It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate: 'Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min 'ilmin la yanfa', wa qalbin la yakhsha', wa nafsin la tashba', wa du'a'in la yusma'' (O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that is not humble, from a soul that is never satisfied, and from a supplication that is not heard (accepted)), and at the end of it he (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from these four things." It has reached me that Imam Muslim bin al-Hajjaj recorded it from the hadith of Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both): Quraysh said to me: "You write down everything you hear from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), yet he (peace and blessings be upon him) is a human being who becomes angry just as other human beings become angry?" So I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, Quraysh say that you write down (everything) from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while he is a human being who becomes angry just as other human beings do?" The narrator said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to his blessed lips and said: "By the One in whose Hand is my soul, nothing comes out from between these two except the truth, so write." This hadith has authentic chains and is a foundation (proof) regarding the writing down of the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The two Shaykhs used all of its narrators as evidence except Abd al-Wahid bin Qays, who is a shaykh from the people of Syria, and his son Umar bin Abd al-Wahid al-Dimashqi is one of the imams of hadith. This hadith also has a supporting narration (shahid) which the two Shaykhs recorded in abridged form through Hammam bin Munabbih from Abu Hurayrah.

Imam Ishaq bin Rahawayh said: If the narrator from Amr bin Shu'ayb is himself trustworthy, then this chain is regarded as equal in reliability and strength to Ayyub from Nafi' from Ibn Umar.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: "O Messenger of Allah, shall I write down everything I hear from you?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes." I said: "In a state of anger and in a state of contentment?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes, for it is not fitting for me to say anything but the truth." The student of the science of hadith should know that no one has ever criticised Amr bin Shu'ayb; Imam Muslim only spoke about whether Shu'ayb heard from his grandfather Abdullah bin Amr. But when this narration comes through Mujahid, it is sahih (authentic), and I have mentioned it as a supporting narration (shahid) for the hadith of Abd al-Wahid bin Qays.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both): I used to write down everything I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in order to memorise it. Then Quraysh stopped me and said: "Do you write down everything you hear from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is a human being who speaks in (both states of) contentment and anger?" So I stopped and mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Write, for by the One in whose Hand is my soul, nothing but the truth has come out of it (this mouth)," and he (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed with his blessed hand to his blessed mouth. The two Shaykhs used all the narrators of this hadith as evidence except al-Walid, and I think he is al-Walid bin Abi al-Walid al-Shami; if so, Imam Muslim used him as evidence.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Secure (preserve) knowledge by writing." Likewise, this narration is also authentically reported from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) as his own saying.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he used to say to his sons: "Preserve knowledge by writing it down." Some of the people of Basra also narrated it as marfu' (as a saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Secure knowledge." I said: "What is meant by securing it?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Writing it."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, I said to a man of the Ansar: "Come, let us ask the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) (for knowledge), for today they are present in large numbers." He said: "How strange you are, O Ibn Abbas! Do you think that people will need you (for knowledge) while among the people there are eminent Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said: So I left that, and devoted myself to asking the Companions. If I learned that a certain man had a hadith, I would reach his door at midday; I would make my cloak a pillow and lie at his door while the wind blew dust over me. Then, when he came out and saw me, he would say: "O cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what has brought you here? Why did you not send word to me, so that I would come to you myself?" I would say: "No, I have more right to come to you." Then I would ask him about the hadith. (Ibn Abbas said:) That Ansari man lived long enough to see me when people had gathered around me (for knowledge), and he said: "This young man was wiser than me." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Bukhari, and it is a fundamental proof regarding seeking hadith and honouring the muhaddith.

It is narrated from Sulayman bin Yasar that the people dispersed from around Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and Natil, a man of the people of Syria, said: "O Abu Hurayrah, narrate to us a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The first of the people to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be three: A man who was martyred. He will be brought, and Allah will remind him of His blessings, and he will recognise them. Allah will ask: 'What did you do with these blessings?' He will say: 'I fought in Your path until I was martyred.' Allah will say: 'You have lied. You fought only so that it would be said that so-and-so is very brave, and it has been said.' Then orders will be given concerning him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. The second is a man who acquired knowledge, read the Qur'an and taught others. He will be brought, and Allah will make him recognise His blessings, and he will recognise them. Allah will ask: 'What did you do?' He will say: 'I acquired knowledge, read the Qur'an and taught it to others for Your pleasure.' Allah will say: 'You have lied. You acquired knowledge only so that you would be called a scholar, and read the Qur'an so that you would be called a reciter, and it has been said.' Then the order will be given, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into the Fire. The third is a man whom Allah blessed with every kind of wealth. He will be brought and reminded of the blessings, and he will recognise them. Allah will ask: 'What did you do?' He will say: 'I did not leave any cause in which You love wealth to be spent without spending in it purely for Your pleasure.' Allah will say: 'You have lied. You spent only so that you would be called generous, and it has been said.' Then orders will be given concerning him, and he will be dragged on his face and cast into Hell." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it with this wording. Yunus bin Yusuf is Ibn Amr bin Himas, from whom Imam Malik narrated in the Muwatta, and Imam Muslim also recorded it.