[Machine] "I arrived at the city, and there Abu Ayyub was talking about Abu Hurairah. So I said, 'You talk about Abu Hurairah, and you are a companion with a high status in the eyes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ .' He replied, 'Because narrating from Abu Hurairah is dearer to me than narrating from the Prophet ﷺ .' Imam Abu Bakr said, 'From Abu Hurairah's keenness for knowledge, he would narrate from anyone who had even the slightest narration from the Prophet ﷺ . Therefore, he narrated from Sahl ibn Sa'd as-Sa'idi.'"  

قَدِمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَإِذَا أَبُو أَيُّوبَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ فَقُلْتُ تُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَأَنْتَ صَاحِبُ مَنْزِلَةٍ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ «لِأَنْ أُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أُحَدِّثَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ» قَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ «فَمِنْ حِرْصِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَلَى الْعِلْمِ رِوَايَتُهُ عَنْ مَنْ كَانَ أَقَلَّ رِوَايَةً عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مِنْهُ حِرْصًا عَلَى الْعِلْمِ فَقَدْ رَوَى عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ»