Why is Abū Hurayrah the most prolific narrator of Prophetic traditions?

Aḏ-Ḏahabī absolved Abū Hurayrah [may Allāh be pleased with him] of any criticism, stating that he was “a leader in the Qurʾān, the Sunnah, and jurisprudence,”¹ and further describing him as “the imām, the jurist, the mujtahid (one qualified to exercise ijtihād i.e., independent reasoning in Islamic law) the memorizer, the Companion of the Prophet (PBUH), Abū Hurayrah ad-Dawsī al-Yamanī, the master of reliable memorizers.”² He also affirmed that “Abū Hurayrah was the foremost in memorizing what he heard from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) and conveying it accurately, preserving its wording,”³ and remarked, in rhetorical emphasis, “who can be compared to Abū Hurayrah in memorization and the breadth of his knowledge?”⁴ Similarly, ash-Shāfiʿī stated: “Abū Hurayrah was the best at memorizing Prophetic traditions in his time.”⁵ It is noteworthy that, in light of the vastness of Abū Hurayrah’s knowledge, al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī [may Allāh be pleased with them both] agreed with his opinion.⁶

The enemies of Islam often argue that Abū Hurayrah spent only a short time with the Prophet (PBUH), yet he narrated so many traditions, while the senior Companions, who were in the Prophet (PBUH)’s company for much longer, did not narrate as many. However, Abū Hurayrah stands at the head of the list of Ḥadīth (Prophetic traditions) transmitters, for from the time of his conversion to Islam until the death of the Prophet (PBUH), he accompanied him constantly. Like a shadow, he remained in his presence, memorizing his words throughout the day. He had ample time at his disposal, as he did not occupy himself with trade like many of the Muhājirūn (the emigrants from Makkah), nor did he own land to cultivate like many of the Anṣār (the residents of al-Madīnah). For this reason, he remained with the Prophet (PBUH) in al-Madīnah and accompanied him on journeys and expeditions. That Abū Hurayrah spent most of his time with the Prophet (PBUH), and that this was the reason he knew more Ḥadīth than any other Companion, is clearly indicated in a report from the venerable Companion ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, who said to abū Hurayrah: “O Abū Hurayrah, you were the most inseparable from the Prophet (peace be upon him), and you memorized far more of his Ḥadīth than any of us.”⁷ Indeed, this statement testifies to the pre-eminence of Abū Hurayrah. The period between his arrival in al-Madīnah and the death of the Prophet (PBUH) spanned four years, during which he remained constantly at the Prophet (PBUH)’s side. As ibn Ḥajar stated: “Abū Hurayrah used to go around with the Prophet (PBUH) and enter his house; he performed pilgrimage with him and went on military expeditions with him; and he accompanied him in all his doings day and night until he acquired abundant knowledge from him; and he became an authoritative source of fatwá (Islamic legal opinion on matters) for the Companions after the death of the Prophet (PBUH).”⁸

About twenty-eight Companions, including Zayd ibn Thābit, abū Ayyūb al-ʾAnṣārī, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās, ʿAbd Allāh ibn az-Zubayr, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Anas ibn Mālik, and ʿĀʾishah [may Allāh be pleased with them all], narrated from Abū Hurayrah, as they trusted his knowledge due to his constant companionship with the Prophet (PBUH). After the passing of the Prophet (PBUH), he taught Prophetic traditions to more than eight hundred students from the Tābiʿūn (Successors of the Companions), who in turn narrated from him. Al-Bukhārī stated: “Eight hundred or more people narrated from him.”⁹ Another point worth mentioning is that Abū Hurayrah lived for nearly half a century after the passing of the Prophet (PBUH), passing away around 58 A.H. At that time, Muslims had to seek information about religion and jurisprudential rulings indirectly. Abū Hurayrah, therefore, generously imparted the store of knowledge he had so meticulously accumulated. He possessed an extraordinary gift: his remarkable memory. Allāh granted him this great memory in response to the supplication of the Prophet (PBUH), who asked Allāh to strengthen it. He narrated: “I said, ‘O Allāh’s Messenger, I hear many ḥadīths (Prophetic traditions) from you but I forget them.’ He said, ‘Spread your cloak.’ I spread my cloak, and he moved both his hands as if scooping something and emptying it [into the cloak]. He then said: ‘Embrace it.’ I embraced it, and since then I have never forgotten anything.”¹⁰ Muḥammad ibn Qays narrated that a person came to Zayd ibn Thābit [may Allāh be pleased with him] and asked him about a masʾalah (a matter of knowledge). Zayd replied: “You should be asking Abū Hurayrah, because once I, abū Hurayrah, and another person were in the mosque, supplicating to Allāh and engaging in remembrance of our Lord. The Prophet (PBUH) came out to us and sat with us. When he sat, we fell silent, and he said, ‘Continue what you were doing.’ I then supplicated, followed by my friend, and Abū Hurayrah, while the Prophet (PBUH) said Āmīn (Amen) to our supplication. Then Abū Hurayrah supplicated, saying, ‘O Allāh, I ask You for all that my friends have asked of You, and I ask You for knowledge that shall not be forgotten.’ The Prophet (PBUH) said Āmīn. We said, ‘We too ask for knowledge that shall not be forgotten.’ He replied, ‘The Dawsī (Abu Hurayrah was from theDaws tribe)asked for it before you.’”¹¹ Hence, Abū Hurayrah’s supplication was answered, and he devoted himself, along with his remarkable memory, to the memorization of the Prophetic traditions. He used to divide his nights into three parts: one for sleeping, one for praying, and one for memorizing the Prophetic traditions. It is therefore no surprise that Abū Hurayrah became the most prolific narrator of Prophetic traditions.

