It is narrated from Sayyiduna al-Bara' bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We went out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to the funeral of a man from the Ansar. When we reached the grave, the lahd (niche) had not yet been dug, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat down and we sat around him (with such stillness and reverence) as though birds were perched on our heads (that would fly away at the slightest movement). This hadith has already been established as sahih in the Book of Iman, though the two Shaykhs did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Whenever we sat in the gathering of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we would not raise our heads towards him, out of reverence and respect for him (peace and blessings be upon him). This hadith is sahih on the condition of the two Shaykhs; I do not know of any hidden defect ('illah) in it, but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Usamah bin Sharik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and his Companions were sitting with him (so reverently) as though birds were perched on their heads. I gave the greeting of peace and sat down. Then some Bedouins came and began asking him about various things, until they asked: Should we seek medical treatment? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek treatment, for Allah has not created any disease without making a cure for it." Then they asked him about other things, and he said: "Servants of Allah, Allah has removed hardship (sin), except from a man who wrongfully attacks the honour of another man; that one has sinned and is ruined." Then they asked: O Messenger of Allah, what is the best thing that people are given? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Good character." Imam al-Hakim says that this hadith is sahih, but the two Shaykhs did not record it. In Imam Muslim's view its defect is that no one besides Ziyad bin Ilaqah narrated from Usamah bin Sharik, whereas I have built this book on the principle that a Companion's narration is taken even if he has only one narrator.

It is narrated from Abd al-Rahman bin Qurt that he said: I entered the mosque and saw a circle where people were sitting (in such silence and reverence) as though their heads had been cut off, and a man was narrating hadith to them; it turned out to be Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: People used to ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, and I used to ask him about evil (then he mentioned the complete hadith). The text of this hadith is in the two Sahihs; it has been mentioned here to show listening attentively to the narrator of hadith and how to show him respect.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque, none of us would raise his head towards him (out of utmost reverence) except Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both); the two of them would smile on seeing him, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) would smile on seeing them. Al-Hakam bin Atiyyah is alone in narrating this hadith, and it does not meet the condition of this book.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was sitting in a group remembering Allah when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by them. He (peace and blessings be upon him) came towards them until he drew near to them, and they fell silent out of reverence for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What were you saying? I saw mercy descending upon you, so I wanted to share in it with you." This hadith is sahih, and the two Shaykhs used Ja'far bin Sulayman as evidence.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Today a man asked me about something, and I did not know what answer to give him. He said: What do you think of a man who is well-equipped, energetic and eager for Jihad, but who says that our commanders impose things on us that we cannot count? I said: By Allah, I do not know what to tell you, except that we used to be with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and whatever he commanded, we would carry it out. The example of the world is like a pool whose clear water has been drunk and the muddy water left at the bottom. Any one of you will remain in good as long as he fears Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; and when some doubt arises in his heart, let him go to someone (a scholar) and ask him, and he will give him a healing (reassuring) answer. By Allah, soon you will not find such a (scholar). This hadith is sahih on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He is not of us who does not honour our elders, show mercy to our young, and recognise the right of our scholar." Malik bin Khayr al-Ziyadi is a trustworthy Egyptian narrator, and Abu Qabil is a senior Tabi'i.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), explaining the saying of Allah Almighty: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you (rulers / people of knowledge)" [Surah al-Nisa: 59] , said: It refers to the people of fiqh (understanding of the religion) and of goodness. This hadith is sahih, and according to the two Shaykhs a Companion's tafsir (explanation of the Qur'an) has the status of a musnad (a report traced to the Prophet).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that "those in authority" (uli al-amr) means the people of fiqh and the people of religion, that is, the people of obedience who teach people the meanings of their religion, command them to do good and forbid them from evil; so Allah has made obedience to them obligatory.