Ḥaḍramī to Bahrain, having charged al-ʿAlāʾ to look after him. Al-ʿAlāʾ made him the muʾadhdhin (caller to prayer) before him, and Abu Hurayrah said to him, “O emir, do not precede me in saying ʾĀmīn.” ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb later appointed him over Bahrain during his caliphate and took half of his surplus along with that of the other governors.

ʿAbd al-Razzāq said: Maʿmar narrated to us, from Ayyūb, from Ibn Sīrīn: ʿUmar appointed Abu Hurayrah over Bahrain, and he returned with ten thousand. ʿUmar said to him, “You have appropriated these funds, O enemy of Allah and enemy of His Book!” Abu Hurayrah replied, “I am not an enemy of Allah nor of His Book; rather I am the enemy of whoever is their enemy.” ʿUmar asked, “Then where did you get this?” He answered, “Horses that have foaled, revenue from my land, my slaves, and stipends that kept coming to me.” They investigated and found it exactly as he had said. Later, ʿUmar summoned him again to appoint him, but Abu Hurayrah refused. ʿUmar said, “You dislike office when someone better than you sought it? Joseph, peace be upon him, asked for it!” He replied, “Joseph was a prophet, the son of a prophet, the son of a prophet, the son of a prophet, while I am Abu Hurayrah, the son of Umaymah (3). I fear three—and two more besides.” ʿUmar said, “Why did you not say five outright?” He said, “I fear that I might speak without knowledge, judge without forbearance, that my back be beaten, that my property be seized, and that my honour be maligned (4).”

Another report states that ʿUmar fined him twelve thousand for that first term of office; for that reason he refused the second.

ʿAbd al-Razzāq also related, from Maʿmar, from Muḥammad ibn Ziyād: Muʿāwiyah used to send Abu Hurayrah as governor over Medina. Whenever he became angry with him, he would dismiss him and appoint Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam. When Abu Hurayrah returned to Marwān, Marwān would bar him from Muʿāwiyah, so Muʿāwiyah removed Marwān and reinstated Abu Hurayrah. Abu Hurayrah then told his servant, “Whoever comes to you, do not turn him away—but refuse Marwān admittance.” When Marwān arrived, the servant pushed him in the chest, and he did not gain entry except with difficulty. Once inside he said, “The lad kept us from you.” Abu Hurayrah replied, “You, of all people, have the least right to be upset about that.” What is more widely known, however, is that Marwān was the one who would deputise Abu Hurayrah in the governorship of Medina—though this was always with Muʿāwiyah’s permission. Allah knows best.