the view of the hadith scholars to be closer to fairness. May Allah reward them richly, and they deserve gratitude (sic). How could this not be so, when they are truly the heirs of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the genuine deputies of his sacred law? May Allah gather us among their company and cause us to die loving them and following their way.”
- “O people, ransom yourselves from Allah with Allah’s wealth. If one of you is too miserly to give his wealth to people, then let him begin with himself and give charity to himself: let him eat and clothe himself from what Allah has provided him.”
It was recorded by al-Khara’iti in Makarim al-Akhlaq (Noble Character) (54): Hammad ibn al-Hasan al-Warraq reported to us; Hibban ibn Hilal reported to us; Sulaym ibn Hayyan reported to us; Humayd ibn Hilal reported to us from Abu Qatada, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said this.
I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission. All its narrators are reliable and are among Muslim’s narrators, except Sulaym ibn Hayyan, whom Ahmad, Ibn Ma'in, and others declared reliable. His biographical notice appears in al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil (Narrator Criticism and Accreditation) (2/1/314).