2461 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Fārisī narrated to us; he said: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Makhlad narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shabīb ibn Khālid narrated to us; he said: Yaḥyā al-ʿAtakī narrated to us, saying:

Hārūn al-Rashīd asked Mālik, “What standing did Abū Bakr and ʿUmar have with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?”

He answered, “The same nearness they enjoy today—the proximity of their graves to his grave after his passing.”

Hārūn replied, “You have put my heart at ease, O Mālik.”