Scholars well-versed in Ḥadīth (Prophetic traditions) assert that a closer examination of the actual number of traditions unique to Abū Hurayrah is surprising. Out of the 5,374 traditions he narrated, 4,038 are repetitions.¹² Therefore, the traditions that are truly unique to him, and not repetitions, amount to only 1,336. In other words, while Abū Hurayrah transmitted thousands of traditions, the number of distinct, non-repetitive traditions he actually memorized and conveyed is much smaller and well within the capacity of a devoted student of knowledge. Many students of knowledge today memorize Bulūġ al-Marām, which contains a total of 1,358 traditions—more than the total number of unique traditions narrated by Abū Hurayrah. Ḥadīth scholars further assert that, upon closer inspection, most of these traditions were also narrated by other Companions. Therefore, after subtracting the traditions reported by other Companions, only 253 traditions remain that were narrated solely by Abū Hurayrah. Upon examining their chains of transmission, scholars conclude that only 42 of these traditions are authentic and widely agreed upon. Remarkably, Abū Hurayrah has been accused of forging Prophetic traditions on the basis of only forty-two traditions. Those who criticize him are unaware of the facts just presented, as they are too preoccupied with attacking Islam and make no serious effort to acquire genuine knowledge, but these facts leave no grounds for the allegation that abū Hurayrah fabricated any tradition.

In fact, abū Hurayrah is merely a gateway through which some seek to attack the Sunnah and, by extension, to undermine the very foundations of Islam, since he is often referred to by some Muslims as “Islam’s narrator.” Levelling absurd allegations against his character and the traditions he transmitted from the Prophet (PBUH) has been a strategy employed by the Qurʾānists, Shiite Muslims and Orientalists seeking to sabotage the authentic and well-established Ḥadīth legacy of Ahl al-Sunnah (the Adherents of the Prophet’s Way). Indeed, had they known that only forty-two Prophetic traditions were narrated exclusively by abū Hurayrah, they would have been ashamed of their claims. It is related that one day Muḥammad ibn ʿUmārah ibn ʿAmr ibn Ḥazm al-ʾAnṣārī was seated in a gathering in which abū Hurayrah was present along with other senior Companions, and abū Hurayrah was reporting traditions from the Prophet (PBUH), some of which were unfamiliar to those present. They would consult one another to verify these traditions, and each time it became clear that some among them did in fact know those traditions, a situation that occurred repeatedly, until Muḥammad ibn ʿUmārah remarked: “On that day I knew that he—abū Hurayrah—was the best at memorizing the traditions of the Messenger (PBUH).”¹³ Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam once sought to test abū Hurayrah’s power of memory. He sat with him in one room and, behind a curtain, placed a scribe—unknown to abū Hurayrah—whom he instructed to write down whatever traditions abū Hurayrah narrated. A year later, Marwān summoned abū Hurayrah again and asked him to recall the same traditions the scribe had recorded. Remarkably, he recalled every word without the slightest error.¹⁴ In a nutshell, abū Hurayrah is Islam’s foremost Ḥadīth narrator, having memorized and transmitted more Prophetic traditions than any other Companion of the Prophet (PBUH). He once asked the Prophet (PBUH) to supplicate that people would love him and his mother. In response, the Prophet (PBUH) prayed: “O Allāh, make this servant of Yours—meaning abū Hurayrah—and his mother beloved to Your believing servants, and make the believing servants beloved to them.” Abū Hurayrah said: “No believer was ever created who heard of me and saw me without loving me.”¹⁵ The love of abū Hurayrah is indeed a sign of the believers. We call upon Allāh to witness our love for him [may Allāh be pleased with him and grant him pleasure].