وَعَنْ خَيْثَمَةَ بْنِ أَبِي سَبْرَةَ قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَسَأَلْتُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُيَسِّرَ لِي جَلِيسًا صَالِحًا فَيَسَّرَ لِي أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ فَجَلَسْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ: إِنِّي سَأَلْتُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُيَسِّرَ لِي جَلِيسًا صَالِحًا فَوُفِّقْتَ لِي فَقَالَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ قُلْتُ: مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ جِئْتُ أَلْتَمِسُ الْخَيْرَ وَأَطْلُبُهُ. فَقَالَ: أَلَيْسَ فِيكُمْ سَعْدُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ مُجَابُ الدَّعْوَةِ؟ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ صَاحِبُ طَهُورِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَنَعْلَيْهِ؟ وَحُذَيْفَةُ صَاحِبُ سِرِّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ وَعَمَّارٌ الَّذِي أَجَارَهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ عَلَى لِسَانِ نَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ وَسَلْمَانُ صَاحِبُ الْكِتَابَيْنِ؟ يَعْنِي الْإِنْجِيلَ وَالْقُرْآنَ. رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيّ
Khaitham a b. Abu Sabra said:
I came to Medina and asked God to grant me a good companion to sit with and He granted me Abu Huraira. I sat with him and told him I had asked God to grant me a good companion to sit with and that he suited me. He asked where I came from and I replied that I belonged to al-kafa and had come desiring and seeking good. He then said, "Do you not have among you Sa'd b. Malik whose prayers are answered, Ibn Mas'ud who looked after God's messenger's water for ablution and his sandals, Hudhaifa who was God's messenger's confidant, `Ammar to whom God gave protection from the devil at the tongue of His Prophet, and Salman who was a believer in the two Books?" meaning the Injil and the Quran. Tirmidhi transmitted it.
Reported by At-Tirmidhi (No. 3811). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 6232).