348 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Isḥāq ibn Ismāʿīl narrated to us; he said: Jarīr narrated to us, from ʿAṭāʾ ibn al-Sāʾib, who said—I think from Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān—that Abū Dharr said:

“You are living in a time when those who ask are few and those who give are many, when jurist-scholars are numerous and preachers are scarce; in such a time, acting upon knowledge is better than following one’s desires. Yet after you there will come a time when those who ask are many, those who give are few, the jurist-scholars will be few and the preachers many; in that age, following one’s desires will be better than action.”