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Prophets

Who was Abū Hurayra?

The companion who preserved more hadith than any other — by his own account because of a duʿāʾ the Prophet ﷺ made for his memory. The three years he spent in the Prophet's ﷺ constant company.

10 passages from 8 books in the library

Abū Hurayra was the companion who transmitted more hadith than any other, and the cited classical works draw heavily on his narrations. Across al-Ghazali's Iḥyāʾ and Ibn Kathir's histories, countless reports are introduced "from the hadith of Abū Hurayra," preserved by al-Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, and others. Al-Ghazali records the Prophet ﷺ addressing him directly, "O Abū Hurayra…," and the sources note that he embraced Islam and migrated comparatively late, yet became the foremost preserver of the Prophet's ﷺ words.

Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.

Where the answer comes from

The classical approach.

These passages are drawn from 8 books by Ibn Kathir and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.

Read them closely. If a passage doesn't sit right, open the full book in the library and listen to the chapter around it. Context in the classical tradition is everything.

Cover of The Story of Musa
The Story of Musa
Ibn Kathir · Stories of the Prophets

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "The messenger of Allah said, Do not give me superiority over the prophets. This is also authenticated in similar wording through Abu Huraira. The prophet's statement reflects humility and modesty, or it serves as a prohibition against showing favoritism among the prophets out of anger or partisanship. It is not for individuals to decide, as Allah has elevated some above others by revelation, not opinion. Some have claimed that the prophet said this before knowing his superiority, which was later abrogated. However, this is questionable because the narration comes from Abu Sa'id and Abu Huraira, and Abu Huraira didn't migrate until much later, making it unlikely he"

Cover of The Destroyed Nations & Yunus
The Destroyed Nations & Yunus
Ibn Kathir · Stories of the Prophets

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "Ibn Abi Hatim added: Abu Sakhr Humayd ibn Ziyad said: Ibn Qusayt informed me, while I was relating this hadith to him, that he heard Abu Hurayra say: He was cast upon the barren shore, and God caused a gourd plant to grow over him. We said: O Abu Hurayra, what is the yaqtina? He said: The gourd tree. Abu Hurayra said: And God made ready for him a wild mountain goat that fed on the creatures of the earth — or he said, on the tender growth of the earth. He said: It would spread its legs over him and give him its milk to drink every evening and every morning, until he grew strong again."

Cover of Book 22: The Book of Disciplining the Soul
Book 22: The Book of Disciplining the Soul
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "The hadith, "You will not satiate people with your wealth, so satiate them with a smiling face and good character," was recorded by al-Bazzar, Abu Ya’la, and al-Tabarani in "Merits of Morality" from Abu Huraira, with some paths of al-Bazzar having authentic narrators. The hadith, "Bad character spoils deeds as vinegar spoils honey," was recorded by Ibn Hibban among the weak narrations from Abu Huraira, and al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab from the hadiths of Ibn Abbas and Abu Huraira, both weakened by Ibn Jarir."

Cover of Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "The Prophet advised, "Allah has not beautified a person's character and form to feed them to the Fire. He also counseled Abu Huraira, "Adhere to good character." The first to enter Paradise are those who are God-fearing and possess good character, as narrated by al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim from Abu Huraira. Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, asked, "What is good character, O Messenger of Allah?"

Cover of Book 12: Book of Marriage
Book 12: Book of Marriage
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "In another narration, paradise is forbidden to her. The Hadith about women seeking cool from their husbands labeled them as hypocrites. It is narrated by al-Nasai from Abu Huraira's narration. He commented that al-Hassan did not hear it directly from Abu Huraira. He said, With this, I only heard it from Abu Huraira's narration."

Cover of The Story of Ibrahim
The Story of Ibrahim
Ibn Kathir · Stories of the Prophets

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "his hand, Who is there? She said, God has thwarted the unbelievers or an oppressor's scheme against himself, and he has given Hagar as a servant. Abu Huraira said, So that is your mother, O descendants of the sky's water. This narrative was uniquely related in this manner. The Hafiz Abu Bakr al-Bazaar narrated it from Abu Huraira from the Prophet peace be upon him, who said, Indeed, Abraham did not lie except three lies, all for God's sake, his saying, Indeed, I am sick, and his saying, Rather, the big one of them did it. While he was journeying in the land of a tyrant, he camped. The tyrant was informed, A man has camped here with a most beautiful woman."

Cover of Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
Ibn Kathir · Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "and keep Satan away from what you provide us, and they are granted a child, Satan will not harm him. Now, consider this narration from Abu Huraira. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of one of you when he sleeps, striking the place of each knot with you have a long night, so sleep. If he wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone. If he performs ablution, another knot is undone. If he prays, all his knots are undone, and he wakes up energetic and in good spirits. Otherwise, he wakes up in bad spirits, feeling lazy. There is another narration from Abu Huraira, where the Prophet, peace be"

  2. "Whoever eats with his left hand, the devil eats with him, and whoever drinks with his left hand, the devil drinks with him. Imam Ahmad reported that Abu Huraira said about the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he saw a man drinking while standing. The Prophet told him, spill it out. The man asked why, and the Prophet replied, Would it please you if a cat were to drink with you? The man said, No. The Prophet said, For indeed, one worse than him, the devil, has drunk with you. Imam Ahmad narrated from Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, If the one who drinks while standing knew what was in his stomach, he would vomit."

  3. "examined this. Al-Bukhari noted in his historical writings that some believe the narration originates from Qab al-Ahbar. This is considered more accurate, as Abu Huraira, who narrated it, often sat with Qab and learned from him. Abu Huraira then narrated what he heard from Qab, which was based on Qab's scriptures. Some narrators mistakenly elevated this to a saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, by affirming it with phrases like, The messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, took me by the hand. There is a notable strangeness in the text of this narration. It does not mention the creation of the heavens"

Cover of Al-Ghunya li-Ṭālibī Ṭarīq al-Ḥaqq — Volume One
Al-Ghunya li-Ṭālibī Ṭarīq al-Ḥaqq — Volume One
Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani · Timeless Classics
  1. "of Allah against disbelievers. Allah said in the story of Luqman, Enjoy what is right and forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said to Abu Huraira, O Abu Huraira, enjoy what is right and forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. This is especially true when dealing with a tyrannical ruler or when proclaiming the word of faith in the face of disbelief, as the jurists have agreed on this. The disagreement between us and them is in matters other than these two. Chapter. If one believes that the wrongdoing will not cease and will persist, is it"

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