Asim bin Muhammad narrates from his father, who said: I saw Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) come out on Friday, take hold of the two knobs of the pulpit while standing, and say: "Abu al-Qasim, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the truthful and the one confirmed as truthful, narrated to us." Then he would keep narrating hadith until, when he heard the door of the private chamber being opened for the imam to come out for the prayer, he would sit down. This hadith has an authentic (sahih) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it. I have deliberately begun the virtues of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) with his memorisation of the hadith of the Chosen Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the testimony of the Companions and the Successors to that, because everyone who has sought to memorise hadith, from the beginning of Islam until this age of ours, is his follower, since he was the first of them and the most deserving of the title of memorisation.