181 – ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; my father narrated to us; Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd narrated to us; Shuʿbah narrated to us; ʿUmar ibn Sulaymān—one of the descendants of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—narrated to me, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abān ibn ʿUthmān, from his father:

Zayd ibn Thābit once came out from Marwān’s residence around midday. We said, “He would not have sent for him at this hour unless he wanted to ask about something.” So I went up to Zayd and questioned him. He replied, “Indeed, he asked us about some matters I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:

‘May Allah brighten the face of a person who hears a saying from us, commits it to memory, and then conveys it to someone else. For it may be that one who carries understanding (fiqh) is himself without understanding, and it may be that he conveys it to one who is more understanding than he is.

There are three qualities against which the heart of a Muslim will never harbor treachery:

1. sincerity of deeds for Allah,
2. offering sincere counsel to those in authority, and
3. holding fast to the united community; for their collective supplication surrounds all who stand behind them.’”